Pinhole camera beginner's film recommendations

[Redmond]

I apologize, I am completely new to photography and I am somewhat overwhelmed with some of the film options. I realize there is no single answer, but I was interested in getting some informed opinions about what B&W negative film I should try first with my new pinhole camera.

A few considerations and thoughts I've had:

1. I am using a pinhole camera with an f/156 hole. I am shooting mostly landscapes and architectural, with perhaps some long exposure interiors occasionally and some city night shots.
2. I am shooting 120 film and plan to scan my negatives for now.
3. I will not be developing my own film at first, so custom chemistry is not an option. I was planning to request Xtol development from a pro lab. D-76, HC-110, and Tmax would also be available.
4. I am not interested in an extra grainy look at this point, but that's probably less of a concern in medium format.
5. Reciprocity failure concerns me in two ways: a) knowing how much correction to use for optimal exposure, and b) whether the increased exposures of 5, 8, 25+ minutes will cause too much contrast. So perhaps a "forgiving" film in terms of exposure would be preferred, especially since I'm also just now learning to meter properly (with only an averaging meter).
6. I am interested in "rich" and warm tonality, whatever that means. I guess in my mind that means numerous subtle shades in shadows and highlights rather than crushed blacks or blown-out highlights, but I don't know what that means for mid-tones and whether they will be contrasty or flattened.
7. I know nothing about spectral sensitivity and how blue skies and green foliage or red/orange/yellow filters will affect the character of my photos.

With only internet examples available to me for comparison (and not knowing how they were exposed, developed, and scanned), I don't know if I prefer the look of newer tabular crystal films or more traditional films. Certainly I've seen beautiful examples of both.

The options I was considering are: Acros; Delta 100; FP4+; and Tmax 400 for the daylit interiors.

I've heard great things about Acros, its reciprocity characteristics, and developing to a clear base. I've heard Delta can be contrasty but I've seen beautiful examples--I am concerned my subjects will be contrasty to begin with and don't know whether the long exposure times will make it worse. FP4+ is obviously the more traditional option but other than being more forgiving to development (not a concern for me at first) and exposure, I don't know what else to expect. I was thinking of Tmax 400 for more everyday interior shots, but some people complain it's too flat looking and I don't know whether I should fear needing more accurate exposures.

I would appreciate any thoughts. Am I overly concerned about these factors? I know the ultimate answer will be to try them all, but does anyone have an opinion of where I should start and why?

Thank you very much!

 

[polyglot]

You want a fast film with good reciprocity characteristics because pinhole exposures are LONG. The answer in this case is IMHO easy: Tmax400. Xtol helps with the speed, so that's a good choice and means you can easily shoot at 800. There are plenty of readily available (and accurate) reciprocity correction tables for this film.

"Tonality" is 99.9% down to your choice of lighting. Trying to get it from your film choice is a losing battle and endless chase for magic bullets.

While Acros has "better" reciprocity than TMY2, it starts out 2 or 3 stops slower which means that your metered exposure needs to be several hours long before Acros ends up faster. Acros is finer but that doesn't matter since you're pinholing and getting nothing like the full resolution the film is capable of.

If you want to spend a bit more money, consider Delta-3200. It's a bit expensive in most places, pretty coarse (though OK for pinholing) and will be a bit faster than TMY2 on exposures of a few hours.

 

[MrBrowning]

For pinhole photos I like Tri-X (I know it isn't on your list) for a fast film and Acros for when I want something a little slower. Acros has good reciprocity and honestly I like the longer exposure times. If you have an iPhone there is an app here for reciprocity (I assume there is something similar for android too). I use a app called Pinhole Assit which is a light meter with built in reciprocity and has done good for me so far. Hope that helps.

 

[Simon R Galley]

Polyglot and Mr.Browning make fine suggestions.

Another suggestion as you are using 120 is ILFORD XP2 Super : Masses of latitiude, its hard not to get 'something' it is 'probably' the best monochrome film to scan ( certainly from our range of products ) and is C41 ( Colour process ) so easy to get processed ( cheaper than B&W ) and you would get a set of proof prints effectively... it is still a B&W film although Chromogenic.

Anyway, welcome to analog, have a ball and I hope your puinhole experience goes really well.

