Sorry, just random ramblings. I've been on again, off again working on a pinhole camera, and I have to say I'm increasingly happy with the way it's coming together.
At a craft store I picked up a tin that's meant to hold a gift card. The depth is a little shallow, but it's pocketable, and without the plastic card holder insert it would be the perfect size to hold 120 film, but I'm not going that route (today). My intent is to shoot paper negs with it, and I originally had four photo corners to hold the paper, but a couple of test runs and they eventually pulled the paint off the inside, so I went back to the drawing board.
I also wanted to be able to take more than one picture in the field, so started thinking I could take some cardstock, put the photo corners on it, then keep a few extra cut sheets behind the card and swap them out in a dark bag. I tried that, and it was cumbersome, so I ended up making a "filmholder" out of cardstock, which is cake to swap out now and I'll get proper masked edges, which may be fun.
Two rubber bands to hold the tin closed, and I found my little 6" tripod slips right into the rubber bands. Bonus.
I was still fretting about the shutter. I had taken some gaffer's tape and made a sticky one, but I knew the adhesive would wear off, and it was tough to keep it semi-still while opening the shutter. I like all the little flippy shutters on the commercial pinhole cameras and had been stewing over how to attach my own, and had an epiphany in the car last Thursday. I ripped off the gaffer's tape and stuck it to a magnet, trimmed the magnet and stuck it tape-down over the pinhole and voila, shutter! It easily slides back and forth over the hole with the flick of a fingertip, feels secure, and the little bit of tape adds a little bit of light seal protection (I almost wasted some light seal foam, but thought better of it).
I'll get some pics and results posted eventually. I've done about a half-dozen test shots but haven't processed them yet, still waiting for an opportune weekend, and some appropriate little processing trays to appropriate.
I almost "borrowed" some plasticware, but it just seemed wrong to spend more on the processing trays than the camera.
