Questions about pinhole photography

Ces1um · Apr 27, 2015

My wife bought me an xbox for my birthday, but I'm 42 and I've got no hand eye coordination left to speak of so it's going back (but kudos to the wife for the thought). I was thinking of maybe getting into pinhole photography and was looking at the ondu cameras to get started with ( I don't want to make my own). I was wondering how one figures out the exposure calculations? What gear is required? Is it very difficult to get an acceptable image? Some of the images I've seen created with a pinhole camera were spectacular but a lot seem to be crappy. Is this due to a lack of experience or to wild variation in conditions? I'm used to a film slr. Will I hate pinhole photography?

kier · Apr 27, 2015

I have no idea if you'll hate pinhole photography, but I can help you get started. For exposure, do you have a smartphone? Get the pocket light meter app and you've got your light meter taken care of.

Definitions of "acceptable" and "crappy" and "spectacular" are subjective. It's photography just like any other form of photography. Envision what you want the shot to look like and expose for that vision.

Expect to go through a few rolls before getting a handle on the results. Does that help?

bvy · Apr 27, 2015

Like anything else you'll have to experiment, but you should be able to get up and running pretty fast. I made my first pinhole camera from a Quaker Oats box. My "lens" was a pie tin with a pinhole poked through it and sanded down with 800 grit sandpaper. The sandpaper was the greatest investment. I exposed 5x7 Ilford paper; exposures in good light ranged from 15 seconds to two minutes. And while I experimented with other pinhole cameras (35mm film, digital), I never managed to improve much upon these most humble of images. Here's a gallery of some shots:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bvybvy/sets/72157620975664555

Even if you don't want to build one, there's so much you can do with pinhole photography, I can't imagine you'll hate it.

Ces1um · Apr 27, 2015

those are all pinhole photos? Much clearer than what I've seen previously. Maybe I'm dramatically underestimating them. Is there a beginners guide or getting started sticky anywhere to be found on the board, or a website with a "how to" that you'd recommend?

Nige · Apr 27, 2015

have a browse through the WPD (World Pinhole Day) galleries (this year and previous) to see what equipment was used to take images that float your boat. You might find that those that catch your eye were not taken on equipment like you propose to buy.

bvy · Apr 27, 2015

Ces1um said:
those are all pinhole photos? Much clearer than what I've seen previously. Maybe I'm dramatically underestimating them. Is there a beginners guide or getting started sticky anywhere to be found on the board, or a website with a "how to" that you'd recommend?

The Eric Renner book is considered "required reading" among pinhole enthusiasts. For inspiration, take a look at some of Scott Speck's work online.

kier · Apr 27, 2015

Here's some of my fave Scott Speck photos in the interview I did with him: http://fslashd.com/2015/04/scott-speck-the-ƒd-interview/

I've also been running a pinhole photo of the day: http://fslashd.com/category/inspiration/

Yeah, pinholes can be sharp. They can be magic. They can be amazing. It's a camera - it's just a matter of learning to use it.

Jim Jones · Apr 27, 2015

One forum dedicated to pinhole photography is http://www.f295.org/main/forum. A site with much good information and links to further information is Dead Link Removed.

summicron1 · Apr 27, 2015

pinhole can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. I use a ZeroImage 2002 (6 by 6) most often, carrying it in a little bag with a minox tripod (very small) and that's it. The rest is by guess and by golly.

Exposures -- you can find lots of tables here and there. One thing to keep in mind, especially for b/w film, is that the process is massively forgiving of over-exposure, especially with long exposures because of reciprocity failure. I've made two exposures indoors, side by side, on Ilford 400 film, one for 5 minutes, one for half an hour, and damn if I could tell them apart.

Fuji Acros is wonderful for pinhole use because it does not seem to have much of a reciprocity failure problem, which means shorter exposures indoors. Outdoors, in sunlight, I find about 4 seconds gives me a good negative.

So get a camera, get some film, screw up the first couple of rolls and take notes. You are on your way.

ciniframe · Apr 27, 2015

What size are you considering with the Ondu? I would recommend a camera that used 120 film for 6X6 or 6X9 negatives. In fact their 4X5 should be considered also. Pinhole is best with a big negative. It is also best if you do your own processing. For ease of processing photo paper can be used in 4X5 so that loading and processing could be carried out under safelight. There is also Zero Image that make a range of roll film and 4X5 cameras. If you decide to look at 4X5 don't dismiss completely the idea of building your own camera. Some are quite simple to construct.

DWThomas · Apr 27, 2015

I'd say it can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. The problem, if there is one, is to find the intersection between what you are willing to do and what your expectations are. In general, the smaller the film format, the less sharp the results, but even sharpness is not necessarily the only criteria.

The Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day site has a section on resources that can direct you to lots of information. There are galleries at that site showing work submitted from all over the world done with pinholes on the big day. That day is the last Sunday in April, which this year was just yesterday, so your timing is either good or bad!

2015 Gallery
2014 Gallery
2013 Gallery
Submissions approach three thousand each year so there are plenty to look at.

Unfortunately not everyone tells what camera they used, but many do, so it will be possible to see some examples. Zero Image is one maker I've seen great results from. I have made my own, either with lens board or body cap adapters, or for the last two, complete boxes from the ground up. A unit using roll film lets you easily send the film out for for processing if you don't want to go all the way to darkroom work (I say, just having come up for a break from the darkroom).

(At the moment, my own shots from yesterday are not quite ready to post.)

removedacct1 · Apr 27, 2015

Pinhole photography can be wonderful. If you are attracted to sharper images, avoid 35mm cameras and stick to 120 roll film - at least at the start. Welcome, and I hope you will give pinhole camera work a real go. Odds are you will find it a very seductive craft.

From one of my 6X17 pinhole cameras:

Ces1um · Apr 28, 2015

Thanks- I think I'll give it a go. Might pick up the ondu 6 x 6 but I'm going to look around first. I need to learn a lot before i make that decision.

RalphLambrecht · May 1, 2015

Ces1um said:
those are all pinhole photos? Much clearer than what I've seen previously. Maybe I'm dramatically underestimating them. Is there a beginners guide or getting started sticky anywhere to be found on the board, or a website with a "how to" that you'd recommend?

hope that helps to get started

John Koehrer · May 3, 2015

The Zero Image cameras have interchangeable masks so 6X6 6X7 and 6X9 can be done with the same camera.
You CANNOT change masks mid-roll.

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