Cardboard camera obscura.
Camera Obscura means dark room! With this tutorial, we'll create a small dark room out of cardboard, a cereal box, masking tape, and a cheap plastic hand lens. You can use this little contraption to see the world upside down, turn it into a camera obscura, or use it as a cell phone projector! This is a great tool for teaching kids about how the eye works, how we perceive light, and about transparent and opaque materials.
You will need …
Cardboard
Box, chipboard or file folder (something stiffer than paper but softer than cardboard)
White paper or parchment
Plastic hand lens
masking tape
Scissors
Box opener or blade in fine form
mat (not shown)
Step 2: cut out pieces of cardboard
Using the template provided, cut out all your pieces of cardboard. You can do this with a box cutter, blade, or laser cutter if you have access to one. Try to keep the edges as straight as possible, this will make joining the pieces much easier.
Step 3: Glue the cardboard pieces together
Lay out the pieces of cardboard as shown. Lay one piece of tape on each side at the front, overlapping each side.
Step 4: Camera Lens Pinhole
Stick the lens on the front hole. If you tilt the handle, the lens should fit without having to cut anything.
Step 5: Finish the Assembly
Fold all the pieces so that your box looks like a box. Tape all outer edges, trying to close any light gaps. The darker inside your box, the clearer your image will be. You can also cover the outside with dark paper if you like.
Step 6: Cut out the screen holder
Using the template provided, cut out the screen holder. If you're using a file folder like I did, cut the two pieces off and glue them together, this will make it a bit more solid. Make sure you add your ratings. This will be where you fold the holder into the frame.
Step 7: Fold the frame and glue it together
This is the only tricky part of the camera obscura. Fold the frame over the lines of the score so that the corners are tucked into a small V. See illustration for details. Wrap V and secure all four corners. When you're done, your frame should look like a photograph!
Step 8: Tape on your screen
Cut out a piece of paper or parchment slightly larger than the hole in the frame. Tape along the inside of the chamber structure.
Protecting your own property is an important task that is solved with the help of various security systems and complexes.
There are many options for how to organize the protection of private objects. One of the ways is to install video surveillance systems - their presence will allow you to timely identify outsiders at the facility and warn the relevant services and owners about this.
In addition, the presence of elements of a video surveillance system at the facility has a deterrent effect on intruders, since it is unlikely that anyone will try to enter the territory that is guarded by video cameras.
Why is a camcorder needed?
Modern video surveillance systems are quite expensive, both in terms of purchasing the appropriate equipment, and in terms of its subsequent maintenance, installation and configuration.
Not everyone can afford the financial costs needed to fully protect their facility with the help of modern video cameras. Fake surveillance cameras will be the way out in this situation.
They are devices that outwardly completely resemble real CCTV cameras.
The only difference is that inside such dummies there is no hardware system that provides the ability to film what is happening and transmit a video stream.
Such devices are used in order to create a deterrent effect on robbers. After all, no one knows whether a real camera or a fake video camera is installed at the facility.
Advantages
The main advantages of molds include:
- low cost compared to original cameras;
- ease of installation;
- there is no need for a specialized installation;
- device maintenance is not required;
- there is no need for software and computer equipment for viewing, recording and storing video;
- You can make a fake CCTV camera with your own hands.
disadvantages
- there is no possibility of conducting surveillance;
- only a psychological impact on the attacker is provided;
- if the information that a fake video surveillance camera is installed at the facility is available to a larger circle of people, its protective effect will be completely leveled.
How to make a fake yourself?
Considering that CCTV imitation is quite an effective tool to protect your property, the popularity of these devices is quite high. The high demand for these devices leads to the fact that the price of them also rises.
For those who do not want or are not able to pay for a camera dummy made in a production environment, there is an option to make a CCTV camera dummy with your own hands.
To implement this is quite simple, and the resulting devices are practically no worse than their factory counterparts. Below we will consider how you can independently make dummies of the most used cameras.
Fake with motion sensor
Fake surveillance camera with a flashing red LED is a very effective tool to scare intruders away from the object.
In addition to the fact that the device looks like a real security system camera, a flashing red LED signals, as it were, that the camera is recording what is happening. This provides an additional protective effect.
