How can I make a pin-hole lens?
QI can recall making a simple pin-hole camera as a child at school. It was a tin that simply projected an upside- down image onto a sheet of tracing paper, but it was great fun. I’m sure this can be done on an interchangeable lens camera but I don’t know where to start. I have a Sony A6000. Can you provide some tips for pin-hole photography? Is it actually worthwhile? Gloria Heale
AThe simplest method is to use a spare lens mount body cap and a piece of aluminium foil. First drill a hole, carefully centred, about 3-5 mm wide through the middle of the body cap. Then you need to make as small a hole as possible in the aluminium foil. Use a small needle or a finetipped pin. You only need to puncture the foil with the very tip of the needle or pin; there is no need to push it through as that will make the hole unnecessarily large. Use something like a plastic chopping board under the foil to limit the progress of the pin or needle. Next, fix the foil with the hole at the centre of the hole in the body cap. It’s best to place the punctured foil on the inside of the cap. I’ve used Blu-Tack to secure the foil. Place the modified cap on the camera and you should see a dim and soft view through the pin hole. Using A or M modes experiment with ISO sensitivity and shutter speed to get the best results.