How often you shoot pinholes instead of lens cameras?

marciofs · Dec 10, 2014

I got 5 lens cameras (1 digital) and I think they are too many (including lenses) to store, care and carry.

So I plan now to shoot mainly with pinholes cameras (I plan to have 2) and forget about my lens cameras. Some of them I will sell and probably keep only one film camera and one digital. I will also sell my lighting equipment and keep a soft box and one flash.

At the moment I shoot 99% with film cameras and my plan to shoot 99% pinholes cameras now.

I have this strong feeling to get a simple, light and easy to carry and store as possible.
And a more "rustic" workflow which I enjoy the best in photography.

gone · Dec 10, 2014

That's how I feel (but this is subject to change without notice w/ my thinking). There's something liberating about paring gear down to the absolute minimum and concentrating on basic photographic techniques. Puts the focus back on the image rather than the gear.

baachitraka · Dec 10, 2014

https://www.flickr.com/photos/g-a-p/sets/72157633923865939/

I don't make them but they are impressive.

I would like to carry a Rolleicord and a 6x6 pinhole pref., Holga. I bet the negatives from them are enough to make good prints.

sly · Dec 10, 2014

I've got 2 pinhole cameras - a Holga WPC, and an 8x10 Titan. Love em both. Not ready to dump my other cameras, though there are some that have barely been used in the last year. As I get older keeping things lightweight gets more and more important, so I probably should divest myself of some of the LF gear. Keep us posted about your pinhole adventures!

DWThomas · Dec 10, 2014

I don't use my pinhole cameras all that often, maybe one to three times a year, so I have no plans to dump my other gear. I have an assortment of film and d!git@l cameras and I choose what best fits my need for any given project. As such, I seldom carry more than two around at one time.

If you have a camera with interchangeable lenses, you could make a pinhole body cap and get down to one camera!

marciofs · Dec 10, 2014

DWThomas said:
If you have a camera with interchangeable lenses, you could make a pinhole body cap and get down to one camera!

True, But since I don't have large format and panoramic cameras, and they are what I am looking forwards, I am buying them as pinhole ones. And pinhole cameras are in general lighter, easier to carry, I guess they can resist better from impact and extreme weather (even rain if I protect the pinhole from the drops). And they don't require very heavy tripod, nor batteries, no worries about digital or analog mechanisms stopping working, no problem if you forget you glasses at home or even no need to carry them (in my case). It is just a box and that's all.

Right now, it sound the best system for me.

Sirius Glass · Dec 10, 2014

Once time back in ought seven.

rgeorge911 · Dec 10, 2014

I've been using mine about 2x per month or so. I am doing a project that employs my 4x5 pinhole very nicely. Pinhole photography is a blast.

In fact, I've just ordered a beautiful 6x17 pinhole camera from France. Can't wait for it to arrive:
https://aupremierplan.fr/blog/

Reed
My Blog: DMC-365.blogspot.com

NB23 · Dec 10, 2014

Pinhole is magical.

My 4x5 color pinhole prints are worth Gold to me.

For a brief moment I thought of doing the same thing: ditch all my leicas and go pinhole. There is something to be said about good pinhole work. Every frame is meaningful. I could go on a trip with 40
4x5 color sheets instead of 60 rolls of film. My end work would be as meaningful as with 35mm, if not more.

One day, when I'm old that's what im gonna do.

marciofs · Dec 10, 2014

rgeorge911 said:
I've been using mine about 2x per month or so. I am doing a project that employs my 4x5 pinhole very nicely. Pinhole photography is a blast.

In fact, I've just ordered a beautiful 6x17 pinhole camera from France. Can't wait for it to arrive:
https://aupremierplan.fr/blog/

Reed
My Blog: DMC-365.blogspot.com

This is why when I was going to purchase mine it ran out stock... I will get one soon.

scheimfluger_77 · Dec 10, 2014

The last few years exclusively for film, and only a little bit of digital. It's fun to point the camera in your general direction and hope for the best on framing.

marciofs · Dec 10, 2014

It is even strange that for most people pinhole cameras or pinhole photography is not considered "serious" photography or serious camera, but a toy. Not as many think the same about film cameras. I have too almost exclusively photographed with film photography and lately experimenting with my self-made pinholes cameras. on the very few occasions that I pick my DSLR from the bag it feels like a toy or less serious to me than my old, simpler tools.

RalphLambrecht · Dec 10, 2014

momus said:
That's how I feel (but this is subject to change without notice w/ my thinking). There's something liberating about paring gear down to the absolute minimum and concentrating on basic photographic techniques. Puts the focus back on the image rather than the gear.

don't worry.It's temporary.Reality comes back with the first good deal,hard to pass up.

