DIY & Pinhole Cameras

Reviews of pinhole, 3D printed and DIY build cameras – if you’re interested in pinhole, 3D printed and homemade cameras, this is where to find them. Pinhole cameras and even more so DIY cameras seem to be becoming increasingly popular. What links all these types of cameras together is that they allow people to experiment in ways more conventional cameras might not.

As with all the content on this website, if you find something of interest, you can find more similar products by clicking on the tags you will find at the bottom of the reviews.

Making, Measuring and Testing the “Optimal” Pinhole: Pinhole Adventures Part 3 – by Sroyon

By / April 16, 2021 / DIY & Pinhole Cameras, Learning Journeys, Processes, Tutorials & Guides / 25 Comments

There’s a scene in Jurassic Park where Dr. Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) gives the park’s creators a lecture on ethics. He ends with the famous line, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” This post – part 3 of my Pinhole Adventures series – is …

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Zero 2000 - front view

Zero 2000 Pinhole Camera, a Camel and an Elephant – By Scott Gitlin

By / September 30, 2020 / DIY & Pinhole Cameras, Photos & Projects / 14 Comments

One day back in 2011, I was walking along the shore at Rockaway Beach, New York, capturing scenes with a Fuji S3 Pro digital camera. I noticed an area of beach sand with about a 45 cm drop-off due to tidal erosion.

As a close-up capture, this picture reminded me of a desert landscape. All sense of scale was lost. I began thinking, “What could I add to a scene like this?” For some reason a toy camel came to mind. But how to be not so obvious that it is just a toy camel on beach sand? Well, why not use a pinhole camera – just the thing – I happened to have a Zero 2000 “atmosphere generator.”

holding the camera

Making and Using a Cardboard Camera: Pinhole Adventures Part 2 – by Sroyon

By / October 29, 2020 / DIY & Pinhole Cameras, Learning Journeys, Processes, Tutorials & Guides / 18 Comments

When you get right down to it, there are only three things a camera needs to do: form an image, record that image, and be otherwise light-tight. All the rest – focusing aids, light meters, talking cameras – are conveniences. Some photographers (not me, I hasten to add) look down on conveniences, such as Auto …

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Nine Homemade Cameras: Pinhole Adventures Part 1 – by Sroyon

By / July 24, 2021 / DIY & Pinhole Cameras, Learning Journeys, Photos & Projects / 16 Comments

Aren’t humans amazing. We develop sophisticated technology – high-resolution sensors, superfast lenses – to record images. But we also make, and express ourselves with, the simplest of homemade devices. Even with the most limited materials – cardboard, beercans, tape – the urge for creative expression will find a way. And this is where we end up. A camera which makes 17 simultaneous exposures on a single sheet of paper. A four-week long exposure – two weeks in New Jersey and two weeks in Minsk. A camera made from a pistachio nut (yes, a pistachio nut). Photos made with homemade cameras with no lens, and – except in two cases – without conventional film. Hang on to your hats: things are about to get interesting.

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