The World's First iHole
By Scot Hampton
23 February 2008
I tried to keep it simple and the only external items I used were tape, tinfoil (for the lens), a piece of foam, and a leftover screw and allen wrench from an old ikea desk. Oh, I also used a black washer for the cover of the lens but that was purely cosmetic. I used the cardboard lining that was on the inside of the original box to construct the film holders on the back. I even left the serial numbers intact, so if my roommate ever needed to return it he could (I don't think I'll be switching until the phones work on other networks). For the lens I used a small piece of tinfoil (the thicker stuff from the hardware store) punctured by a tiny needle. For feeding the film through the box, I cut two long, thin rectangles about 2mm wide on the left and right bottom (interior) box. I had some trouble at first with the tension, as I had to thread the film through backwards so the emulsion of the film would be facing the right way. On the right side, I punched a hole through the top and put the screw through the piece of film and then through the film holder. Once I threaded the film, I twisted the screw into an empty 120 film holder until it was secure. Then I loaded the film, threaded it through and taped both sides of the film holders shut and closed the box.
I suppose it might have been symbolic to take the first pictures of an actual iPhone, but that seemed a bit too cliche. I decided to shoot a steam pipe on my roof that I've had a fascination with for some time. The focal length of the camera proved to be wider than I thought and most of the images I took overlapped each other. The first two were the best exposure, at around 1 minute each. You can faintly see the etching of the film numbers on the bottom and top of the image (final image is at the bottom or full size (new window). The iHole in action:
There were a few minor light leaks, but I think that was from me being sloppy while rolling up the film. I also noticed a little shaking during the exposures (it was raining slightly) so I propped it up with a tiny rock. I also noticed halfway through the roll, that it would unwind slowly as time elapsed, from the tension built up winding the film, blurring the edges of the last few images (which were way over-exposed).
The best part (that I like) is that I didn't have to tape the entire box shut (just the film holders on the back), therefore giving the iHole adjustable bellows. I haven't taken any tests using the bellows yet, but will have to tape it once the bellows are pulled out.
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