Shutter Release and Pinhole

kd7vdb · Jul 25, 2017

I am currently looking at a Zero Image 6x12 at a local shop that has the filter mount. The price seems really good at $215 USD. My only quam at this point is that it doesn't have a cable release. Is a cable release necessary for pinhole or will I be fine without. This is my first serious pinhole so I have a definite lack of experience.

Thanks Jim

DWThomas · Jul 25, 2017

The need depends a little on how you use the camera. It is pretty normal for pinhole exposures to be long, out in the tens of seconds range (or even more). As such, one generally wants a tripod or some sort of solid anchoring of the camera. Under those conditions a cable release is not really necessary. Even if one vibrates the camera a tiny bit opening or closing the shutter (I'm assuming here most pinhole cameras use a sort of swiveling or sliding flap shutter which just stays where it's put) that vibration is only a minuscule percentage of the typical exposure time.

I did build a body cap pinhole for my Bronica SQ-A which has a spring returned shutter and a cable release fitting, but that was mostly playing with the metalworking challenge. My home-brew 4x5 and 8x10 cameras use flap shutters handily.

jeffreyg · Jul 25, 2017

I have an Ilford 4x5 pinhole camera and either use the dark slide or lens cap to start and stop an exposure. Always on a tripod.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

kd7vdb · Jul 25, 2017

I might just go for it then. If I am in dire need I can order it from zero image and have a competent carpenter install it.

Thanks for the help

summicron1 · Jul 25, 2017

I have used a zero image 2000 for years with no cable release. No problem.

Patrick Robert James · Jul 25, 2017

I have a Holga 6x12 that I modified with a 77mm filter holder. I never use filters with it though since they image on the film if there is any dust on them. Instead, I use a lens cap with flocking on the back of it. To make an exposure, I remove the lens cap but hold it in front of the pinhole, release the shutter, then remove the cap after a second or so. The results are much better since I started doing it this way. You could also just use a black card large enough to fill the image field, but the flocking absorbs over 99.9% of light. A cable release is nice, but you don't need one.

MattKing · Jul 25, 2017

I just took delivery yesterday of my first pinhole camera (f/207), so consider that when you read the following advice!
It seems that on sunny days, with some faster films, it is possible to find oneself in the situation where exposures on medium to smaller film might be in the shorter ranges - 1/2 - 3 seconds. So if you don't have a reliable way to make shorter exposures, you will need to take that into account when choosing film.

DWThomas · Jul 25, 2017

MattKing said:
It seems that on sunny days, with some faster films, it is possible to find oneself in the situation where exposures on medium to smaller film might be in the shorter ranges - 1/2 - 3 seconds. So if you don't have a reliable way to make shorter exposures, you will need to take that into account when choosing film.

Matt raises a good point here. Back about ten years or so when I decided to participate in WPPD, I made a pinhole lensboard for an old 4x5 I had. Thinking "wow -- microscopic aperture, better get some fast film" I bought some 400 ISO stuff. Alas, my exposures on a sunny day sort of fell into that no man's land. They were long by typical old time shutter standards, but rather too short to time accurately and consistently flipping something with the fingers. I wound up picking up some slower film to get up into the 5 to 10 second range.

pdeeh · Jul 25, 2017

MattKing said:
So if you don't have a reliable way to make shorter exposures, you will need to take that into account when choosing film

I just made the exposure as short as I could manually with whatever film I had in there. If it was overexposed a few stops I just developed normally and hoped for the best. Never had too many unprintables as a result.

MattKing · Jul 25, 2017

pdeeh said:
I just made the exposure as short as I could manually with whatever film I had in there. If it was overexposed a few stops I just developed normally and hoped for the best. Never had too many unprintables as a result.

I'm hoping to shoot some colour transparency film too.

pdeeh · Jul 25, 2017

MattKing said:
I'm hoping to shoot some colour transparency film too.