Check out our website www.ilfordphoto.com as it has masses of interesting and helpful stuff for those setting out on the analog journey.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

 

[trythis]

wow, very detailed post from a first timer and amazing responses.
From a film novice perspective I would like to suggest that you just shoot some film and using the c-41 process film was my first thought while skimming your post. (I have nowhere near the knowledge to answer most of those questions)

 

[horacekenneth]

There is an app called Pinhole Assist that has been invaluable to me for calculating reciprocity times. It has film curve profiles included for most film types, you set your asa, your aperture, etc and it will tell you both the straight exposure and what it should be with reciprocity compensation.

It has a built-in "light meter" but you can also set it manually with readings from your own light meter (enter the EV that your light meter gives you, for instance EV 7 is similar to a bright interior, EV 16 is full sunlight).

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pinhole-assist/id466757473?mt=8

As far as tonality I'm no expert but I try to control it a little bit in the way I develop and print (not an option for you right now). But I think most of it is going to come from what polyglot said, just the lighting that you have during the exposure. Do you have really bright highlights and deep shadows like on a sunny day at high noon? Or do you have more even lighting like on an overcast day or early in the morning?

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Using a pinhole camera indoors even in favourable lighting will entail quite long exposures, anything from 20 minutes to 2 hours (make sure that mouse doesn't scurry across the frame during the exposure!). The lower the light, the longer the exposure, the greater the reciprocity risk. As you read, ACROS does have very good reciprocity characteristics. You could re-rate it at EI400 or leave it as is and accept an abstract interpretation of the scene (whether you want a strict photographic interpreration of the subject, an abstract or a mushy combination of light and shadow as can be achieved with pinhole is up to you). Very long exposures can increase the light over the entire subject area and potentially burnt out ares, bu this can have a very artistic quality to it. You may wish to experiment progressively (and take notes!) to see what feels 'just so' to you. One other suggestion is to pinhole some ordinary, every day subjects to get a feel for how the camera and film interpret the scene (remember, there is no lens, no exposure tweaking etc) and refine your use of a meter (incident, multispot). A pinhole is not your everyday SLR! Take notes of what you are doing so you can refer back to them as you go back and forth.

 

[polyglot]

Polyglot and Mr.Browning make fine suggestions.

Another suggestion as you are using 120 is ILFORD XP2 Super : Masses of latitiude, its hard not to get 'something' it is 'probably' the best monochrome film to scan ( certainly from our range of products ) and is C41 ( Colour process ) so easy to get processed ( cheaper than B&W ) and you would get a set of proof prints effectively... it is still a B&W film although Chromogenic.

This is a very good point. Since you're not processing at home (yet ), a C41 film is an excellent choice. Cheaper for labs to process and much easier to scan, because you can use infrared dust-elimination techniques ("ICE" being one brand thereof) that do not work on traditional B&W film.

If you go beyond pinholes, XP2 is also wonderful for portraits because it's smoother in the highlights than a traditional B&W film of similar speed.

By the same token, you could/should also try some Portra 400/800 and for the same reasons, plus it will give you colour. Under-exposure on colour film is IMHO aesthetically worse than on B&W, so try this once you are confident that you can meter a scene properly and not have blank/underexposed parts of your scene.

 

[Dr Croubie]

I'd also echo XP2Super, there are a lot more C41 1-hour labs left than the few who would take the trouble to do B+W. It's also clear base so if/when you succumb to owning a darkroom, you can easily wetprint them.

I really don't think you need to worry about reciprocity, especially if you shoot in full sun. My pinhole suitcase is f/330, and I shoot MGiv paper negs rated at ei3. Longest exposure I've ever done in overcast cloud was 16 minutes. Translated that to f/156 makes that 8 mins, and then using ei100 film and you're at 15 seconds, at ei400 that's down to 4 seconds. Reciprocity will bring this up to 10s maybe, don't worry about hours.
Only when you get to indoors it might be a problem, 30s-metered for XP2S ends up at 2.5 mins, so 2 minutes might end up as 10?

 

[Redmond]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions!

Thanks for pointing out the importance of faster film and for also recommending Tri-X and XP2 Super. I had not realized the advantages of chromogenic B&W film for scanning, including dust removal and no problems with enhancing grain, so thanks for the education. I realize now that it makes sense what several have said about not expecting the film to provide the "tone" of any photograph. I will also look into the reciprocity calculators.

