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Custom Made Pinhole for a 3d Printed Pinhole Camera
Let's see how today's blog post turns out. It's intended to be a mixed feature on 3d printing a pinhole camera as well as the results from it. It's not a camera design by me but instead one that Todd Schlemmer freely shared on Thingiverse a while back.
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terraPIN ACME3D Printed Camera
I was aware of Todd's pinhole terraPIN camera designs for a while and time finally came to print one for myself. Todd did not share just one but a few. I can't really tell you why I settled on the terraPIN ACME but I did. I liked that it did not require too many non-printed components and that the top plate snapped closed with no need for screws.
What you see in the first photo is my first print of the camera, printed on the Prusa I3 MK3S+ 3d printer. It's printed in two colors using a PLA filament. You can find more details about this build on Thingiverse.
One of the parts that could not be 3d printed was the pinhole itself. The design called for a pinhole of 0.22mm diameter. But how does one come even close to a precise diameter like this?
One option is buying a laser drilled pinhole. There are several places online that offer those but the prices are rather steep for my taste and the fact that the rest of this camera was rather cheap. Once source I can recommend is James Guerin of Reality So Subtle (RSS). Not only does he make exceptional pinhole cameras but he also makes his laser drilled pinholes available to all worldwide. And even with the shipping from France the price ends up being less than many US based companies and domestic shipping. You can shop his laser drilled pinholes on his website. I recommend the 5 for €20 option. Get the various sizes you may need all at once and you will save a bundle and will only wait for shipping once. I used these pinholes for my 8x10 paint can pinhole camera and their quality was exceptional. Not sure what size pinhole is ideal for your camera design? You can use the calculator by Mr. Pinhole.
Pinhole in Soda Can AluminumMeasuring
For this camera I wanted to go in a different direction though. I decided to make my own pinhole and see what I would get. The material of choice was aluminum from Ginger Ale soda cans. I cut the can vertically and then cut the top and the bottom of the can off. From the resulting sheet of aluminum I cut a piece about 1.5 x 3 inches that I would make four pinholes into, review them, measure them, and pick the one closest to my needs and the target size.
The pinhole making process was very low tech and in the end much more precise than I initially thought. I started with some really thin needles but rather than puncturing the hole all the way through I only pressed just enough to make a tiny bump on the opposite side. Then I flipped the sheet over and used regular sanding paper to sand the bump off, thus making a hole. The first hole was the largest one of them all and not exactly regular but as I went I made the holes smaller and smaller and was surprised how each became about 0.01mm smaller than the previous.
How did I measure the pinhole size? I used Gaffer tape to tape around the edges to prevent scratching of my scanner glass, placed the aluminum rectangle with four pinholes on the glass, and scanned it as a negative transparency at 6400 dpi. With these settings I got black aluminum and white holes where the backlight was shining through.
The image went into GIMP then and I activated and displayed a very fine square 0.01mm grid: 1) Image > Configure Grid > 0.01mm horizontal and vertical, 2) View > Show Grid, 3) Magnify to 1100%.
After selecting the "best" pinhole of the four, I cut it from the rectangle, cut around the hole to form a hexagon with the pinhole in the center (the camera has a hexagonal bevel to drop the pinhole into hiding under the sliding shutter) and used a tiny drop of Super Glue to affix the aluminum to the camera body. The design of the camera is such that no glue is required but I figured it could not hurt, and even the designer recommended doing so.
With pinholes, the material thickness matters too. The thinner, the better. If you'd like the best possible pinhole, consider the 0.001" brass shim. While I used the soda can aluminum this time I will probably experiment and compare to the brass shim in the near future.
And what can all of this get you? Let's take a look at some sample photos. The terraPIN ACME takes 120 film and I would recommend something with good reciprocity failure characteristics. My first roll was the Rollei Retro 80s and I would definitely not recommend that. I could not find reciprocity data for the film and used some generic guidance that worked for me in the past, however, it turned out to be an almost utter failure with this film. When I hung it to dry, there were barely any images on the negative and the negative proved unprintable in the darkroom. Only thanks to scanning and digital technology was I able to rescue the images, a bit ironic.
Dandelion HeartPinhole Photography
Dandelion Heart
Photographed with a terraPIN ACME pinhole camera on Rollei Retro 80s film and developed in D-23
Wagon WheelPinhole Photography
Wagon Wheel
Photographed with a terraPIN ACME pinhole camera on Rollei Retro 80s film and developed in D-23
The famed Fuji Acros is much better for pinhole photography and long exposures as it pretty much does not have any reciprocity failure up to 2 minutes. However, it does not dry flat and cups quite a bit, making scanning a bit of pain.