Velvia 50 at box speed

b20131121-4 by _loupe, on Flickr

3dreal · Aug 31, 2017

We need a universal shutter which could be mounted to custom-made pinholecam. one which can takeup Zonesieves and Zoneplates. e.g. from skinfoto.
there is a cheap solution by the chinese 18° brand. hard to find there is only one ebay-seller. it costs 80 usd. but: Its not made universal. for every pinhole-size one shutter.
I tried to convince him sending me dimensions. but he does not want to understand that we want to open the system to make it universal. skinkfoto-plates are 20mm. so are the ones from aupremierplan.
analogueworks has a special shutter for his cube-system 5x5-cam(filmholders under slow delopment) but its costs over 500 usd.
there were shutter-sellers like zoneimage and skinkfoto but not in stock anymore...very sad. we must then use very low-speed film.
btw: With prontor-press timer there could be a good cable-release for simple shutters. but its hub is too long-20mm. we would need a tube to level this.

Theo Sulphate · Aug 31, 2017

Mine is a ZeroImage 2000 (6x6) and initially I used 20-year old Kodak Pro 1000 in it, rated down to 400 speed.

Mine has no cable release or filter ring - it is the simple one.

For short exposures in full daylight, my fingers can be seen as a ghostly image as I flip the shutter latch, opening and closing. Finally, I realized the best way to solve this for quick exposures is to use a black baseball cap in front of the pinhole prior to opening the shutter and just before closing it.

Poisson Du Jour · Aug 31, 2017

kd7vdb said:
I am currently looking at a Zero Image 6x12 at a local shop that has the filter mount. The price seems really good at $215 USD. My only quam at this point is that it doesn't have a cable release. Is a cable release necessary for pinhole or will I be fine without. This is my first serious pinhole so I have a definite lack of experience.

Thanks Jim

They certainly do benefit from the optional cable release, I have the ZeroImage 6x9 multiformat and the 6x12, and early experience taught me that it is very easy to close the "shutter" prematurely. Mr Au (the maker) offers an excellent optioning service, but it is best done at the time of ordering, you can of course by the cable release adaptor separately, and install it yourself with the instructions provided.

All ZeroImage cable release adaptors require a long-throw cable release e.g, Gepe, Linhof, Kaiser.

M Carter · Sep 6, 2017

Find any-old Isolette I, II or III. Pull the shutter and remove the lens elements. Cut your pinhole to fit in front of the shutter, and hold it in with the threaded mid element holder. Mount the thing with the Isolette lock ring. You get a range of shutter speeds, flash synch, and a cable release socket. I just modified the body for mine, so I have a 6x6 pinhole with a good film transport and frame counter window. They're handy little shutters for what those cameras go for. (LaCroix pinhole on the left - the bellows from that body brought the II back to life. Both pretty fab little pocket cameras).

redrockcoulee · Sep 20, 2017

We have pinhole cameras both with and without a cable release. It is easier using the ones with releases but not that hard for those without. Much more difficult when using zone plates. I obtained a Copal shutter that I don't think was ever used and mounted pinholes and zone plates onto mat board painted black for use on large format cameras. Before that I used my hand and the darkslide. I prefer the shutter.

My latest pinhole is a Reality So Subtle with a filter ring so for that I used the lens cap.

Ces1um · Oct 3, 2017

jeffreyg said:
I have an Ilford 4x5 pinhole camera and either use the dark slide or lens cap to start and stop an exposure. Always on a tripod.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

I've been looking at those lately. Other than being quite pricey, they look like they have a lot going for it, especially in the weight department. How do you like yours? Was it worth the $$$? They're $400 here in Canada and then a film holder will be easily another $100 so it's quite an investment.

MattKing · Oct 3, 2017

Ces1um said:
I've been looking at those lately. Other than being quite pricey, they look like they have a lot going for it, especially in the weight department. How do you like yours? Was it worth the $$$? They're $400 here in Canada and then a film holder will be easily another $100 so it's quite an investment.

Post a "Want to Buy" classified here on the website formerly known as APUG. You will probably be able to import one fairly easily, and there may be Canadians who have one they would be happy to sell.

3dreal · Oct 20, 2017

MattKing said:
Post a "Want to Buy" classified here on the website formerly known as APUG. You will probably be able to import one fairly easily, and there may be Canadians who have one they would be happy to sell.

We are here in the former APUG-site........................

