Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day 2016

RaglanSurf

RaglanSurf

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Last year I couldn't find the pinhole I got for my Pentaxes... since then I've located it, so should get my act together this year... I hope!
 
To my considerable shame, I've got one that I haven't actually put a film in, so this is a very timely prompt to get my act together and get out on the 24th! (y)
 
Can I shoot my normal camera at f32? Manual of course. :)
 
I got a laser drilled piece of brass last year to tape in to a lens board but never got round to using it. Maybe this year...
 
steveo_mcg said:
I got a laser drilled piece of brass last year to tape in to a lens board but never got round to using it. Maybe this year...
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Just do it.
 
I might have to try out a laser cut pinhole plate as well this time; last year I bought some teeny tiny drill bits but I couldn't get a hole that was anywhere close to round enough, so my results were pretty blurry. Have to step up my game this year!
 
Oh my, it's arrived and I'm still not ready. Mind you, the local weather forecast is fairly dull for the day itself, so a bit of head scratching to be done between now and then I think! :snaphappy:
 
Hang on, I thought it was last week... it's tomorrow! (Well, it will be... this grammar business gets me confused!)

I bought a Holga pinhole in Pentax K-mount a few years ago, and never got round to using it. Must give it a go. Let's think, I have TriX loaded in one camera, and the other is empty, usually use Vista 400 this time of year. Any films better for pinhole?

I'm going to have to read up on calculating the exposure!
 
I've only ever used b&w for pinhole, so I guess that would be my choice from your 2.Pinhole exposure 1.jpg
 
So since the hole diameter is 0.25mm and the flange depth is 45.46mm, am I right that the aperture is 1/180? So 1/125 at f/16 (a plausible exposure for a cloudy day like today) becomes 1 second, and reciprocity failure can take that up a bit, probably ignorable?
 
ChrisR said:
So since the hole diameter is 0.25mm and the flange depth is 45.46mm, am I right that the aperture is 1/180? So 1/125 at f/16 (a plausible exposure for a cloudy day like today) becomes 1 second, and reciprocity failure can take that up a bit, probably ignorable?
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The aperture is for all intents and purposes f/180. Kodak's website for Tri-X suggests +1 stop where 1 second is indicated (ie. 2 secs). I usually use Ilford B&W where reciprocity doesn't kick in until > 1 sec.
 
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Thanks @Peter B and @adrianday . I've just found the datasheet for Tri-X and discovered as you said, one stop for 1 second and two stops for 10 seconds. The datasheet for Superia 400 (I'm, actually using Vista 400, but AFAIK it's the same film) say reciprocity doesn't kick in until 2 seconds, and then the effect seems small. Maybe I'll try both, since I can have the two cameras.

I guess I can't frame with the pinhole on, so I either need to just point the camera by eye, externally, or presumably a 50mm lens would give more or less the same point of view. And if I put a 50mm extension tube, then I would be at f/360, and my 85mm lens would be reasonable?

And a tripod. I hate tripods with a passion, but I guess it's essential for this!
 
RaglanSurf said:
It depends how 'avant garde' you want to be :D
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Ooo-er, pinhole and intentional camera movement! I like it... rather throws out the framing thing, though. Just point in the general direction and wave about...
 
ChrisR said:
Ooo-er, pinhole and intentional camera movement! I like it... rather throws out the framing thing, though. Just point in the general direction and wave about...
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The lack of accurate framing adds to the fun of it. A spirit level is handy if you're shooting wide.
 
ChrisR said:
Thanks @Peter B and @adrianday .
I guess I can't frame with the pinhole on, so I either need to just point the camera by eye, externally, or presumably a 50mm lens would give more or less the same point of view. And if I put a 50mm extension tube, then I would be at f/360, and my 85mm lens would be reasonable?

And a tripod. I hate tripods with a passion, but I guess it's essential for this!
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In an ideal world you would have the camera (or another one) with a similar angle lens fitted to the tripod via a quick release plate, then you can accurately compose and meter what you want to shoot. You then lock down the tripod firmly and swap over to the pinhole just before taking the shot. It's a bit like the old days when you/they shot Polaroids before putting the film back on their Hassys. (y)
 
Just back from the first few frames. I'm a bit worried; not surprisingly the Holga pinhole turns out to be rubbish build quality. It's been a right pain getting it on and off the camera! I'm using a 50mm lens for framing and exposure, then swapping to the pinhole; presumably there's a chance the actual pinhole will be similarly rubbish. I think I'll put it on the shortest extension tube this afternoon, which should take it up to about 60mm fov and f/250 or so.

I did have a problem after a 4 second exposure, when the mirror didn't come down. Doesn't matter for the pinhole itself, but a problem for framing with the 50mm lens! Eventually it popped back after I turned the shutter speed to 1/60 (X setting, if that's relevant).

I saw some snakes head fritillaries in the local park, wondering how close I can get before it's unrecognisably blurry. This is where chimping would be useful... ok I'll go and wash my typing fingers again!
 
Try not to overthink it folks, pinhole randomness is part of the fun.
 
Grump :(. The first 4 pinhole frames this afternoon weren't random, they were blank! I realised I'd not taken the cap off the pinhole!:banghead:

Ended up shooting pretty much a whole roll of Vista 400 on the snakes head fritillaries, using the pinhole alternating with a 50mm and a 100mm lens. I put the pinhole on a short extension tube, as I'd suggested, and that made everything much slicker in terms of changing lenses. Later I put another extension tube on to get a focal length closer to 100mm, used the f/360 column on that little table above, and a 1 stop increase in exposure. I'm a bit uncertain if Vista 400 is the same Superia 400X that's described in my data sheet (oddly, I haven't searched for a Vista 400 data sheet! D'uh...), and for the last shot I added an extra stop... just as it came on to rain! So that was a 4 minute exposure in the rain. The wind will certainly have made that random.:thinking:
 
So, it turns out that the Holga pinhole vignettes when added straight to the body!



This is what it looked like through a 50mm lens:



With the 12mm extension tube added, at least there was no vignetting (focal length now around 60mm):



Just for Nick @RaglanSurf I tried a couple handheld with moving ducks! Just about recognisable, not much else to say...



Works in colour too, sort of... but this was a 4 minute exposure, and quite a bit of wind, which probably softened it more than the pinhole!



The snakes head (and white) fritillaries are worth showing from a real lens, even if this isn't the best shot.



All shot on Pentax MX, using either TriX or Vista 400.

Well, it was a fun experiment, and I learned a few things (including more than I knew before about reciprocity failure), but I've put the pinhole away and I'm not tempted to get it out again!
 
Embrace the quirkiness, it's part of the fun.
 
Respect for getting out there and actually participating Chris, you've put me to shame as I didn't get my act together ! :oops: :$
 
Thanks @Peter B , although I was a year or so later than I had intended when I bought the pinhole! Having one that fits on my SLR seems like it takes a lot of the hassle out of pinholing, but OTOH it maybe loses some of the magic of using one of those lovely wooden boxes that need to be loaded with 120 or 4*5 film in a dark bag... It's something I'm glad I've tried, but I wasn't greatly taken with the experience, quirky or not.
 
ChrisR said:
1604FPMXBW29_zpsmwohsedn.jpg
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By far my favourite. It's working with the medium, making the most of it. It's the JMWTurner of photos of ducks :D
 
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