RalphLambrecht · Dec 10, 2014

DWThomas said:
I don't use my pinhole cameras all that often, maybe one to three times a year, so I have no plans to dump my other gear. I have an assortment of film and d!git@l cameras and I choose what best fits my need for any given project. As such, I seldom carry more than two around at one time.

If you have a camera with interchangeable lenses, you could make a pinhole body cap and get down to one camera!

good idea

rgeorge911 · Dec 10, 2014

Sorry, marciofs! Hope I didn't get your copy.

Mine was not in stock; he's finishing up production now.

Reed

marciofs · Dec 11, 2014

rgeorge911 said:
Sorry, marciofs! Hope I didn't get your copy.

Mine was not in stock; he's finishing up production now.

Reed

Don't be sorry, I was joking.
I took too long to make up my mind on purchasing it.

I could do like you and contact them to get the next one after production anyway.

ChuckP · Dec 11, 2014

Are people using pinholes without tripods? I've found my exposure times are always too long to hand hold. And sometimes you just can't use a tripod due to rules or crowds. So I'll always need a non pinhole camera for these situations.

jeffreyg · Dec 11, 2014

I don't use mine as often as I should but when the conditions are to my liking it is a fun (and serious) endeavor. Mine is a Titan 4x5 and I generally print the negatives as pt/pd contact prints.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

scheimfluger_77 · Dec 11, 2014

ChuckP said:
Are people using pinholes without tripods? I've found my exposure times are always too long to hand hold. And sometimes you just can't use a tripod due to rules or crowds. So I'll always need a non pinhole camera for these situations.

If you're not using a tripod, you're doing wrong. Not really, use "something" for a support, but unless you have a 1 or 2 second exposure hand held is difficult.

Frankly Unsharp · Dec 13, 2014

Pinholed against his will ?

Help! Some meanlooking MF-guys threw me over here, I suppose they don't want to see me anymore. Or perhaps their intention was to make me learn something new, something no teacher has succeeded with since my fourth grade.
In one of my nightmares I hear a voice saying: "number 10, use needle number 10". Could that have something to do with pinhole cameras?
Hey, how do I get out from here?

Sirius Glass · Dec 13, 2014

Frankly No said:
Help! Some meanlooking MF-guys threw me over here, I suppose they don't want to see me anymore. Or perhaps their intention was to make me learn something new, something no teacher has succeeded with since my fourth grade.
In one of my nightmares I hear a voice saying: "number 10, use needle number 10". Could that have something to do with pinhole cameras?
Hey, how do I get out from here?

Expend you GAS by running out and buying new lenses! Do it now!

Frankly Unsharp · Dec 13, 2014

Sirius Glass said:
Expend you GAS by running out and buying new lenses! Do it now!

Are you sirius? I could catch a cold or something. But if I shop online, is that OK? Let's see, my budget for this month HAS ALREADY BEEN SPENT.
Red lights start to twinkle, and I don't think they are Christmas-lights...

Sirius Glass · Dec 13, 2014

Frankly No said:
Are you sirius? I could catch a cold or something. But if I shop online, is that OK? Let's see, my budget for this month HAS ALREADY BEEN SPENT.
Red lights start to twinkle, and I don't think they are Christmas-lights...

If you are not stimulating the economy, who will? If not now, when? Siriusly!

Jonathan Van Matre · Dec 13, 2014

ChuckP said:
Are people using pinholes without tripods? I've found my exposure times are always too long to hand hold. And sometimes you just can't use a tripod due to rules or crowds. So I'll always need a non pinhole camera for these situations.

For handheld shooting you can use zone plates. You'll need a high ISO but with effective apertures in the f/40 to f/60 range, they're much more hand-holdable than a pinhole optimized for the equivalent focal length.

Chris Livsey · Dec 13, 2014

A friend recently sent a rather nicely engineered LTM pinhole holder with a couple of holes cut in brass shims so I'm new to this game

The challenge was to shoot on some OOD Tech Pan as well !! Who needs these friends?
The d*****l M* was useful for a quick and dirty test of where to put the exposure, why are all the pinhole sites so insistent on maths?
Attached an M* selfie with the pinhole taken in a mirror and the successful, well for a rank beginner I thought it was, image on Tech Pan using an M2.
Conclusion: after examining my pinholes under the microscope I need laser cut one so thanks for that earlier link and I need to paint the inside of the mount and probably the recessed area outside matt black as on a lot of shots I am getting a reflection arc.

So the answer is once a week at the moment

Pinhole Selfie Leica M8 by Man with Red Eyes, on Flickr

Pinhole Technical Pan 35mm Delagi#8 by Man with Red Eyes, on Flickr

How often you shoot pinholes instead of lens cameras?

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