Bun Camera

A Study of Principal and Construction of a Pin Hole Camera

การศึกษาวิธีสร้างและหลักการการทำงานของกล้องรูเข็ม

Objective

  1. To learn how to make pinhole camera by myself.
  2. To study the properties of the camera
  3. To compare the basic features of the camera
  4. To practice techniques using the camera
  5. To recycling, applied to advantage

Materials and Methods

Materials

  1. Cereals box and matches box
  2. Can of coke
  3. Clothespins(separated in 2 parts)
  4. Film 35 mm
  5. Poster color
  6. Knife (Cutter) and scissors
  7. Black tape and double side tape
  8. Needle
  9. Glue

Overall Methods in Video

Procedure to make pinhole camera by using cereals box

  1. Paint a cereal box with black poster color
  2. Cut cereals box as shown in figure 1-4
    • Part A: Camera’s body

      • Figure 1

    • Part B: Film storage
    • Part C: Shutter holder
    • Part D: Shutter cover

      Figure 2: Cut a cereal box

      Figure 3: film storage and shutter cover

      Figure 4: shutter holder and shutter cover

  3. Part A: Making one square hole size of 1 x 1 cm at center Part B: Making one square hole size of 1 x 1 inch at center

  4. Fold part A for camera’s body as shown in figure 5-7

    Figure 5

    Figure 6

    Figure 7

  5. Combine part A and B together as shown in figure 8

    Figure 8

  6. Cut the can size of 2 x 2 cm then make a hole at the center using a needle

    Figure 9

  7. On the top of camera’s body, make 2 holes as shown in figure (Φ1.3 cm for changing frame of film by using clothespins)

    Figure 10

  8. Attach part A , C and a square piece of can: the hole must have the same center
  9. Put the film and clothespins in the camera’s body

    Figure 11

  10. Close the box and wrap it by using black tape

    Figure 12

  11. Put the shutter cover into shutter holder

    Figure 13

Procedure to make pinhole camera by using matches box

  1. Matches box
    • Part A: Camera’s body
    • Part B: Film holder
  2. Cut cereals box as shown in figure…
    • Part C: Shutter holder
    • Part D: Shutter cover
  3. Paint matches box and cereal box with black poster color
  4. Make a square hole size of 1 x 1 cm at the center of 2 parts of matches box

    Figure 14

  5. Cut the can size of 2 x 2 cm then make a hole at the center using a needle

    Figure 15

  6. Put the film as shown in figure 16

    Figure 16

  7. Combine part A, B, C and D together
  8. Attach a square piece of can, matches box and shutter holder: the hole must have the same center
  9. Put the shutter cover into shutter holder and stabilize the camera by using the black tape

    Figure 17

    Figure 18

Results

Hardware

  1. Cereal box pinhole camera

    Figure 19

    2. Figure 20

    Figure 21

  2. Matches box pinhole camera

    Figure 22

Result Photo

...

Discussion

In this study, the final pin hole cameras are planned to test in 2 situations. For the first situation, we take an outdoor picture, a landscape with the buildings, using each camera with a different shutter speed of 1, 2, and 5 seconds. For the second situation, we take an indoor picture, a classroom with the furniture, using a cereal box camera with a different shutter speed of 3, 5, and 7 minutes.

After develop the photographic films, the result shape of outline of each photo in the film is not a normal rectangle. The problem came from the mechanic of camera that we did not stick the print film between the source box and the sink box. The abnormal outline is made from the moment of moving film and result in bend film later.

Due to the old of photographic film in the match box camera, the final film cannot develop a final picture. This problem made our experimental plan to study an effect of variable length of focus, a length from a frontal hole to a rear photographic film, fail.

In the first experiment, a developed photographic film from cereal box show that a picture with a shutter speed of 1 second has more contrast than 5 seconds significantly, but a picture with a shutter speed of 5 seconds has brighter than others. Similarly, the final developed films from cereal box in second experiment are same result, the shutter speed of the less time has more contrast and darker than others.

Conclusion

From the result, we can build a pinhole camera giving an inverted image on the opposite of the box. Its mean to take an image is similar the common camera but it doesn’t need any lens. All the other sides of pinhole camera are completely dark with a small hole to get a sharp image.

One of the factors of taking sharper image is time for exposure. The shorter time, the sharper image but the time depends on the size of the hole. Accordingly, the smaller hole is necessary the longer time. Then, the distance of object and image can affect the size of the inverted image because both of them make a focus point. Thus, the taking a photo depends on many conditions to take the best photo although it is just a simple camera like a pinhole camera.

Future study

We have done the pinhole camera, this is the first prototype. In this project, we had only one size of a hole, and time to hold a shutter was changed. In the future, we plan to design a new prototype which can be changed a hole of the camera. Therefore, we can change time to hold a shutter and size of hole. And observe a condition that we can acquire the best photo from pinhole camera.

Q&A

Question 1:
ถ้ารูของกล้องขนาดไม่เท่ากันจะส่งผลอย่างไรกับภาพถ่าย
Answer:
รูของกล้องจะเป็นส่วนที่แสงเข้ามา เมื่อขนาดไม่เท่ากันจะได้รับแสงในปริมาณที่ต่างกัน ทำให้ใช้เวลาถ่ายภาพไม่เท่ากัน

Question 2:
ความไวในการเปิด-ปิดชัตเตอร์ที่แตกต่างกัน ทำให้เกิดผลอย่างไร
Answer:
เกิดการรับแสงในปริมาณที่ไม่เท่ากัน คล้ายการไหลของน้ำในท่อ

Question 3:
ถ้าต้องการภาพถ่ายที่ชัด โดยใช้เวลามากขึ้น จะต้องทำอย่างไร
Answer:
ลดแสงสว่างรอบข้าง หรือใช้รูขนาดเล็ก หรือทำทั้งสองกรณี

Question 4:
ทำไมภายในกล้องจะต้องทาสีดำสนิท
Answer:
เพื่อป้องกันฟิล์มไม่ให้ได้รับแสงจากแหล่งอื่น นอกจากสิ่งที่จะถ่าย