Film Box Pinhole Camera

I made this film box into a pinhole camera and actually got it to produce an image.

Here is my little pinhole camera I made out of an empty Kodak Tri-X 35mm film box once I had cut a length of unexposed Tri-X film to use in it as a single negative. (In total darkness, of course!) I had cut a special holder out of cardboard from a box of raisins, which was the same thickness as the film box, to hold the negative in place at the back of the camera. I had cut a frame in it so that the area which is normally exposed on 35mm film was approximated. It turned out to be a little wider than a normal 35mm frame, but I figured that wouldn't matter. The piece of duct tape down the top/middle was my "shutter." I doubled the end over at the top so I could pull it lose to start my exposures.

This was my fourth attempt at getting a usuable image with my little homemade Kodak Trix-X film box pinhole camera. Finally, it worked! The frame was the average height of a regular 35mm negative, but the width turned out to be like a panoramic camera. I wasn't sure of the focal length, but the equivelant image I took with a digital camera translated to be 18mm. So, that would lead me to believe this film box camera was 18mm also. I'm still not certain what is causing the little arc of exposed dots along the bottom of the frame. This glitch also turned up in the last shot I took with this camera, but that one had a different pinhole piece than this one, so it wasn't an imperfection in my pinhole. (Or maybe I recreated the exact same imperfection?) If anybody recognizes this aberration or what causes it, please let me know. I'd really like to be able to correct this and get one really good shot. Camera: Film Box Pinhole Camera Lens: Pinhole (approx .051mm) Film: Kodak Tri-X 400 ISO black and white 35mm film Exposure length: 2.2 secs. Date: September 25th, 2010, 15:07:26 p.m. Location: Fairfield, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing specifics (chemicals at 68 degrees): D-76: 7 mins. Ilford Ilfostop stop bath: 1 min. Kodak fixer: 8 mins. Rinse: 5 mins. Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 min.

This shot was taken with one of my DSLR's, and other than cropping off a little on the top and along the bottom, it's the same view as the one taken with my Film Box pinhole camera. This shot was taken at 18mm, so that would lead me to believe that the little pinhole camera worked at the equivelant of an 18mm focal length as well.