Hasselblad Pinhole

[jasoneiser]

Hey folks I would like very much to use my Hasselblad 500C/M as a pinhole camera. I came across a cap that I was considering getting and would like some advice. Has anyone tried this particular cap? Does it for any reason hinder the functionality of the camera body or film back? Does it even fit a 500C/M body?
Here is a link to the model in questions. Also I would be up for any other suggestions as well.

http://www.pinholeresource.com/shop...ls&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=76&vmcchk=1



Thanks

 

[erikg]

It will fit and will work fine. Viewing through it will be pretty tough, the zone plate is better for that. They will tell you what the effective f stop is so you can use that to calculate exposure.

 

[jasoneiser]

Thanks........The only down fall is that it gives a focal length of 73mm and I really would like something wider than that. I wonder if retro fitting something for my crown graflex would be a better solution. Any thoughts?

 

[E76]

I turned my Hasselblad into a pinhole camera using a piece of mat board (cut to fit within the lens mount) with cutout to hold a piece of foil with the pinhole. To prevent light leaks and make the fit tighter, there is some electrical tape wrapped around the edge. It works pretty well and I haven't had any problems with light leaks. Viewing is difficult, but if the scene is very bright you can see a very faint image on the ground glass.

 

[iamzip]

I have thought about doing something like this; I have an extra Holga lens and a Mamiya 645... But why? Why should I try to get my Mamiya to take Holga pictures? I have a Holga for that.

 

[heespharm]

Holga and pinhole is two different looks

 

[erikg]

How about mounting a pinhole on the film back? A shallow box could be the "camera body", you can decide how wide you want it to be.

 

[jasoneiser]

Yeah I was thinking about just using the film back and then rigging a body of some sort to maybe get a wider angle. Maybe it might be fun trying to design something that would fit.

 

[erikg]

You don't need much, just some cardboard and tape. You can get fancy if you can get a hasselblad mounting plate to lock the magazine onto. I did one with a polaroid 545 back and a 100 sheet film box. Worked great, while the film lasted.

 

[iamzip]

Holga and pinhole is two different looks

Yes, I realize that. That wasn't the point. The point was, why take an expensive camera and try to emulate a cheap, readily available camera. I just happen to have a spare Holga lens, so that's what I was going to use.

 

[John Koehrer]

Easier to go with a back & a box if you want wide. RB backs with the advance lever are convenient.
The mirror is the limiting factor with any SLR so the 73mm is about it with the Hasselblad

 

[jasoneiser]

I think what I am going to do instead is take one of my 4x5 film backs and make a box for that. This should allow me to get the focal length I am looking for and the bigger neg to boot. I need a project anyway.

 

[Jim Jones]

Thanks........The only down fall is that it gives a focal length of 73mm and I really would like something wider than that. I wonder if retro fitting something for my crown graflex would be a better solution. Any thoughts?

The Crown has many advantages. Image quality can be somewhat better than on smaller film. You'll have a wide range of available focal lengths. Crown lens boards may be cheaper than Hasselblad body caps. You can load photo paper or many film types in the Graphic. Two downsides are more expensive film and no focal lenfth in that model of Graphic.

 

[illumiquest]

Ditto what John said, the RB backs are great for all manner of Diy projects, they are easy to advance, the only thing they're missing is the Hasselblad "V"

 

[John Koehrer]

Yeah I was thinking about just using the film back and then rigging a body of some sort to maybe get a wider angle. Maybe it might be fun trying to design something that would fit.

There's at least one of these over on f295. 30mm fl built from wood.

 

[jasoneiser]

The Crown has many advantages. Image quality can be somewhat better than on smaller film. You'll have a wide range of available focal lengths. Crown lens boards may be cheaper than Hasselblad body caps. You can load photo paper or many film types in the Graphic. Two downsides are more expensive film and no focal lenfth in that model of Graphic.

I don't understand why I wouldn't have a focal length....wouldn't the bellows allow me to have a varying degree of focal length along with the option of tilt shift?

 

[erikg]

Yes, you can use the bellows to adjust focal length, tilt shift can be used to change the framing, but it won't have the effect of controlling the plane of focus, as there is none with a pinhole image, that is an aspect of lenses.

 

[John Koehrer]

I don't understand why I wouldn't have a focal length....wouldn't the bellows allow me to have a varying degree of focal length along with the option of tilt shift?

Your effective f stop will change in relation to where you put the pinhole too,
longer extension=smaller f stop shorter extension=larger stop.
I don't know for sure but when you use a smaller than optimum pinhole I think diffraction rears it's ugly head.