Pinhole camera

A pinhole camera is a camera without a lens. The light producing the image passes through a small hole. In order to produce a reasonably clear image, the aperture has to be a small pinhole on the order of 0.02 inches (0.5 mm) or less. The shutter of a pinhole camera usually consists of a hand operated flap of some light-proof material to cover and uncover the pinhole.

Related Topics:
Camera - Lens - Aperture - Shutter

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Pinhole cameras require much longer exposure times than conventional cameras because of the small aperture; typical exposure times can range from 5 seconds to more than an hour.

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The image may be projected on a translucent screen for real-time viewing (popular for viewing solar eclipses; see also camera obscura), or can expose film or a charge coupled device (CCD). Pinhole cameras with CCDs are sometimes used for surveillance work because of their small size.

Related Topics:
Solar eclipse - Camera obscura - Charge coupled device - Surveillance

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