Any means at hand can be used to make a dummy camera. For example, for cameras that are installed indoors or under reliable protection from the external environment, they can be made from thick paper or cardboard.
To make a dummy, you need to find on the Internet a "cut" of a real camera, which is similar to children's craft toys that are made of paper.
It will be enough to cut out the camera parts according to the found scheme, glue them together and assemble them into a single device, which will be installed at the facility.
Metal or plastic rods, a piece of wire and other fasteners that could be left at home from other devices can be used as a holder.
To make the imitation of a surveillance camera more believable, you can install a red LED inside the device, which is connected to a conventional battery.
Its glow will resemble the operation of the camera in recording mode. Instead of a lens, you can install a circle of transparent plastic.
To make the model look as realistic as possible, you can paint it in colors that correspond to the original cameras.
Fake dome camera
Dome cameras have received wide practical application in various kinds of objects. They have a wide viewing angle, which allows you to control a large area with one device.
In such devices, there are significantly fewer dead zones and it is almost impossible to pass near them unnoticed. Considering these factors, the fake dome surveillance camera at the facility has a fairly good deterrent effect.
The difference between the dummies of these cameras is the ease of making them with your own hands. It is enough to find a suitable size hemisphere that is attached to the base, which can be cut out of cardboard, plastic, plywood or wood.
A hemisphere can be made from transparent children's balls or plastic Christmas decorations.
Inside the hemisphere, a mock-up of a miniature camera is installed, which can be cut out of paper or cardboard and painted in the desired color.
An LED connected to a battery is attached near the camera mockup - it will simulate the recording process.
To mask the interior of the camera as much as possible and make it look like the original device, the surface of the hemisphere must be covered with a translucent dark varnish. It will darken the dome of the camera, as is done in many models of real camcorders.
outdoor camera
The dummy of an outdoor video surveillance camera is made in almost the same way as for cameras used indoors. But in this case, they should be cut not from cardboard, but from thin metal.
As a blank, you can use a can of beer, cola or deodorant. As a lens, you can use a piece of plexiglass cut in the form of a circle. Inside the body of the dummy, you also need to install a flashing red LED, which is powered by a battery.
In order for it not to fail, it is necessary to ensure the tightness of the dummy body, which should not allow moisture to pass inside. It is possible to ensure the stability of the dummy of a video surveillance camera with a motion sensor to the external environment by painting the external elements with powder paint.
The color of the dummy must be chosen in accordance with real cameras - this will give a visual resemblance to the original.
Conclusion
Models of surveillance cameras are quite effective means to protect your territory from intruders.
It is important to keep information about the installation of dummies secret from strangers, and then the deterrent effect of these devices will be the same as that of real video surveillance systems.
How to make a fake CCTV camera with your own hands was described above - improvised tools are suitable for this.
For those who do not want to spend their time on crafts, you can go to specialized stores and purchase ready-made dummies, although it will cost significantly more than those made with your own hands.
Video: How to make a fake CCTV camera
The prototype of the camera, known for several hundred years to mankind. In this article, we will not only take a closer look at its history and principle of operation, but we will also analyze how to make a do-it-yourself camera obscura from improvised materials in several ways.
What is a camera obscura
camera obscura (lat. camera-" room", obscura-" darkened, dark") - the simplest optical device, the prototype of a camera. It can be either a box or a chest, on one of the walls of which a small eye is cut out - a hole, and instead of the other a screen of translucent material is stretched, and a dark room with the same small eye and screen.
Another name for this device is a pinhole camera. pinhole camera-"chamber having a hole").
The principle of operation of the camera obscura
Before you make a camera obscura with your own hands, you need to figure out how it works. Her work is based on the law of rectilinear propagation of light rays known from school. A lot of narrow beams of light pass through the peep hole of the camera. Each of them leaves a light spot on the screen of the opposite wall, equal in size to the eye. Such spots from many rays are superimposed on each other on the surface of the screen of the pinhole camera, thereby creating an optical reflection on it - a copy of the object or panorama located in front of this peculiar apparatus.
