The Washington times., 1902-06-22
A Small, Hollow Box With
a Pinhole in One End, a
Plate in the Other and Two
Guiding Lines on the Para
phernalia Required for TAX
ing the Iruest and Best Pic
tures Known =. =. =. =.
BY CHARLES E. FAIRMAN.

W TITH all the improvements
NM that have been made. and
are being made, in photogra-
ply, but few who follow pho
Biography as a pastime have ever given
serious attention to making photo
graphs without lens, nor is it very
generally known that the best photo
graphs are those made with what is
generally termed & pinhole camera.
When I say the best photographs. 1
not only mean the most artistic photo
graphs, but the best technical photo
graphs as we'll, for, with all the inge-
nuity Of our lensmakers, and the result
ing high-priced lenses, there has never
yet lensmaker succeeded IN manufac-
turing lens that would produce a
photograph so correct in drawing. and
SO realistic in conveying a sense Of
the actual atmosphere that exists in
nature. as the photographs produced by
pinhole camera.
The manufacture OF a pinhole camera
Is simple matter, and can be accom-
plished by anyone with a fair knowledge
OF the use OF very few tools, and.
while the resulting camera may not be
a thing Of beauty, If it accomplishcs the
work for which it has been made, the
lack Of beauty will not detract from
the satisfaction Of having produced the
camera at very slight cost.
We will suppose that We wish to make
. camera large enough to use a 4x5
plate, the most common size used by
amateurs. For this purpose box will
be required that will measure six
inches in length, five and a quarter
inches In width, and four and three
eighths inches in height. These meas
urements are all inside measurements.
and care should be taken that the box
should be absolutely light-tight. for a
tiny ray Of light that may enter the
box at any point except through the
pinhole will spoil the plate and make
US no end of trouble. The top of the
box should be fitted with a cover which
should completely cover the outside
measurement of the box, and to this
cover should be attached a piece of
wood one-fourth of an inch thick. accu-
rately fitted, SO that 1t will Just fit in
the inside measurement of the top of
the box, SO that when the cover is
placed on the box the light is thorough
ly excluded by this tight-ftting cover
with outer piece of wood. forming a
hght-tight right-angle joint.
On the inner side of the box should
be placed some tiny cleats of wood. so
that the plate to be used can slide in
the grooves formed by the cleats, the
plate should be situated at the extreme
end of the box. but IL It is desired to
make pictures including a greater angle
a second set of cleats should be placed
half way between the ends of the box.
and in making wide angle pictures the
plate should be placed in the middle
set of grooves instead of the grooves
at the end.
The box must not only be light-tight,
but the inside of the box must also be
entirely black. so as to prevent the re-
fection of any of the light which comes
through the pinhole from surfaces inside
the box. and the easiest manner of MAX
ing the box black inside is by lining it
with the black paper which is ordinar-
fly used in wrapping Photographic plates