- The camera obscura was the projection of an image on the walls through an opening on the opposite wall. This theory underwent modification and a portable instrument took its place. The pinhole camera was different as it functioned without a lens. However, in the digital age, people prefer a digital pinhole camera with dust-resisting body caps or a digital single lens reflex camera with plate caps on it.
- The functioning of the pinhole camera is similar to that of the human eye. The clarity and sharpness of an image in a pinhole camera is dependent on the size of the hole. The shutter of a pinhole camera can be manually operated and typical exposures last from a few seconds to a few hours. The camera can have a single pinhole or a number of pinholes for multiple imaging.
- The pinhole camera is a simple device and using this camera is easy. The pinhole camera sees its principal usage with solography, the shooting of the progress of the traveling sun, or the eclipse. The pinhole camera is capable of producing quality images on sensitized materials. Pinhole cameras with charge coupled devices come in handy for surveillance, as they are difficult to detect. Charge coupled devices are light-sensitive circuits which store the data for an image and add colors to the picture by converting the pixels into electrical values that are related to a spectrum of colors.
- Many beginner photographers start with a home-made version of the pinhole camera. A cylindrical container or a cardboard box, foil or metal suffices adequately. A hole is pierced with a pin at one end called the “pinhole plate,” while the other side is fitted with a simple device for securing the photographic paper called the “film holder.” The film is either taped or kept in place with the help of a string. When using the pinhole for the first time, the camera must be placed on a stable surface or a tripod to eliminate camera jerk or shakes. Amateurs must ensure that sunlight does not hit the pinhole directly, as it would overexpose the film.
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