USS Croaker 246Pinhole Photography
USS Croaker 246
Photographed with a terraPIN ACME pinhole camera on Fuji Acros 100 film and developed in D-23
Lemonade WagonPinhole Photography
Lemonade Wagon
Photographed with a terraPIN ACME pinhole camera on Fuji Acros 100 film and developed in D-23
Refueling TruckPinhole Photography
Refueling Truck
Photographed with a terraPIN ACME pinhole camera on Fuji Acros 100 film and developed in D-23
terraPIN ACME 2terraPIN ACME, a 3D printed camera
I really liked the results I got from the two test rolls and I really wanted a photography related gift for a friend and decided to print one more and even spruce it up a bit. I printed the main body in two colors.
Most of the body remained in black as I needed the inside black but I printed the bottom and top 1mm in solver, loosely resembling the chrome on the cameras from the 60s and 70s. And for another color variety, I printed the knobs in copper rather than orange,
And of course, I had to test drive this version too before sending it out on its merry way to Canada. I tuned my film choice again and was actually the most happy with this one.
Due to the Fuji Acros cupping, I would recommend Kodak T-Max 100 the most. While you need to add 1/3 stop between 1 and 10 seconds and 1/2 stop between 10 and 100 seconds, that is no bother and the film dries perfectly flat. The extra exposure time may come handy too on a sunny day.
Little Free LibraryPinhole Photogaphy
Little Free Library
Photographed with a terraPIN ACME pinhole camera on Kodak T-Max 100 film and developed in D-23
Basketball HoopPinhole Photography
Basketball Hoop
Photographed with a terraPIN ACME pinhole camera on Kodak T-Max 100 film and developed in D-23
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! For more travel photography, my Travel Photography gallery offers an interesting mix of places all around.
Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them (commission earned) and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
Vintage TruckPinhole Photography
EnginePinhole Photography
Cadillac DoublePinhole Photography
Ice Cream StandPinhole Photography
By the Train DepotPinhole Photography
Spring is Still in the Air
We're back at the Buffalo History Museum today for another crisp morning walk. Last time the focus was on the beautiful cherry trees, today it is on the sunshine illuminating everything in beautiful warm light.
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Look at the building and how wonderful it looks in that morning light! Lincoln, the Emancipator, had quite a view over the lake that morning.
Spring Morning at the MuseumBuffalo History Museum
Spring Morning at the Museum, Buffalo History Museum, Buffalo, New York
Photographed with a Nikon N75 on Kodak Gold 200 film and developed in Cinestill C-41
What lake you ask? Let's look at the scene from a different vantage point a bit further east and away from the building. Let's walk down through the Japanese Garden, circle around the lake and find a spot with a nice view of the museum.
Morning ReflectionBuffalo History Museum
Morning Reflection, Buffalo History Museum, Buffalo, NY
Photographed with a Nikon N75 on Kodak Gold 200 film and developed in Cinestill C-41
Aren't reflections magical?
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! For more travel photography, my Travel Photography gallery offers an interesting mix of places all around. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them (commission earned) and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
Up the BreakwallBuffalo, NY
Water Gas StationBuffalo, NY
Little Rock & Spirit of BuffaloBuffalo, NY
South Grand Island Bridge behind TreesBuffalo, NY
English River on Buffalo RiverBuffalo, NY
Spring is in the Air
We are only 6 weeks away from summer solstice and the longest day of the year but I still get frost alerts almost daily. That is not really unique to this year and one does not usually clear the frost safety until after Memorial Day here in Western New York. Other than the cold mornings, the days are warm now and nature has sprung to life with greenery and blooms everywhere.
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To acknowledge that, I have updated the slideshow on my homepage to be warmer and more welcoming especially for the locals who are probably done with winter at this point. And you can tell by everyone working on their yards or in their gardens. There's clear excitement for the lively season of spring.
Cherry Tree Blossoms in BuffaloBuffalo History Museum
Cherry Tree Blossoms, Buffalo History Museum, Buffalo, NY
Photographed with a Nikon N75 on Kodak Gold 200 film and developed in Cinestill C-41
For today's post, I have selected couple photographs from the Buffalo History Museum where the annual cherry blossom festival always provides beautiful views and summarizes what I tried to type up above into a single scene. It's a happy place!
Cherry Tree BlossomsBuffalo History Museum
Cherry Tree Blossoms, Buffalo History Museum, Buffalo, NY
Photographed with a Nikon N75 on Kodak Gold 200 film and developed in Cinestill C-41
I posted other photographs from this location in the past but these are more in line with my return to film over the past few years. These were captured on a consumer grade Kodak Gold 200 film with a Nikon N75 plastic fantastic camera that was released by Nikon in 2003 as their last consumer film camera model before the digital revolution killed off that product class.
Film StripKodak Gold
While you are reading this blog post and looking at the two photographs on a screen of a digital device, know that it lived as analog for a little longer that usual these days. Light hit a rectangle of light sensitive 35mm color negative film and changed its chemical properties forever. Then, the developer continued that chemical reaction and brought the "captured" light back into life, and the fixer made sure the chemical reaction was stopped and the photo on the film became permanent. After that point, I scanned the photo in and converted it into over 400 million of ones and zeros :-)
Are you curious about the old-fashioned art of analog photography? I wrote an article for Emulsive a while back that should provide you with all you need to get started. And if it leaves you with questions, please, feel free to contact me via this website or on Instagram or Facebook.