Human eye and pinhole camera
The camera obscura, by the way, resembles the principle of its action of the human eye - the image on its screen also enters through a small hole and upside down. This happens because the light enters both the eye and the apparatus at an angle - the rays reflected from the upper part of the objects are directed downwards, and the rays reflecting objects close to the ground are directed upwards. Inside the camera, they intersect, so the image on the camera screen is upside down. In our body, the brain returns the image to the correct position, and in the camera - a mirror.
History of the pinhole camera
How to make a camera obscura with your own hands, our distant ancestors also thought - for the first time this phenomenon was noticed by Aristotle back in the 4th century. BC.
The legendary Leonardo da Vinci was the first to describe the algorithm and mechanism of its work. His invention was used by artists in the Middle Ages - the camera obscura helped them make paintings-copies of certain objects.
Scientists thought about how to make a camera obscura in a more "advanced" version with their own hands later. In 1568, the principle of the pinhole camera was improved - the Venetian inventor De Barbaro replaced the screen with a plano-convex lens. This innovation significantly improved the clarity and saturation of the image. The device was called a wall camera. It became a stepping stone to the modern camera.
How to make a do-it-yourself camera obscura out of the box
To make your own pinhole camera, you will need:
- cardboard box for tea or juice;
- thin translucent paper - tracing paper or parchment is perfect;
- scissors;
- glue;
- scotch.
So, how to make a camera obscura with your own hands from a box of tea, juice, etc.:
- Cut out a small window on one of the walls of the box.
- Using glue or tape, seal the hole with a suitable piece of paper, turning it into a screen for the future camera.
- In the middle of the opposite wall, make a hole with a diameter of not more than 1 mm. Use a needle, pin, pushpin for this.
That's the whole instruction, suggesting how to make a do-it-yourself camera obscura out of the box. Use your invention in a darkened room - point it at a bright and contrasting light source - for example, a burning candle. Her inverted image should be reflected on the paper screen.
How to make a camera obscura with your own hands: camera
In this life hack, we will look at creating a more complex, but also more interesting pinhole camera, with which you can take real photos. First, collect the necessary materials:
- aluminum jar;
- a piece of plastic;
- Matchbox;
- 2 "barrels" for film;
- the film itself is 35 mm;
- black paint, brush;
- stationery knife;
- insulating tape;
- needle;
- scissors;
- ruler;
- pencil.
How to make a camera obscura with your own hands, read on:
So we sorted out two ways that suggest how to make a camera obscura with your own hands. In the latter, it is better to use a tripod for shooting, and open the shutter for a strictly defined time - in sunny weather for 6 seconds, in cloudy weather - for 7-8 seconds.
We make a simple homemade camera without lenses, where the role of the lens is assigned to a small hole.
We need
Reamer, black cardboard, utility knife, ruler, black electrical tape, double-sided tape, glue, needle, two paper clips, black permanent marker, two reels of 35mm film - new and used, a small piece of tin or foil.
Camera assembly
In our case, the assembly took an hour and a half. At the same time, we spent most of the time on understanding the pinhole device and drawing our own sweep scheme. In the process, it is better to use a metal ruler - unlike wood or plastic, it cannot be cut. It is better to cut cardboard on a wooden or glass surface.
Scan
We glue the scan to the cardboard with double-sided tape. Important: the box must be black, without gloss. Black absorbs light and does not reflect it back to the film. We used black cardboard, which is sold in art stores. You can also use ordinary cardboard, after painting it with black acrylic.
Details
You can cut out the details with scissors, but it is better to use a clerical knife and a ruler - the cut lines are even, and the process itself takes noticeably less time.
folds
We have applied the method used in layout. Made neat punctures on the fold lines. Then they attached a ruler to these lines and carefully ran a clerical knife along them, without cutting the cardboard at the same time - the resulting groove (creasing) made it possible to bend it easily and evenly.
Round and square holes
It is necessary to cut several holes - round, for film reels, and a few square ones. To make them as accurate as possible, we again used a needle. They made punctures on the lines and ran them with a clerical knife.
