3. Glue Cap to Can

Glue the bottom of the can to the top of the body cap ring, exposing the interface to the camera side. Be sure the joint is strong; this connection needs to support the weight of a glass lens at the end of the tube. When dry, blacken any glue with paint or a marker to block light from leaking inside. Cut to fit and insert black construction paper or felt into the Pringles can to absorb any light that passes through. Glue it into place.

If it takes longer than five minutes to apply the glue, you’re probably not really here for the lens making.

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4. Insert the Lens

Take your used camera lens and invert it so the camera body’s interface points out. Insert the lens into the end of the Pringles can. If the fit is loose, use felt or a section of a black sock to make things snug. Any lens - even the one that came with the camera - should work fine; we like the simplicity and low cost of an old, fixed-distance lens (check eBay or thrift shops). Focus photos by slowly moving the camera-and-tripod, or the subject. The narrow focal point will be a few inches away from the lens. Screw the unit to the SLR of your choice and begin snapping away.

We probably don’t need to say this, but keep your fingers (and fingerprints) off the lens.

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BONUS TIP: From Macro to Your Mac

After you shoot your macro and pinhole photos, import them into Apple’s Aperture ($299) for basic edits. iPhoto works too, but we prefer Aperture’s ability to compare before-and-after images. Be sure Aperture is assigned to import files by first launching Image Capture in the /Applications folder. Choose Image Capture > Preferences, click the General tab, and select Aperture as the default program. Click OK, and quit Image Capture. Connect a digital camera to automatically open Aperture, and click Import All to add the pictures to your library. Or follow the same process with a USB 2.0 card reader (try Belkin’s Hi-Speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 Media Reader & Writer, $39.99), which transfers your photos much faster than the standard USB cable that came with your camera.

Set the drop-down menu in Image Capture’s preferences to launch Aperture when you connect a camera or flash disk.

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