How To Build a Tilted Plane Pinhole Camera

Tilted plane cameras can control perspective in the same way (more or less) that a tilt-shift lens can do.(well, it’s actually just the tilt part, the shift is something else). Tilt-sift is pretty common for dSLRs, either for professional use (like architectural photography), or as a fun add on, like the Lensbaby Spark. Amazingly, it works for pinhole cameras too. And we are going to show you how.

The drawing shows the top view, which is the most significant, of the camera. When you are out to build one, all the dimensions are written on the lines. Use this print as the floor of the camera and built each wall at the desired height.

The camera uses medium format film so the side dimensions are determined by the spool length which is 66mm. According to this the camera is about 85mm high.

The materials used are pretty much the same with my previous models (a A 35mm Panoramic Pinhole and a Semi-Anamorphic 35mm Pinhole). That is 3mm and 2mm thick cardboard for the basic construction and 1mm colored cardboard for the outer finishing. If you want a slicker look, you can use plastic sheets instead of colored cardboard.

Camera Description

The interior of the camera is painted black to minimize light reflections.

The shutter is made from a sliding piece of black cardboard that “friction slide” to expose the pinhole

The inside of the camera features a “box” to keep the film flat.

The pinhole it self is made from two sheets of cardboard with a small aluminum that has a small hole (A.K.A. pinhole) between them.

Here are some samples taken with the camera

About The Author

This camera was designed and built by Costas Kaounas a high school teacher and a photographer from Greece.

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