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STEREO PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY
The Stereo Pinhole Camera
Front view of the stereo pinhole camera.
There are three pinholes to allow making either stereo or regular mono prints.
Stereo prints use the two outer pinholes, and mono prints use only the center pinhole.
The body is made out of basswood stock and 3/8 inch birch plywood from fnabco.com.
With the caps removed, the three brass pinholes are seen.
The two outer pinholes for making stereo prints are 3 inches apart to match the stereo viewer.
The middle pinhole for making mono prints is centered between the two outer pinholes.
The focal length of the camera is 3.67 inches (the distance from the pinholes to the print surface)
The pinholes are made with a #78 drill bit (0.016 inches) in 0.010 inch brass shim stock.
The pinhole apertures are 3.67 inches / 0.016 inches = f/229
For reference, here is the formula for calculating the optimal pinhole diameter.
The back of the camera, showing the 5x7 film holder
held in place by three heavy 1/8 inch elastics.
With the film holder removed, the interior of the camera is seen.
Strips of light seal foam are applied around the border interface with the film holder.
In stereo mode, the divider down the middle is required
to prevent the two images from overlapping.
The divider slides out for making regular mono prints with the center pinhole.
Top of the camera.
The three brass knobs along the back edge for holding the film holder elastics
double as sighting points used in combination with the three
white beads along the front edge for framing the image.
The spirit level is very helpful for making stereo images with a level horizon.
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