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! For more travel photography, my Travel Photography gallery offers an interesting mix of places all around. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them (commission earned) and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
Letchworth DaisySpring is in the Air
Catkins, Green ThemeSpring is in the Air
Swallow Hollow DandelionSpring is in the Air
Alive!Spring is in the Air
Lush Green RavineSpring is in the Air
Picturesque Pískovna
We're traveling again today, this time to the north of the Czech Republic. There are a few fairy-tale rock cities over there. And that is both figuratively as well as literally as some Czech fairy tales were actually filmed there. And if anything is surprising to me it is that it was not even more.
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However, the rocks are not the main focus of this post. The rocks are only in a supporting role here. The main character of today's story is a beautiful small lake called Pískovna, formed by the flooding of an old sandstone quarry. It's this lake that will both welcome you to the Adršpach-Teplice Rocks National Park as well as say goodbye at the end as it sits at the trail head into the city.
Stormy over PískovnaCzech Republic
Stormy over Pískovna, Adršpach-Teplice Rocks National Park, Czech Republic
As you can see, we caught the lake as a rain storm was passing over turning this picturesque body of water with turquoise water a bit more dramatic, quite fitting the rock cliffs on the opposite side.
In a Fairy Tale, Pískovna, Adršpach-Teplice Rocks National Park, Czech Republic
The walk around the lake is only about 20 minutes and it's definitely worth it, at least in my opinion. You will get a few wonderful views of the lake as you circle it and it's a great complement to the rock city you are either heading into or have just left.
Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! (#etbtsy)
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more landscape photographs from places beyond Western New York? Visit my Landscapes Faraway or Travel Photography galleries and enjoy! Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!
Ballooning above ŠpinkaCzech Republic
Squeezed Between RocksCzech Republic
Path through Fields of GoldCzech Republic
Chvalkovice Wind Mill at DuskCzech Republic
Rolling Hills of Southern MoraviaCzech Republic
Sleeping Farm
I know that most people look towards summer for warmer days after the cold winter we had but with winter making a (hopefully) brief appearance tomorrow I figured I would sneak in a few more winter themed photographs.
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I really enjoyed our 2020/21 winter. While hesitant to arrive in December it showed up in January and stayed with us for many weeks. What I liked the most was that despite the few warmer days our snow did not melt several times like in the past few years.
Snow is the key winter ingredient to me. It coveres the land, the dirt, the mess and everything looks clean and neat. Add some nice freezing air and the experience of hiking or just walking outside becomes more intense. And cool it down further and the sound of snow creaking under one's boots makes it just about perfect.
Farmhouse in Winter, Knox Farm, East Aurora, New York
Photographed with a Zorki 4 on Kodak Double-X 5222 black and white film and developed in D-23
Winter also dresses up the landscape for a completely different look. Colors disappear, ground gets covered in a white blanket and why even bother with color film? This winter, I placed all of my color film either in th freezer or on a basement shelf and went 100% black and white. That has a wonderful benefit. Other than sharing the scanned photographs here and on social media I can take my black and white negatives to the darkroom and make traditional wet prints without a single step passing through a computer or a smart phone! And to me, that is a wonderful feeling during these times filled with technology and everything around us going digital.
Fence in Snow, Knox Farm, East Aurora, New York
Photographed with a Zorki 4 on Kodak Double-X 5222 black and white film and developed in D-23
Knox Farm is one of those places that look great all year round. Every single season brings its special look and winter is no exception. Look at the photo above. That fallen fence just would not look the same with green grass under, would it? Or the hay bales below. The snow just beautifully sets them off!
Hay Bales in Snow, Knox Farm, East Aurora, New York
Photographed with a Zorki 4 on Kodak Double-X 5222 black and white film and developed in D-23
There may be another benefit to winter, at least for me. All of the beautiful places have fewer people as they choose to stay warm in their homes. And that is just fine with me. I have always enjoyed natural places without crowds and they are harder and harder to come by.
Battle Lost, Knox Farm, East Aurora, New York
Photographed with a Zorki 4 on Kodak Double-X 5222 black and white film and developed in D-23
I hope you have enjoyed today's stroll through a simplified winter landscape and will come back to my blog for another visit soon. It will gradually turn to spring and summer themes but who knows, there may be one or two more cold posts.
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! For more travel photography, my Travel Photography gallery offers an interesting mix of places all around. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.
Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them (commission earned) and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything at all. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how large, no matter how small. Thank you!
White Trail of WondersBirdsong Park
Through the Winter LandscapeBirdsong Park
Birdsong Gate in WinterBirdsong Park
Winter EntranceWoods in WInter
Spooky Winter WetlandsSwamp in Winter