"Lens"
You can use foil, but it is more convenient to work with tin. We take a standard tin can and cut out a 2x2 cm square from it. Paint over the inside with a black permanent marker or acrylic paint. We make a small hole in the center of the square with a needle - light will enter the film through it. The hole diameter essentially determines the size of the aperture and ultimately affects the sharpness of the shots. The wider the aperture, the more light and the more blurry the image. The optimal diameter for this camera is 0.3 mm.
Glue the "lens" with black electrical tape to the square hole in the front side of the case - with the black side inward (remember that there should be no reflective surfaces in the camera).
Gluing parts
We glue the body elements - so that the result is two parts of the camera, front and back (as in the photo). We used PVA, but any other glue will do.
Film rewinding structure
It is necessary to take two reels - with new and already used films. Trim the ends, then glue the films together with adhesive tape. Difficulties may arise with removing the film from the old reel. You can get it either with tweezers or by opening the box. We put the resulting design into the chamber.
Light isolation
We fold the camera, laying one box in another. To ensure complete light isolation, the pinhole must be wrapped with black electrical tape. Particular attention should be paid to joints through which light can penetrate. At this stage, you can insert paper clips into the spools - for rewinding.
Shutter and viewfinder
We impose a detail with a viewfinder and fix it with electrical tape or with the help of rubber bands. We insert a tongue between this part and the body, which will act as a shutter.
Shooting
The first question that arises for anyone who decides to shoot on a pinhole is what should be the shutter speed (that is, how long you need to open the shutter to take a picture). There are many calculators for calculating exposure. It is convenient to use a mobile application like Pinhole Calc. On the Internet, you can calculate at Mrpinhole.com.
Any of the shutter speed calculators will ask you for a focal length. In this case, this is the distance from the "lens" to the film, that is, the thickness of the case.
The viewfinder in a pinhole camera is very conventional. It is difficult to accurately determine the boundaries of the frame with its help. Nevertheless, during shooting, it allows you to control the position of the frame - to see horizontal, vertical lines and the approximate center of the frame.
Some install frame counters on pinhole cameras. We did not do this, estimating that one frame is two turns of a paper clip fixed on a spool. In the case of a pinhole, it is desirable to shoot the film as quickly as possible, so it will not be possible to forget what the last frame was in a row.
On this day, October 14, 1884, American George Eastman patented photographic film. He spent 7 years inventing a roll of photosensitive film, which was practically no different from the one we photographed on before the advent of digital photography. He also invented a new type of Kodak camera that could be loaded with 100 frames of film.
It seems to me that this is a great occasion to tell children, most of whom have never seen film cameras, but are good at taking pictures on their parent's phone, about how pictures were taken before. And even more interesting if you can assemble a film camera with your own hands!
About five years ago, we got a cardboard camera, which we ourselves assembled from a ready-made kit. We bought a set on Amazon for $ 20, like this: http://www.amazon.com/Noted-STD-35e-Pinhole-Camera-STD35/dp/B000Q8Z83U/ref=pd_cp_p_2
It contained nothing but cardboard and rubber bands to secure the cap to the lens. Inside you need to insert the film and you can start taking pictures. You point at what you want to shoot, lift a small piece of cardboard above the lens up - and you're done! Now you need to remember to rewind the film.
The main thing is to shake it as little as possible during shooting and shoot during daylight hours and preferably not at home.
How does he work? Light enters through a hole (pinhole), which in this camera plays the role of a lens. Back in the 13th century, Roger Bacon built the first pinhole chamber, which looked like a room with a hole in the wall. And Leonardo da Vinci described this phenomenon as follows: “When the images of illuminated objects pass through a small round hole into a very dark room, you will see on paper all those objects in their natural shapes and colors.” And he also came up with the idea that the pinhole can be used for sketches.
Here are some of our pictures that I especially liked:
our ocean
i sit on the sand
our home in LA
playground in front of the house
Here are some more pictures I found online:
You don’t even have to buy a kit, but just download the camera blank and make it yourself according to the instructions (the pictures are links):
And you get this camera:
Thank you Francesco Capponi
But, for example, there is a video on how to make a camera from a matchbox yourself:
And for very kids you can make a cardboard toy :)
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