3dreal · Oct 21, 2017

Patrick Robert James said:
I have a Holga 6x12 that I modified with a 77mm filter holder. I never use filters with it though since they image on the film if there is any dust on them. Instead, I use a lens cap with flocking on the back of it. To make an exposure, I remove the lens cap but hold it in front of the pinhole, release the shutter, then remove the cap after a second or so. The results are much better since I started doing it this way. You could also just use a black card large enough to fill the image field, but the flocking absorbs over 99.9% of light. A cable release is nice, but you don't need one.

I really dont understand. a) why filter-holder when you are using the cap. b) why lens-cap when you have a shutter.

Patrick Robert James · Oct 22, 2017

3dreal said:
I really dont understand. a) why filter-holder when you are using the cap. b) why lens-cap when you have a shutter.

The filter ring was originally for filters, now it just holds the lens cap.

I use the lens cap because it is a Holga. Who knows when it will leak light! Seriously, the thing is a piece of Chinese garbagio. I've had issues with it ever since I first started using it. Hence the cap. The shutter is just a sliding piece of metal. It isn't a real shutter. I have little doubt that if I didn't have the cap on it, light would find a way to the film.

If I had to do it all over, I would have bought one of the well made cameras instead of the POS Holga. I may still. I find pinhole photography entertaining since there is little to be done. Point the camera, open the shutter.

3dreal · Oct 22, 2017

get quality and one of James Guerins Aupremierplan Pinhole cams. e.g. 612 or 617 with shift. superquality, check flickr-gallery. the bigger the filmsize the better the images.
I have an Agfa Clack made by a pro-6x9 and will get 6x7 special cam with 40mm. 70mm and 120 film. pinhole from aupremierplan.

3dreal · Jul 7, 2019

The chinese shutter by 18°- 3s-krpc on ebay(store now accessible when account has admin-right(at least on my old winxp-pc) is now half-universal.
Pinholeplates by 18° are replaceable but not others can be attached. shutter for copal-0-lensboards. will get further informations.
https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/COSMOS-CIRCLE-4X5-Large-Format-Camera-with-Pinhole-Shutter/192965877532
i measured which exposure time can be reached with any cable-release(doesnt matter which type even true for grundner shutter with built in cable-release(two options): i used photoplug(dot de) shutter-tester. its 1/6 quickest with cable-release on simple pinhole-shutters.
I am now in discussion about other dimensions of the Cosmos Circle 4x5 camera.
https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/COSMOS-CIRCLE-4X5-Large-Format-Camera-with-Pinhole-Shutter/192965877532
confusions about tube 60mm and flange 70mm. true is: 58 or 65mm lens can be used on fixed 60mm tube. no helicoids possible here.

Rick A · Jul 7, 2019

I have a couple of Kodak Tourist II's with garbaged shutters, so I replaced them with worthless Vario's(missing aperture blades) sans glass, and pinhole plates installed. I can set them to T and shoot using either cable release or just trip the release by hand. 6x9 format.

europanorama · Aug 16, 2019

3dreal said:
The chinese shutter by 18°- 3s-krpc on ebay(store now accessible when account has admin-right(at least on my old winxp-pc) is now half-universal.
Pinholeplates by 18° are replaceable but not others can be attached. shutter for copal-0-lensboards. will get further informations.
https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/COSMOS-CIRCLE-4X5-Large-Format-Camera-with-Pinhole-Shutter/192965877532
i measured which exposure time can be reached with any cable-release(doesnt matter which type even true for grundner shutter with built in cable-release(two options): i used photoplug(dot de) shutter-tester. its 1/6 quickest with cable-release on simple pinhole-shutters.
I am now in discussion about other dimensions of the Cosmos Circle 4x5 camera.
https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/COSMOS-CIRCLE-4X5-Large-Format-Camera-with-Pinhole-Shutter/192965877532
confusions about tube 60mm and flange 70mm. true is: 58 or 65mm lens can be used on fixed 60mm tube. no helicoids possible here.

Update: 3s-krpc-Cosmos Circle(camera)-Shutter has B-setting(manually triggered(not advised) plus openclose-cable-connector. the cable needs a locker. 1/6 is possible like tested on Copal 1 with photoplug-sensor by filmomat(photoplug.de) Shutter is Copal 0-lensboard hole compatible, plates are not compatible with Skinkpinhole and Aupemierplan.
I told him next version must be universal.

Shutter Release and Pinhole

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