The sunny f/16 rule applied to pinhole photography...

The sunny f/16 rule is very helpful when you are trying to figure out exposure. Here's an example...

If you use an ISO of 100 and the scene you want to photograph is in sun the exposure is 1 over the ISO at f/16. In this case, we can round of 100 to a standard 1/125 and get the exposure of f/16 at 1/125th of a second. The problem with pinhole cameras is that you don't have f/16 to work with. The f/stop is usually something like f/180. To figure out the correct exposure with ISO 100 and a pinhole of f/180 you need to make yourself a little chart like the one on the left.

Each exposure on the chart is equivalent to the other. So...if you are using a pinhole camera with a fixed f/stop of f/180, you're exposure will be 1 second. Another problem sometimes pops up if you are using film. The problem is called the reciprocity factor. That means that with long exposure, you usually have to add some exposure. You might have to shoot at about 2 seconds, in my example. You need to refer to the film for the exact modification for your film. As far as I know, there is no reciprocity effect for digital camera exposure.

Do you usually shoot at f/109...I do!

One of the interesting things about pinhole cameras is that you usually end up shooting at unheard of f/stops. My 4x5 pinhole camera has a fixed f/stop of f/109. No kidding, f/109. Exposure times run in the seconds to minutes range.

A pinhole picture from a 35 mm camera...

Although we usually think of pinhole pictures coming from box-like cameras, they can also come from an SLR or DSLR. Here's an example of a pinhole picture of the Alice Austen House in Staten Island, NY. It was taken with a Minolta Maxxum camera and a body cap (instead of the lens) that has a pinhole cut into it.


Incidentally, Alice Austen was a turn-of-the-century (last century) photographer who used a view camera to take some very interesting candid pictures.

My favorite pinhole camera...

This is my favorite pinhole camera. It's made of walnut. I got it online eBay for about $50. If you want to find one like it go to eBay and search for "pinhole camera wood." This one was made by Dennis Wilder. He makes them in various woods and different focal lengths. They are made very well because Wilder is actually a fine furniture maker. I highly recommend them!

Pinhole photography...

If you have a box, you can create your own camera. All you need to do is make it light tight and add a pinhole. When you let the light in, an image will form on the side opposite the pinhole. That's it...now you know everything (almost) there is to know about pinhole photography.