I created this in a move of desperation before going to the Eastern State Penitentiary a few weeks ago to assist in teaching a class. I used a box from my lady friend’s new pair of Doc Marten’s, some duct tape, a few rubber bands, a Polaroid 4x5 back, and a lens cannibalized from an old Bell and Howell student camera/copy stand setup.
I was considering making an actual pinhole camera, but the idea of being able to meter accurately and use a hand release made the lens/shutter combo real attractive. I know that most common pinholes use a small pinhole in order to get massive depth of field, but I was sort of looking for the opposite. My goal here was actually to get very soft, haunting images with super shallow D.O.F.
The rubber bands helped make the testing process of building this camera a short affair. They made it easy to take apart and re-assemble the camera when trying to figure out the proper size of the box (for focus).
Below are a few sample photos from my trip: 
To learn more about antique cameras click here!