DIY Pinhole Camera/Solargraphy Kit for Ages 12

This camera really does work. However, my high school students who were not gifted with their hands struggled with this camera. The directions are pretty clear, but for some reason, my students did not understand. They did not want to read all the directions or look at the diagrams. Those that did had a very successful camera. The pictures turned out well for those who followed my advice about how to take them. I highly recommend this product.

I’m another parent that bought this for a child’s science fair project. The instructions are vague. The spool for the film was flimsy and the dial on top is hard to stay on. Because there’s a large hole over the spool, there was a good chance light would leak in so we crafted a new spool with a boba drinking straw and duct tape.Downside: you can’t tell if the photo is in frame.

I bought this camera kit for my son's science fair project. I was impressed with the quality of the kit. However, my 10 year old son could not do it by himself. I had to do most of it because of the intricate pieces. It's a great and fun project but definitely needs patience and precision to complete.

Not usable and a nightmare to assemble

I have always wanted to make a pinhole camera and this made it very easy to create. I'm using the copper plate for another project now.

As a student about to graduate with my bachelors of fine arts in photography, I'd have to say I was a little disappointed. I try not to trash companies or products on here, but I just couldn't find a WA to get the bad taste out of my mouth this time. For starters, the directions are ridiculously vague and without prior photography knowledge I would have been lost in the woods with a crappy flashlight and a slenderman. Second, the instructions say to assemble with double sided tape or glue. I went the glue route and instantly regretted my decision. Every corner became soggy and by the time l was finished, I wasn't even sure if it was going to hold together through a roll of film. Third, the shutter, being structurally compromised by the glue, caused several light leaks and every shot I was unsure if I was even going to be able to close the shutter after I opened. And the final straw was the advancing knob, it literally ripped apart after the second exposure. I had to rig an extra advancing rod from a spare that my professor had. After I painstakingly made it through one roll, I had 3 usable negatives. Lucky to me I had to have three finished images. After I removed the film, I trashed the camera and never looked back. If you're looking for a DIY pinhole, I would highly recommend the units with plastic components. This one might work better if assembled with tape but looking back I would rather dish out another 10-20 bucks for a little nicer option. The only reason I gave this two stars is because I somehow managed to pull an A out of this assignment.

Looks like a vintage camera

It is a paper camera. Very hard to put together correctly to keep all the light out, and then the age old question...how to change film without exposing it? It was a fun experiment with the kids, but never really made anything close to a quality picture.