Supplementary Pages

Getting the best from your pinhole camera

Many web pages on the internet that deal with pinhole cameras suggest that exposure is a case of trial and error. Although there are variables that are difficult to control, it's a good idea to get a ballpark figure for exposure as a starting point. The only real variable is the equivalent ISO of the photographic paper you use. Everything else lends itself to accurate calculations.
Pinhole Camera

The Watkins Bee Exposure meter

The instrument indicates the correct camera exposures under all conditions for photographic plates. The basis is an actual test of the light by the sensitive paper loaded into the meter. This one test takes the place of previous elaborate calculations based on time of day, time of year, position of subject and state of weather used in other exposure calculators of the day.
Watkins Bee Exposure Meter