Rio Mint tin camera

[Avotius]

I made a camera out or a Rio mint tin (rio mint tins are really really small, it takes really really small photos 😉 ) but it didnt work out so well because the hole ended up being too big, I think... A rio mint tin is about 1/2 cm thick and about 3 cm long 2 cm wide, the hole was made by taking a crafts razor and spining it around in one spot on its end untill a hole was there, maybe 1mm wide, electrical tape surved as the shutter. Maybe the tin is too small. I removed the plastic thing inside and then made a little holder in it then cut up a roll of Era film to fit inside the holder. Im pretty sure the biggest problem was the hole, but does distance from the hole to the recording surface effect the image in a pinhole camera? Duno, I didnt read up on how to do this, it started one day as I was in class and noticed I ate all my mints and how that tin would make a really neat camera. I probably need a life...

I was wondering what kind of homemade tool people use for making pinhole's in thicker matierals. Also some pointers about making the holes and sizes and what not. I dont have a drill press or anything like that but at the moment I do have access to a flexshaft and diamond tip bits, I dont know if any of them are small enough though.

 

[rogue_designer]

What about cutting a larger hole in the mint tin, then fastening a pieces of sturdy tinfoil? or something thinner to make the pinhole in?

 

[Avotius]

What about cutting a larger hole in the mint tin, then fastening a pieces of sturdy tinfoil? or something thinner to make the pinhole in?

Theres an idea. Maybe a pepsi can. The aluminum should be sturdy enough to take a small hole.

 

[clintock]

I think for the small distance from hole to film you need a really really teeny hole,
I'd try normal aluminum foil glued somehow over the large hole in the tin, then use a really sharp sewing needle to make the hole in the aluminum foil.
Maybe glue stick rubbed on the tin around the existing hole will glue the foil down?

 

[trittium]

Poke the tin foil from the inside of the tin out. This why the lifted edges will not interfere with the spreading of light onto you film.

 

[Sparrow]

The aluminium cut from a coke can and a dressmakers pin will give a 0.1mm hole with a bit of practise, taped to the body cap of a om1 it gives a focal length of about 26mm (I think) giving f1:260, 20years since I did it so can’t vouch for the numbers 100%

 

[sigma4ever]

Here's an idea. First, you aquire a cheap black binder and a tin can. Next, you poke a hole in the tin. This can be reletively large, but it's better to keep it pretty small. Next, you take the outer material (black stuff) off the binder and cut out a section appropriate for your tin size. Finally, you take a small needle, and with that, put the binder cover on a somewhat hard surface to provide adaquate resistanse and poke the needle down into the cover so as to make the smallest possible hole.

 

[rbiemer]

but does distance from the hole to the recording surface effect the image in a pinhole camera?

Yes.
There are a bunch of different formulas available to calculate the optimum size pinhole for a given "focal Length"--the distance from the pinhole to the film/paper.
A good site to start with:
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~pinhole/
And another one I like:
http://galactinus.net/vilva/pinhole/index.html
One suggestion I would make; The aluminum used in soda/beer cans is very hard. And consequently difficult to drill. Thin brass works rather better. And I also like aluminum pie pans(disposable ones)--between typical aluminum foil and soda cans--a pretty good compromise. And it's flat.
Rob