Pinhole Nikon D50

<p>I'm making a pinhole lens out of a body cap for a Nikon D50. Any suggestions on the pinhole size (#9 needle, #10 needle, thumbtack?). I used a thumbtack to make a hole in a piece of aluminum and put the aluminum on the outside of the cap. Still pretty blurry. I didn't expect it to be crystal clear, but was looking for some tips to get it closer to being sharper. <br>

Thanks for any help.</p>

<p>I tried the same thing (lens-cap pinhole) with an FM and a D70s, many years back, and got disappointing (blurry) results.<br>

My conclusion was: (a) the pinhole needs to be of a small diameter, and <em>round</em>; and (b) the distance of the lens cap to the film/sensor plane was too much.<br>

I actually contemplated buying a film body and removing the mirror and having the pinhole plane intrude into the camera mirror box. Maybe I will do that with an "as-is" body. Thanks for reminding me. </p>

<p>Have a look at Mr. Pinhole's site here:<br>

http://www.mrpinhole.com/index.php<br>

Best regards,<br>

/Clay</p>

<p>This site might help you:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.alscotts.com/techniques/pinhole/">http://www.alscotts.com/techniques/pinhole/</a></p>

<p>After reading these messages and the links provided i feel tempted to try this with my D3X .... just for fun ....</p>

<p>I enjoy reading about the many creative projects people do with their digicams.<br>

On my wishlist is also still some lensbabies stuff</p>

<p>Maybe some of you would think it is crazy to do the pinhole stuff with a D3X .... but i think it will be fun.</p>

<p>Coincidental but worth noting is that it's Worldwide Pinhole Day on April 24th. More details and pics can be found at:<br>

http://www.pinholeday.org/</p>

<p>One more link:<br>

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Pinhole/pinhole.html<br>

Best regards,<br>

/Clay</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Well, good news. I did make some progress. I used the smallest sewing needle I could find and a body cap. The trick is to make the hole as tiny as possible. And I mean TINY. Just puncture the foil or aluminum with the tip of the pin and not the shaft. Makes a world of difference. Thanks for all the help. </p>

<p>Jef,<br>

Any results you would like to share ? <br>

Think I'm gonna try something like this myself, so thanks for this post giving me some inspiration.. !</p>

<p>I've taken a few shots, none out of the camera, but I'll post them as soon as I can. I would suggest outside shots first. I don't think I went with a shutter of less than 1 second. Inside was more like 15 seconds. </p>

<p>The easiest thing to do is to get a couple of cheap body caps. Drill a small hole dead center in the cap. Take a sewing needle, as fine and small as you can find and just break the surface of the foil or aluminum ( I cut up a Coke can; cuts very easily with scissors. ) The smaller the pinhole the better. I taped the foil or aluminum over the hole of the body cap with black electrical tape. Put the body cap on. </p>

<p>You can see some things very dimly through the viewfinder, but use it as a general guide. Use a tripod or a steady surface to set the camera on. Fire the shutter with the timer or a remote. Like I said, nothing faster than 1 second. </p>

<p>Don't expect anything brilliant, it's a pinhole/camera obscura. I followed these instructions <a href="http://www.alscotts.com/techniques/pinhole/">http://www.alscotts.com/techniques/pinhole/</a> </p>

<p>Oddly enough, I got a good shot of the family cat at 15 seconds. She stayed still for that long. </p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>I went ahead and did a few more from today. Nothing much, but it should give you an idea of what you can work with. A little more composition and thought and you could get some good stuff. </p><div></div>

<p>A couple more. </p>

<p>http://www.photographybyjef.com/pinhole/DSC_0011.jpg</p>

<p>http://www.photographybyjef.com/pinhole/DSC_0014.jpg</p>

<p>Jeff,<br>

Cool thx for the xmples !<br>

I'm thinking of putting a "pinhole cap" at the end of my bellows, enabling to vary the distance of pinhole <==> Sensor and see if this gives different results.. <br>

Going at it next weekend probably if i can find the time ...<br>

Also maybe experiment with manual flash , shorting exposure time that way.. plenty to experiment with ! thx !</p>

<p>why not just take a random shot without focusing?</p>

<p>Ha Ha Eric! Ya, that is kind of what it's like. For me this is like building a camera like the original cameras, but digital. It's just fun to build something and try to make it work. There are some really good portfolios on YouTube if you query Pinhole Camera. </p>