I recently built a pinhole lens for my 35mm SLR. I took some photos over Christmas and I just got the film back from the developers.
The results are good, given that this “lens” is a piece of tin foil with a hole in it. The focus is pretty good, although not perfect. The bigger defect is that most of the pictures are over-exposed, because my estimations must have been wrong. I’ve managed to largely correct the exposure on the computer.
Here are my favourites from the roll. To start, we have a picture of a bare light bulb.
A view of Clifton Triangle, Bristol. This is a bit like one I’ve taken before, although that was with a normal, sensible and boring lens.
And finally a view from my bedroom window at my parents’ house in Nuneaton. There was a little snow, but sadly not enough to do anything fun with other than admire for about ten minutes. I think the yellow spot is where the sun was, and I’m putting its colour down to a developing anomaly.
Jonathan Gazeley 
Nice work mate, they’ve come out well considering it’s just a bit of foil. I think the pin-hole gives them a 70s feel about them, I half expect to see men in flares and Mk1 escorts in the second photo!
LikeLike
Yeah, not bad at all. I don’t know what can be done to improve the focus – presumably a smaller hole and a longer exposure.
Don’t know how I can make a smaller hole than I already did, though. You can buy laser-cut pinholes but they’re quite expensive and it kinda spoils the DIY ethic.
It may also be that my pinhole isn’t perfectly circular, which would probably cause some odd distortions.
Your comment about Bristol in the 1970s – don’t be daft. Word about cars and fashion hadn’t spread to the South West as early as that!
LikeLike