Finally! I’ve extracted the simple and reliable shutter from Flyer and Clipper, added a mount, and now Tim Page of Eastern Camera and Optical Supply in Massachusetts has made it available for anyone who wants to make a pinhole camera from any box, container, or can. Sure, you can use tape to stick on a pinhole and another piece of tape for a shutter, but this just makes your camera look more professional and it’s easier and slicker to operate.
Modular Shutter for Pinhole Cameras
This assembly has the same simple flip shutter and o-ring pinhole disc retainer, with mounting ears to screw or glue onto whatever you’d like to turn into a pinhole camera. With an extremely wide 140 degree horizontal field of view and 130 degree wide vertical field of view, all you need is an appropriate size pinhole for the focal length of the camera back.
Make a 5×7, 8×10, or larger large format view camera with a simple box or can, using photographic paper. Project the image onto a curved or slanted back for unusual photographs and effects.
The mount can be screwed on with 2-56 or M2 screws or bolts, using a piece of black felt, cloth, or sealant to seal the gap between the mount and the camera back, or simply stuck on with some black epoxy or sealant.
The pinhole disc is 20mm and can be popped out after removing the o-ring, and replaced with a zone plate, mega pinhole, slit, or neutral density filters can be added on top of the pinhole disc for long duration suntrack (solargraph) photography. 3/4″ or 19mm pinhole discs can be used as well.
What can you do with a modular shutter? Post photos of your creations (and photographs taken) to the Pinhole Printed Flickr group! Need a lot for a science class or special project? Get in touch!