Shutter Release and Pinhole

[grahamp]

My Zero Image has the cable release adapter, but I do not always use it. The main advantage is to help keep fingers and shadows out of the image.
It is very rare for me to need an exposure under 1 second, so sliding a shutter cover aside is not a big deal. The only pinhole I have in a true shutter is a Lennox Laser one mounted in an old #0 Synchro-Compur shutter for large format use. That shutter basically only does B (old and worn out), which is fine. That one does benefit from a cable release.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

I played with a spring loaded shutter and cable release for quite a while. When I went to my 4x5 camera and a .016" pin hole, I was working with f stops of f 360 to f 500 and bright sunny day exposures of 6 to 8 seconds with 200 ISO film.

I realized that most of my exposures were perhaps 15 to 30 seconds and holding the release or locking it down was a bit cumbersome, so I made simple shutter similar to the one posted by DWThomas a few posts down. Mr. Thomas's idea was the model of simplicity, a gentle finger push down and it is open, and another push up and it is closed.

I suppose if I was shooting on a sunlit beach or bright snow with light meter pegging sunshine, I would have to tape a couple of gel filters in front of the pinhole. However, to date I have yet to experience exposures of less than 10 to 15 seconds.