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What Are the Settings for Pinhole Photography With a 35mm SLR Camera?

The technique underlying pinhole photography dates back farther than photography itself. Pinhole photography does not require a lens to be attached to the camera. Instead, you cover the front of the camera with a dark piece of card or plastic that has a pinhole punched through it. Because this aperture is so small, the scene recorded on the film will appear in focus. Before the advent of photography, artists hung paper or canvas in a dark room illuminated only by the pinhole and traced the projected image that light-sensitive film later could capture. Use a 35mm film or digital SLR and to do pinhole camera photography.

Camera Front Opening
- The opening on the front of the camera should be no larger than a pinhole. The rest of the front cover must be completely light safe. You can modify a plastic front body cap designed to be placed on the front of the camera when there is no lens attached. Use pin or needle and puncture a hole in the center of the cap. The hole must be in the dead center.
Film Speed or ISO Setting
- Because the hole letting the light through is very small, you need a fast film speed, or higher ISO setting, on your 35mm SLR. If using black and white film, select TMAX 3200 or similar film. If shooting color, select Fuji 1600 or similar film. If your 35mm camera is digital, select an ISO around 1800 to 2000 ISO. Anything above this ISO could become excessively noisy depending on the digital camera you are using.
Manual Exposure Mode
- The shutter speed will be determined by the ISO or film speed, and the scene you are shooting. Because there is no lens on the camera, there is no aperture to select, and you cannot use the camera's aperture priority setting. You cannot use the shutter priority setting, either. Switch the camera to the fully manual setting. The internal light meter will read the small amount of light coming through the opening and will suggest a shutter speed.
Noise Reduction - Digital Only
- If you are using a 35mm DSLR, press the menu button on the back of the camera and select "Long Exposure N/R" or a similarly named setting. N/R is short for for noise reduction. The longer the exposure, the more digital noise will be recorded. Enabling this feature will reduce the amount of digital noise recorded when the image is processed through the camera.

Photography