A few zero image 2000 questions

[brian steinberger]

I've been looking at some images on the net taken with this 6x6 pinhole camera. Very cool! For $98 I'm very int3erested in getting one, but have a few questions. Since I've never seen a pinhole negative how does it compare to a holga negative? I have a Holga and they can be rather sharp in the center then soften towards the edges. Also on the site it says the focal length is 1", or 25mm. Is that 25mm in 35mm terms or in 6x6? Because that is super wide for 6x6? And lastly, is it worth the upgrade to the deluxe version? It would be nice to have spirit level and certainly cable release, but how does it help with framing?

Thanks

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Brian,

The neg size is 6x6, so the 25mm 'focal length' pertains to the 6x6 format.

The pinhole negs are a bit sharper in the center, but there's also a lot of light fall-off towards the edges, which emphasizes this.
It's never going to look pin sharp with the Zero, although I have seen pinhole shots that are very sharp, usually from home made pinholes.

Absolutely get the deluxe version. The cable release is a real improvement over the normal sliding shutter. The normal shutter can introduce camera shake if you're not careful or have an extremely sturdy tripod.

Framing is by feel. You can't see what you're going to record on film anyway, so you learn how to intuitively 'see' what's going to be in the frame.

If you want to, I can send you my Zero 2000 to try out. I haven't used it in a year or so.

One thing to notice is the film winding mechanism. It isn't very good, and sometimes doesn't wind the film tightly onto the uptake spool. There are metal spring blades that lean onto both spools, but I don't think they provide enough tension to either wind the film tightly, or hold the film flat. But in a way, since it's pinhole, perhaps it doesn't matter that much. They're nice to use, and the potential picture making creativity is enormous.

Good luck!

 

[summicron1]

neg flatness doesn't matter a lot with pinhole since everything is as sharp as it's gonna get, but better flatness does prevent a bit of distortion, but it's not much of a problem either.

My 2000 is not the deluxe version and I like it fine, but I did get the deluxe version of the 35mm one and i like it fine too ... the cable release makes exposures a bit smoother, but since ur using it on a tripod, and long exposures only have a bit of vibration when you slide the shutter, not during the exposure, this also isn't really important.

but, yes, the 25mm pertains to the 6 by 6 format, think of a rectilinear 25mm superwide on a hasselblad, that's what ur getting with this. The Zeroimage pinhole is laser drilled and very precise.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Good points by Summicron1.

The main issue with the film transport isn't so much the film flatness as it is loosely wound uptake spools. I've had many rolls edge fogged because of it, especially if I don't shoot all the frames in rapid sequence. I talked to the maker of the camera about this, and got the advice to change the tension of the springs, and after trying eight or ten different settings, I gave up with no improvement.

Regarding the camera movement, I agree with poster above that during longer exposures it isn't much of a concern. But when shooting in broad daylight it becomes an entirely different thing. We're talking maybe 1/2 to 2 seconds, in which case a slight shake could make a big difference. Either way, the spring loaded shutter release helps facilitate shorter exposures brilliantly, and must at least be considered.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

None of the Zero Image pinhole cameras are rectilinear by design. Point them up or down and distortion of lines and verticals will be very noticeable. A few ZI cameras have the troublesome zone focusing in place instead of pinhole (a couple more still have both options to play with!); ZF can result in very indistinct images as opposed to the better clarity of pinhole. ZI pinholes are true pinhole cameras — far removed from the HOLGA, which is a lens camera.

Film is held very flat in those ZI cameras with removeable/slip-in backs which press the film against the format box. I would be more concerned with the film curl at the scanning stage.