The DIY Pinhole Camera Thread

Even 2 stops should get some results. Let's face it, back in instamatic days, we'd just shoot in whatever light conditions existed, whether that was on the beach in summer or of the kids under the tree at commercialmas (and possibly another summery beach scene on the same roll a year later!) Fingers crossed for you, Steve.
 
Unfortunately not. I didn't get to the post office until 5:30 on Monday so they probably didn't get to FilmDev until today. Hopefully I'll get the digital downloads tomorrow though.
 
Just had a call from Film Dev to say that my film has been developed. They wanted to know the frame size so they can scan it which is never a good sign! Sounds like there's a lot of overlap between frames which I've had before with this Graphic back but I'd assumed I didn't load it properly leading to incorrect spacing but I'm not so sure? They said there are 4-5 visible frames which I'm expecting to be from the pinhole body because I've noticed that the shutter in the lens on the SnapShot body is getting pretty unreliable so I reckon it wasn't opening properly when I shot the test roll but I then wound on to the next shot anyway :mad: I think I'll be needing an alternative lens before I shoot any more with it!
 
Well it works..

29818528286_5ac968ec84_z.jpg


Not the most exciting of subjects but at least it proves the point!
 
Thanks Carl. I've never really 'got' pinhole photography but I think it's because I've always shot long exposure photography with ND's. having seen the result though I'm quite looking forward to shooting with it this weekend now! I think I'm going to leave the SnapShot body behind though rather than wasting more film on it!
 
Not keen on the 'add-on' lens Steve! :p

But, yes, looking good mate!
 
I was referring to the double glazed one Steve! Keep up bud!
 
Work, WORK! How dare you use that swear word! :LOL:
 
Looking for some advice from our resident pinholers. Before I start editing the shots from my pinhole, I just wanted to know if this is the sort of out of camera results you'd expect? The centre seems to be lacking a lot of contrast but I'm not sure if it's down to the expired film and reciprocity or an issue with the camera?

IMG_1475226485.083426.jpg
 
That's not too far from the pinhole results I got with the pinhole on my SLR...
 
I realised afterwards that I hadn't taken reciprocity into account so there's a fair chance they were underexposed and boosted in the scan so I'll take the blame for that :0)
 
I've also figured out why I'm getting overlapping images with the Graphic 23 rollfilm back. I've got a 6x8 shell and a 6x7 insert...Luckily it's not the other way around, so I just need to cover 5mm from each side of the opening in the shell to stop the overlap :0)
 
Aha, now I know why the exposures from this are carp! I've just shone a torch at the front of the camera with the shutter open and noticed that there's as much light coming around the screw that hinges the shutter as there is through the pinhole #%*€}^}%}%}!!!

Time for some careful modifications with strategically placed electrical tape before I run another roll through it. I've also added a couple of strips of tape either side of the film aperture on the rollfilm back to reduce it to 6x7 as per the insert so I should now get non-overlapping results!
 
Nod said:
I am cheaper than that!!! (Per second, at least... :p)
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Being so cheap, I managed to get hold of a 12 x 6 inch sheet of 0.005" (0.12mm) brass for £3. Now I have just a couple of questions...

Will this be thin enough for using as is or will I need to thin it slightly where the pinhole will be?
What size hole will give acceptable results on 35mm while allowing reasonable shutter speeds (seconds rather than minutes!) on ISO 200 film? (Happy to use 400 if necessary but I have a few rolls of 200 in the fridge.)
As above but sticking the pinhole about 4 1/2 inches away from the mount? (Just to explain a little... I have a Canon L lens mug and a Nikon body cap and my plan is to make a pinhole "telephoto" from it, even if it IS just to see people's reactions to an (apparently!) L lens on a Nikon body with the lens cap seemingly on!)
 
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It's been a while since I looked at pinholes, but if I remember correctly there is an optimum pinhole diameter for a given focal length. So really it depends on what focal length you have/want.

Then you drill your hole as close to that as you can, then calculate your aperture from there.

Realistically you'll end up with an aperture if f/100 or more so it's not going to be any good for uses that need a fast shutter speed!
 
The Mr Pinhole site says that the optimum pinhole diameter for a 115mm focal length is 0.45mm. Which gives you an aperture of f/386 and a sunny day exposure of 1.5 seconds on a 400 speed film... lol.

Of course, half the fun of pin holes is the inaccuracy of it all and deliberately not following the rules, so feel free to ignore it all and do your own thing :D
 
As above, it's best to use one of the pinhole calculator sites to work back from your fixed variable (focal length). My printed pinhole has a 0.25mm hole and F152 but it's a much wider focal length.
 
Thanks for the answer, Carl. As it happens, I'm pretty sure I have a 0.5mm drill bit somewhere (one of the gods might know where - I'm not sure!) and possibly even smaller so no further expense necessary! 3 seconds at ISO 200 is certainly doable. Also planning a more conventional (if any pinhole can be classed as such!) body cap version, to be used with some old extension tubes for slightly longer focal lengths. Depending on results, I might even see if I can bodge up some sort of zoom using some suitable pipe (if I can find some. Cheap or free!!!)
 
Nod said:
Thanks for the answer, Carl. As it happens, I'm pretty sure I have a 0.5mm drill bit somewhere (one of the gods might know where - I'm not sure!) and possibly even smaller so no further expense necessary! 3 seconds at ISO 200 is certainly doable. Also planning a more conventional (if any pinhole can be classed as such!) body cap version, to be used with some old extension tubes for slightly longer focal lengths. Depending on results, I might even see if I can bodge up some sort of zoom using some suitable pipe (if I can find some. Cheap or free!!!)
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Sounds good, Nod. I found my pinhole vignetted when it was on as a body cap on my Pentax, but was fine on a 40mm extension tube (possibly less as well). Of course the extension tube does increase the focal length and decrease aperture so exposure times went up. But I think a few seconds rather than minutes...
 
Like I said, I can handle seconds of exposure but would rather avoid minutes! Of course, I would also use the resulting "lenses" on a d***t** body that can deliver silly high ISO compared to fillum but would mainly be playing with film instead. (Mind you, if super high ISO could get me 1/125th or so, the idea of panning some racing cars rather appeals - but that's for a different area!)
 
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