Small Photobooth

After making a photobooth this summer from these instructions portable photobooth I wanted a more mobile and smaller booth but still be able to use a DSLR.....

Step 1: Step 1: Parts

For the photobooth I used:

Enclosure:

Front and back - 4mm MDF (laser cut from the illustrator template that is named frontbackipad.ai)

Sides - 18mm MDF (17cm wide)

Corners - balsa wood 3cm x 3cm (or various sizes)

3mm countersunk screws

Hardware:

Arcade button - Green

Lock - with key

Camera - I used a Canon 650D / Rebel T4i , with magic lantern installed (for intervalometer)

Lens - Canon 15-85mm

Flash - Youngnou 560-II - or any flash with a sync input

Sync cable to flash - cable

Hot shoe adapter - shoe

Eye-fi card - card

Ipad air

Beauty dish - 16" with s-mount kit

Speaker stand 35mm tube - any or

Speaker stand top hat 35mm - top hat

16mm metal rod for fastening beauty dish

2x hinges any type

Camera mount head, I had an old Manfrotto 486RC2 that I wasnt using

2.5mm stereo jack

some 2 wire cables for the button

Tools and materials used:

Miter saw

Band saw

Cordless drill and various drills

Countersunk bit

Wood glue

Soldering gun and solder

Heat gun

Orbital sander

Sanding paper - 120, 240, 400.

Primer filler

White spray paint

Polyester putty

Step 2: Step 2: the Build

After having the 4mm MDF laser cut from the file in part 1 you can measure the lengths you need for the sides, bottom and top. (first two pictures are of the wrong front, I used a microsoft surface first, but changed to ipad)

Drill holes for the screws, you have to drill the whole way in because mdf can break up if it is not pre drilled.

Use a countersink bit so the screws are easily hidden afterwards.

When the sides, bottom and top are completed you can then begin forming the corner curve from the balsa wood.

I like to cut them into strips, glue them to the sides, after the glue is dried it is really easy to sand the balsa down.

Drill a hole in the bottom for the speaker top hat, I used a 38mm core drill for that, measured in the middle.

After you have sanded the balsa down you have to close it up with polyester putty or it will absorb all the paint and primer and leave a rough surface. Also fill all holes where the screws are.

Sand all the corners and holes until there are no blemishes or scratches and finish with 400 grit sandpaper.

Step 3: Step 3: Paint

I am no expert on painting, but to get the best paint surface you have to sand everything down to at least 400grit.

Spray on a surface primer filler, sand that also down with 400grit. Remove all dust and try to use a dust mask and enough ventilation when spraying the paint. Just follow the instructions on the can.

Step 4: Step 4: Interior

It all depends on what camera you are using, but the hole for the front is 80mm wide so make sure your lens fits through that. You can see what kind of bracket is built for the camera to stand on the pictures

So that the photobooth would not rotate on the stand I drilled a hole on the side of the hat, put a thread bit on and an knob to fasten.

To solder the button to the 2.5mm jack I followed these instructions link

To fasten the ipad is illustrated in the picture. Used some balsa wood, measured the thickness of the ipad, glued 3 pieces together so they form a brace that holds a wood lenghtwise across the iPad.

Step 5: Software, Settings and More

To receive images from the eye-fi card, I am using shuttersnitch, it has alot of features, a great image mask / overlay, can send to facebook, flickr and more, great for browsing pictures, has a filmstrip or can hide it....

Settings for the camera:

iso 400

f 7.1

shutter speed: 200

Manual focus set to 1.5 - 3m

turn off image stabilizer

flash 1/4

Magic lantern settings:

Magic lantern has a built in intervalometer that has many settings, I have it begin the process when the focus button is pressed ( as described when connecting the 2.5mm stereo jack) takes a pic after 5sec, then after 3sec..

I probably left out some steps and information, usually when I work I do not write things down so its mostly just from memory. If you have any questions I will try to answer as best I can.