How to turn your DSLR into a pinhole camera

Step back in time as we show you a cheap and simple DIY camera to transform your DSLR into a traditional pinhole camera.

Pinhole photography is just what it says: taking a photograph with your camera using a pinhole instead of a lens.

The process of photography is so fast now that we’re in the digital age we can review and make adjustments instantly, and that means we’re able to take on one of the oldest forms of photography in just one afternoon. You need minimal camera gear for this project, but plenty of time to experiment.

A lens helps to focus and strengthen the beam of light entering your camera, making the image sharper and brighter.

However, by replacing the lens that sits in front of the image sensor with a small hole, it’s possible to capture an image.

Your DSLR will become a rudimentary camera obscura. Light passes through the hole and projects on a surface on the opposite side of the hole (the image sensor).

The key to this technique is to keep the hole as small and neat as possible, as the larger and more ragged the hole, the more out of focus your final image will be. Obviously this is all part of the  charm, but you still want some definition.

This means there will be very little light coming through the hole, so a sturdy tripod is essential for capturing a long exposure. Here’s how it’s done…

01 Cut it out
Using scissors, cut out a section of the drinks can (be careful as the edges will be sharp). Make sure it’s small enough to fit into the inside of a body cap. Push a needle through the metal until it just pokes through. The smaller the hole, the better.

02 Drill and stick
Drill a hole in the centre of the body cap. It should be bigger than the pin prick. Tape your pricked metal to the back of the cap, making sure the pinhole lines up with the hole in the body cap. Attach the cap to the camera.

03 Choose a subject
Anything with vibrant colour will make a good subject. The lack of a lens means there’s reduced clarity in your photos, so a subject with a lot of subtle texture probably won’t work very well. Look for simpler shapes and strong contrasts.

04 Go long
The pinhole’s aperture should be much smaller than that of any lens you have. This means less light, and less light means longer exposure times, so use a tripod. Use your self-timer or a remote to reduce the risk of camera shake.

05 Go slow
There is no aperture to control, and the other settings will depend on how large your pinhole is. Shooting outside on a sunny day, set ISO100 and 1.6 sec as a starting point, and increase or decrease the shutter speed as needed.

06 Zoom in
If you want to increase your focal length, use extension tubes. These are designed to sit a lens (or our pinhole) further away from the sensor to extend the focal length; the further the body cap is from the sensor, the longer the focal length.

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