First Light

In astronomy, the term "first light" marks the inaugural use of a telescope to capture its initial astronomical image post-construction. Similarly, my new pinhole camera recently had its own "first light" moment—an image captured with a device entirely of my own design and crafting. This first new camera picture shows the flooded Stillwater pavilion and bridge.

I've integrated an automated shutter system into my pinhole camera. Now, using my Samsung Galaxy phone, I can simply input the desired exposure time in seconds or fractions thereof. This input triggers an Arduino micro controller to precisely manage the camera's shutter duration. This automation not only eliminates the risk of shaking the camera when manually operating the shutter but also relieves me from mentally counting exposure seconds, especially beneficial for exposures shorter than one second.

To enable communication between my phone and the camera, I developed a custom C++ script. This code facilitates seamless interaction between my phone app and the controller via Bluetooth, overseeing operations of both the micro servo and the LED exposure indicator on the camera.  It took a few adjustments with invaluable insights provided by ChatGPT to make it work.

Crafted from walnut, the camera has a distinct dark finish. It uses 120 film which offers larger frames compared to standard 35mm film. Currently, I am in the process of constructing a second iteration of the camera to address minor design and aesthetic concerns. For this upcoming version, I decided to use canary wood. While there might be potential to further miniaturize components for a smaller camera, I am undecided whether I will explore that avenue.