Framing with Zero Pinhole Cameras...

[marciofs]

I was looking at images of their cameras and I didn't see any oriatation lines for framing the shots. So how photographers who use Zero Image cameras frame?

 

[summicron1]

it's mostly a zen sort of thing, but you get a feel for it after a while. I mentally project the frame lines out.

Their cameras have a very wide angle of view, typically, so that helps, but you see very few pinhole cameras with finders. It's sort of against the rules.

If you want one, make a pinhole camera out of a box camera or something -- if the pinhole is where the lens used to be, the finder will see what the camera sees and all is well.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Yep, it's against the rules! You could find much more primitive and basic pinhole cameras than the ornate things that populate the Zero Image stable.

Framing of the scene is a careful judgement call based a lot on experience (e.g. by making your own pinhole camera out of a tin can or container or whatnot) and a bit of guesstimation.

One should not really consider it absolutely critical to get framing exact, because one of the thrills of pinhole photography is the unpredictability of the finished image -- exposure and framing could one or both be out. For many, many people, it's "big deal", and they're really chuffed to come away with anything (cf. the entries in the Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day website). The Zero Image cameras are more of a flash, polished style that fits a belle epoch of luxury imaging -- most of them certainly are not "primitive" in the true sense. Some LF models have brass dots in the top panel to assist with framing. I think view lines make it too easy for people to frame a scene while others relish the mental exercise in 'fitting' a scene to the format in use without any visual aids (save for the plastic viewfinder 'guide' supplied with Zero Image pinhole cameras, which I used when I first started 8 years ago). Ultrawide angles of view and extreme depth of field (f235 for the 6x9 multiformat with an 0.017mm pinhole) certainly take care of any small errors. As important as framing is the fact that you need a very strong foreground subject that is quite close to the camera, otherwise everything will be way out to the horizon and not provide any viewing impact. I made the image below at Milford Sound (a day after 1.4 metres of rain fell) in New Zealand very quickly as my impatient niece toe-tapped behind me. I thought at the time I had aimed the camera too low and off-centre. I was also close enough to reach out and touch the nearmost part of the wood debris!

• ZeroImage 6x9 multiformat (as 6x6), ACROS 100, multispot/M-WAvg metering).

 

[dasBlute]

point it that-a-way

mostly getting it level seems to be the deal breaker for me...

knowing how much area the film covers at the back of the box
and tracking mentally from the pinhole back, kind of gives you a frustum.
you can add strips of blue removable tape to help remind you.

it's usually close enough, sometime surprises are cool

 

[NedL]

I had no idea! I never put viewing lines or viewing dots on my homemade pinhole cameras, and I thought I was the only one who likes to do it by feel and experience. Sometimes I put my wrists together to make an angle with my hands, then site along them to see what will be included, or I hold my arms out and look along them. I've got a pretty good sense how wide an angle each camera sees. But a lot of the time it's just feel or intuition.

Level is the deal breaker for me too. I can do pretty well if I can get down behind the camera and site along the top, but on our recent vacation I used a little "mini tripod" about 6 inches tall, and I was disappointed how the horizon went this way and that even though I thought I was getting the camera level. Sometimes there was no way to get my face right behind the camera to check for level....

 

[marciofs]

I certanly can use my guess but since I want use for portraits too it would be nice to make sure nobody head is out of the frame or the porteid too far away.

 

[DWThomas]

The last pinhole camera I made (an 8x10) has four little tiny pegs on one end and the top. They are set to project the approximate width/height of the frame.

Previously I had contemplated doing some sort of finder for my 4x5 pinhole, thinking to make it a folding unit out of some black anodized sheet aluminum I had around. I decided to do a quick, non-folding temporary version cut and glued out of black mat board to try it out. I was glad I did that, because the camera angle of view was so wide the finder proved to be almost useless, might as well just point the camera in the general direction and make the exposure.

"Your mileage may vary"

 

[marciofs]

Have more precision on your framing helps a lot on eliminate or add things in the image that will make a lot of difference, specially when shooting in a busy place. I like it.

What I don't get is why some people avoid framing guide but pay extra money to don't miss a cable release shooter, specially in middle and large format where a little shake won't be very noticeable.. I mean, "don't mind the frame as far as it is not more blur than the pinhole quality itself".

So it doesn't make sense to me Zero Image making so good pins for better sharpness, camera level bobble, cable release shooter, but not a proper and nice option on the camera for framing guidance.

 

[pdeeh]

The only assistance I have found useful (aside from experience and "getting to know" the angle of view of my pinhole cameras) is having a hotshoe spirit level to sit on top of the camera. Otherwise I find the sea is always running downhill ...

 

[jeffreyg]

I have an Ilford Titan that has bubble levels so that is not an issue. If you know the angle of view you could print a guide on transparent media. After a little practice it becomes pretty easy to eyeball your composition as others have stated.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[BradS]

I find that it works best when I'm really close to something. Then I look over the side of the camera and just mentally visualize what I think is in the frame by projecting a cone. Yeah...it kinda is a zen thing.

Chai by Brad S, on Flickr

 

[grahamp]

Familiarity helps. With a fixed lens camera I know pretty much how far I have to be from the subject for the lens/format I am using. I have some tape marks on my 5x4 pinhole because the box has rounded corners. On the Zero 6x9 (in 6x9 format 99% of the time) I just sight from the back to the front center (allowing for the frame width). It works pretty well.

 

[marciofs]

I always have used framing orientation lines on the camera. Even if the camera hasn't one it is easy to make one and it never fails.

But it is nicer when the manufacture make them combining with the camera design.

 

[wibing]

I usually mount the extension frame without the front to get a rough feel of where I'm pointing then mount the front bit with the shutter.