Chapter 12: DIY Cameras: Some Principles

Common principals are reviewed for homemade cameras designed for long-exposure photographs, including pinhole cameras and those meant to be used with detectors of very-low sensitivity. Large-format cameras with either fixed focus or a view screen arrangement are emphasized. Some suitable but inexpensive options for lenses are described, but much attention is spent on the use of simple double-convex glass lenses, such as might be found in an inexpensive hand lens. The distortions, aberrations, and field curvature of a simple lens are illustrated, and how this might be used to advantage for selective focus of suitable subjects. Three designs of simple cameras are illustrated—a simple fixed-focus box camera, a simple view camera, and a box camera with a focal plane that can be interactively curved in one dimension.