NEW ILFORD OBSCURA PINHOLE CAMERA

Simon R Galley · Mar 13, 2013

Dear All,

I am indebted to Joe VanCleave who found a little 'low key' announcement of our new camera.

The new OBSCURA will be available after Easter around the world with a retail price of about $ 100 :

Its a PINHOLE obviously, I've used it and it really is fantastic, the unit is made in the UK, it will come with film and two paper types included in an quality ILFORD gift box.

Full details a little later on including picture tests.

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/whatsnew/obscura/main.asp

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

Ian Grant · Mar 13, 2013

Some of us saw this camera at Focus on Imaging (UK photo show), it's a very neat well made camera. We also saw the 10x8 pinhole camera another suprbly made product.

Ian

TheToadMen · Mar 13, 2013

This is what it will look like:

Nice and not too pricy.

But: available at Easter ???? Isn't that (close to) April 1st ??? They wouldn't, would they?

And I'm still missing the info on the site about the Titan 8x10" pinhole camera. It was supposed to be available from March, 4th 2013 for $400 ??
See also the other thread:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
and my blog:
http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl/2013/03/finally-new-harman-titan-8x10-inch.html

Richard S. (rich815) · Mar 13, 2013

Cool.

Klainmeister · Mar 13, 2013

I'll probably pick one of those up. That's a beautiful little box.

canuhead · Mar 13, 2013

Didn't see a price on that link and am curious as to street price. Also what would be the main difference between this and the Titan ? Pinhole size and look of the image ?

tia

MartinP · Mar 13, 2013

Removing the need for a DDS also removes another barrier to the use of the camera on the part of the general - non-photographic - population. Good move.

canuhead · Mar 13, 2013

ah, thanks. That would explain the white border thing. I can see sales of changing bags going through the roof lol

arealitystudios · Mar 13, 2013

Wow Ilford, you guys are seriously rocking the pinhole world lately. Way to go!

I'll fully admit that my 4x5 Titan Pinhole has completely rekindled my love for pinhole photography. I've been using it rather extensively the past several months.

So thank you for that

pbromaghin · Mar 13, 2013

Hmm. A 6x9 roll film model would fit nicely in that product line.

Let's see, a little black box with a cheap viewfinder... It could look something like this:

summicron1 · Mar 13, 2013

someone said "lacking a need for a dds.." what's a dds?

and, simon, it doesn't say -- can this use a 4 x 5 film holder or is it loaded manually and used as a one-shot?

ColdEye · Mar 13, 2013

summicron1 said:
someone said "lacking a need for a dds.." what's a dds?

and, simon, it doesn't say -- can this use a 4 x 5 film holder or is it loaded manually and used as a one-shot?

DDS is the 4x5 film holder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_holder

Klainmeister · Mar 13, 2013

Errr, so you can just load film in it via a dark bag?

madgardener · Mar 13, 2013

Is there a chance that you could sometime come up with a pinhole medium format camera? I don't have the ability to develop sheet film, but I would love to try medium format and the available cameras are quite expensive for used and I really don't want a Holga, the light leaks aren't what I want to get into.

Joe VanCleave · Mar 13, 2013

I'm excited about this new pinhole camera. I've never purchased a commercially made pinhole, other than a recently acquired Holga, but this one I would consider.

Simon, one feature I'd like to see included are viewing lines or dots on the sides and top of the camera, as an aid to composition. I have this on many of my homemade box cameras and it's a wonderfully simply and surprisingly accurate method of composing on a camera otherwise absent a viewfinder.

~Joe

summicron1 · Mar 13, 2013

madgardener said:
Is there a chance that you could sometime come up with a pinhole medium format camera? I don't have the ability to develop sheet film, but I would love to try medium format and the available cameras are quite expensive for used and I really don't want a Holga, the light leaks aren't what I want to get into.

DDS is a film holder? If you say so. What do the letters stand for?

As to medium format pinhole -- there are many options -- ZeroImage is the high end at $200 or so for a gorgeous camera that is a real girl magnet too. Their ZeroImage 2000 is a terrific camera, one of the most popular, at about $100.

If you noodle around Facebook for "pinhole film cameras" you will find many nicely made roll film pinhole cameras for 20 on up depending on gorgeousness and complexity --- hell, buy yourself an old folding roll film agfa or box camera or something and make your own. This way you also get a viewfinder.

