Easy Pinhole 'lens' From Scraps

Pinhole cameras are fun! Here's a quick and easy way to turn some pieces of scrap into a pinhole 'lens' for your DSLR or mirrorless camera.

All you need is some basic tools and 15 minutes of time!

• scissors
• compasses
• glue
• drill

I also used an EOS-M42 adapter that I had on hand because it provides a smooth surface for attaching the pinhole lens later, but you don't necessarily need one.

You will also need

• a piece of cardboard. I used relatively thin cardboard to find the optimal position for the pinhole.
• a lid from a tin can or a piece of aluminum foil

Note that you can also omit most of the steps and simply attach a piece of metal with a pinhole to a cardboard circle. I show the more complicated process because through some experimentation, I found that my camera produces sharper images if the pinhole is located closer to the sensor. I suppose that all Canon cameras with EF lens mount and APS-C sensor would produce sharper results if the pinhole is located this way.

Measure the opening and the outer diameter of your lens mount (or this adapter in my case).

Mark and cut out from cardboard one circle that is slightly less than the outer diameter and 6 circles that are slightly smaller than the opening.

Cut out a piece of metal and use your compasses to puncture a small hole into it. Use a tin can lid or a piece of aluminum foil. Be careful with the sharp edges!

Note that the smaller the hole the sharper but darker the image is going to be!

The 'lens' will consist of:

the bigger circle, 5 smaller circles, the metal pinhole plate, and finally the last smaller circle.

Carefully glue the first 1+5 cardboard circles to each other.

Drill a 8-10mm hole through the center of the first 1+5 and the last cardboard circle.

DO NOT DRILL THROUGH THE METAL PLATE! The hole still needs to be a PINHOLE! :-)

Use a couple of drops of super glue to secure the metal plate. Then glue the last cardboard circle to 'sandwich' the metal plate in place.

We are almost done here, so let's quickly clean up the mess.

If you want, you can also paint the new 'lens' black to match the camera.

Finally, attach your brand new pinhole lens to your camera with small pieces of tape.

Since the hole (aperture) is so small, you might have to use longer exposure times, so I recommend using a tripod to avoid motion blur due to shaky hands.

Pat yourself on the back (twice) and go take some pictures!