Pinhole with a Nikon Coolpix

[belledeux diana]

I wondered if I could make a pinhole set up with my Nikon 5000

Coolpix.....I just put a black paper with a pinhole over the

lens.....but the results seem to be only a very tiny round

photo.....maybe this is not the right approach....

 

Also, while I'm posting, can someone please tell me how to control

the the point of focus...there seems to be nine settings....top

center, center, bottom center.....etc......it moves all over the

place on it's own.......and I can't seem to outguess where it's going

to show up next..........

 

thank you

[cgarrett]

the reason that your pinhole attempt isn't working is because you are putting the

pinhole in front of a normal lens. A pinhole functions as a lens itself, and requires no

other lenses. Unless you are willing to take apart the camera, you won't be able to use

it as a pinhole camera.

[vivek iyer]

The pinhole did not work because of the zoom lens on the coolpix. With a suitable prime lens, it is possible.

 

A polaroid rangefinder camera from yesteryears came with a lens cap that had a pinhole for this purpose.

[lex_jenkins]

I've heard that if you poke a pinhole into a digital camera sensor you'll be sucked into an alternate universe.

 

Just a mild warning.

[jcuknz]

You need to appreciate that with any zoom lens you have the basic lens and the zoom is achieved by another set of elements in front of it adjusting the angle of view.

 

Ideally you simply have the pinhole, but with a prime lens it IS possible to organise a pinhole, preferably by taking the lens apart and inserting the pinhole in the centre of the lens, a quite effective option is to have the pinhole very close in front or behind the prime lens. A neat option I read of in Model Railroader magazine was to have the pinhole on a disc of metal a bit bigger than the smallest diameter of the prime len's iris. This permitted setting up with the lens iris open and then with the iris closed you had the pinhole effect.

 

When you put anything in front of a zoom lens much smaller than the diameter of the front pupil you get vignetting to a greater or lesser extent .... and sadly no pinhole effect.

[c4-contemporary-art]

It SUCKS that dSLRs don't have a movie mode - and the only cameras that

DO - DON'T have detachable lenses!! I've been dying to try my hand at doing

a pinhole movie!!!! That would be cool, huh?

[c4-contemporary-art]

It SUCKS that dSLRs don't have a movie mode - and the only cameras that

DO - DON'T have detachable lenses!!

 

 

I've been dying to try my hand at doing a pinhole movie!!!! That would be

cool, huh?

[vivek iyer]

Just pick up a 8mm movie camera with C-mount, put a pinhole and shoot away!

 

This experiment would cost you a lot less than the non-existent possibilities...unless you just like to fantasise and do not want to experience anything.

[jcuknz]

Actually the simplest and cheapest way to do pinhole photography is to get yourself a large coffee tin,perhaps the 10lb size, punch a hole in one side at the mid height point. Cover this with ducktape and prick a hole in it with a pin or needle. In the dark cellotape a sheet of photographic print paper to the opposite inside of the can,

Close the lid and take outside and set up for an exposure ... I forgot to mention that you need a 'lenscap' over the pinhole.

After the exposure develope and fix the paper. When it is dry use your scanner to copy it and reverse polarity to get a positive image in the computer.

I would suggest that you search the web for 'pin-hole' and you will find there is a large group of enthusiasts indulging in this side of photography with plenty of tipsto help you.

I forgot to make it clear that you need a 'prime' lens to make a pinhole camera and the extra elements on the front of a zoom lens such as the 5000 has fouled up your efforts.

Once you have the pinhole, with no actual lens, you also have a 'zoom' pinhole by simply moving the pinhole backwards and forwards relative to the sensor/film/photopaper etc .... fun eh!?

If you can find an old time bellows camera this could be the basis for a pinhole camera .... else use alight tight box as was suggested in kid's books for things to do in the past.