I have started shooting color film already and have been using a spreadsheet to correct for reciprocity failure. I've also been taking detailed notes, but I haven't gotten my rolls developed yet so I have yet to receive any feedback. Going by the axiom of exposing for the shadows and adding a little extra to avoid underexposure, I've had exposure times from 3-10 seconds up to 15-20 minutes (at EI 80). I guess I'll find out soon whether they will come out overexposed, and how much the contrast and color of the original scenes will shift. Starting with the color film, my subjects have mostly focused on the fall foliage in the northern hemisphere, so it can be quite dark under tree cover even on a sunny day. With winter and drab colors approaching, I plan to try B&W film soon, and I'll certainly keep experimenting.

Thanks again! I'll keep lurking on the boards, as well as keeping an eye on any additional comments on this post, and hopefully I'll have something to contribute soon.

 

[sly]

You don't indicate where you are, nor whether you have shutter for your pinhole. If you are shooting outdoors, using the lens cap as a shutter, there is such a thing as too fast. I usually use HP5+ or a 400 colour film in my pinhole cameras. That didn't work during the bright and sunny summer months, as shutter speeds needed to be under a second. Summer work was done on PanF or at twilight. I was out a couple of days ago, in the sun, and it is still too bright for fast film in my Holga pinhole, f133.

 

[Redmond]

Good point. Perhaps I've been overexposing everything--I guess I'll find out soon when I develop the film. I've been using 100 ISO film and setting the meter to EI 80. My shortest exposures so far have been 3-7 seconds, but I have not gotten results back yet.

I'm in the northern U.S. I have a Zero pinhole camera with a primitive wooden "shutter" on the outside of the pinhole.

Part of my interest in pinhole photography has been slow exposures, so I wouldn't want film so fast that I'm in the range of more conventional exposure times of 1/10 and less.

 

[sly]

100 film should be OK, if the light is not super bright. My light meter was telling me exposures of 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 sec in full summer sun for film 2 stops faster. I can count 1 elephant and put the lens cap back on, but quarter and third elephants are beyond me. Not sure how bright things are for you this time of year - sunny snow days (a rarity out here) must be close to summer days. Still lots of opportunity - use slower film, or shoot early/late in day, cloudy days, or hey! indoors - I think that was part of your plan, right?

I look forward to seeing the results of your attempts. You could have a peek at my webpage, if you want.

 

[Simon R Galley]

Dear Redmond,

For someone new to photography you certainly dot the i's and cross the t's.... and do your research..in fact I'm so impressed I'm going to send you a 120 roll of XP2 Super and a copy of our little exposure calculator to give you a bit of a start.. eventhough you do not sound like you need it. please PM me your home address and I will sort it.

All other APUGGERS, I know what your thinking.... and don't !

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

 

[Simon R Galley]

Our exposure calculator is for our HARMAN pinhole's crude(ish) but very effective.

Simon.

 

[MartinP]

And for the curious, that pinhole exposure calculator is also available in the technical information on the IlfordPhoto website, HERE.

 

[bvy]

All other APUGGERS, I know what your thinking.... and don't !

I'm thinking it's very generous -- and that I should pick up a roll to try if you feel that strongly about it...

 

[grahamp]

I tend to use Delta 400 in my Zero Image pinhole. With my processing methods (EI 200), I find the exposures do not get too short for comfort in N. California daylight. Before I had my darkroom and equipment I used a fair bit of XP2 in 120. That film will handle the variations of pinhole pictures very well.

 

[Redmond]

..in fact I'm so impressed I'm going to send you a 120 roll of XP2 Super and a copy of our little exposure calculator to give you a bit of a start..

As they say, a little knowledge can be dangerous. Now I'll just have to learn the true meaning of the little I can pretend I know. I had no doubts that any "answer" would come down to personal preferences, trade-offs, and experimentation--certainly that journey is half the point.

Thank you again for everyone's help.

And thank you, Mr. Galley, for your gracious offer! I appreciate you taking the time to contribute, along with Harman Technology's support.

 

[winger]

And for the curious, that pinhole exposure calculator is also available in the technical information on the IlfordPhoto website, HERE.

This is really a fantastic exposure calculator for non-pinholes, too. For those of us who don't do math very well in our heads, it makes it easy.