4x5 Pinhole Camera Build

  During the last several weeks of taking classes and working in the darkroom at the University of Washington for the Certificate for Photography program this fall and visit with Jen Dalley, a partner with Thomas Bath at Parallel Lines Studio in Ely, Nevada just before classes started (Jen has several dozen cameras and has made a bunch of pinhole cameras), I was inspired to make my own camera.

Here are a couple of images that show some of the components during the build and some photos of the finished camera.  I just bought some 8 x 10 film holders so I am going to scale this idea up for that format. Both cameras are optimized for the fixed focal length of the pinhole that roughly matches a glass lens coupled to a shutter and adjustable aperature mechanism.  The 4x5 has an older Kodak lens - probably from a 2 1/4" format box or folding camera that I picked up from Jim's Camera in the University District just before he shut his doors for $10.  The 8 x 10 camera will have a lens board with a pinhole and a lens board for a 210mm f/8 lens in a Copal shutter that I use in my Horseman 4x5 cameras.

 

More on the 8 x 10 at a later date.

 

If you double-click on the large photo, you will get larger images in a slide show that will have arrow keys when you pass  the mouse to the left or right of the image.

 

[portfolio_slideshow pagerstyle=thumbs pagerpos=top fluid=true class= pagerwidth=180]