As to holga light leaks -- that's probably a whole nother subject/thread, but I actually "cured" them by covering the inside of my stereo holga with flat black paper -- and i mean really flat black -- and discovered that the so-called leaks were really internal reflections. I sprayed the inside of my Russian Stereo medium format (after covering the lenses -- duh ) and had similar results.

ColdEye · Mar 13, 2013

Double dark slide. Check the link.

summicron1 · Mar 13, 2013

ColdEye said:
Double dark slide. Check the link.

i did, sorry, but didn't feel like wading thru 40 inches on grafatic holders and all that other stuff for one acronym I never use, which the article also doesn't use, even though I have a couple dozen film holders. just never ever heard the term before.

and that article is weird -- it says a film holder "sometimes referred to as a dark slide." No, the dark slide is the thing you forget to take out of the film holder when you are taking a really cool picture.

Stupid wikipedia.

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 14, 2013

Not a bad trinket, Simon.

I'll get in the queue and splash out on one for my birthday if it touches down in Australia. How unfortunate that it won't be around for the World Pinhole Photography Day, at least in the southern hemisphere...

Appears to be a digitally-operated shutter...? Erm, I mean, a finger is used to open/close shutter, rather than a cable release?
I didn't much like the first incarnation of pinhole camera by Ilford but this one is immediately appealing for its smaller size and clean lines.

MartinP · Mar 14, 2013

Someone mentioned wanting a rollfilm pinhole camera. Just go to your local junk shop and buy a forty year old box camera for five euros/dollars etc, remove the lens and shutter (if there is no "B" setting) replace with a piece of foil and a home made lenscap and there it is.

Probably it will have a viewfinder too and as the pinhole to film distance is pretty much the same as it was for lens to film, then it should work adequately - bearing in mind that it wasn't perfect to begin with of course. Visualising lines from an imaginary dot in the centre of the film area, to an imaginary film-sized shape in the plane of the pinhole will work as an estimated viewfinder, or you can do the same sort of thing with a few pieces of piano-wire to make a physical peep-frame.

ChuckP · Mar 14, 2013

I still don't understand if this can use a 4x5 film holder. I would think that a camera that needs to be reloaded in a dark area or changing bag after each picture would be a PITA to use.

Martin Reed · Mar 14, 2013

It's not designed to take a darkslide, it's a one-shot device. The camera is in the form of 2 boxes, one (which carries the pinhole) slides inside the other & retains the 5x4" paper (or film) flat at the film plane. They're held firmly together with a couple of little built-in magnets. It's very well designed & slick, but you've got to get the decisive moment! (Or carry a changing bag).

summicron1 · Mar 14, 2013

I was hoping Ilford might come up with something like this, which tempts me but i already have 3 different zeroImage cameras.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOON-PINHOL...237769?pt=UK_Film_Cameras&hash=item3ccfda7309

Roger Thoms · Mar 15, 2013

ChuckP said:
I still don't understand if this can use a 4x5 film holder. I would think that a camera that needs to be reloaded in a dark area or changing bag after each picture would be a PITA to use.

Ilford already has a 4x5 pinhole camera that takes 4x5 film holders namely the Harman Titan. Check it out it's a great camera. http://www.ilfordphoto.com/pressroom/article.asp?n=140

Roger

TheToadMen · Mar 15, 2013

summicron1 said:
I was hoping Ilford might come up with something like this, which tempts me but i already have 3 different zeroImage cameras.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOON-PINHOL...237769?pt=UK_Film_Cameras&hash=item3ccfda7309

Also check out this guy from "Jerry's handmade camera workshop". https://www.facebook.com/NatashaPinholeCamera

I bought one of his 6x18 cm camera for 120 roll film. It works wonderful and it's a beauty. And costs much less than the Titan cameras ...

It has a simple but ingenious internal shutter and no changing back required
It is also possible to fix a filter in front of the pinhole.
I'm contemplating on the Vietnamese cypress handmade 135 pinhole camera (focal length: 25mm, 24x68mm wide frame) price US$67 and US$10 for international shipping.

He also made a nice 4x5" wooden pinhole camera once for film holders with an internal shutter with cable release.
See:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.320158538084274.59172.116768528423277&type=1

NEW ILFORD OBSCURA PINHOLE CAMERA

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