LF pinhole mulling

[sweathog]

So I'm chewing over the thought of making myself a 5" x 4" pinhole camera. Nothing too extravagant (at least not for the prototype); a box with a hole for light and a hole for a darkslide.

That being said, and I don't know why I'm considering it, but the idea of putting a ground glass on the back appeals to me. Not that it'll help much with composition given the small amount of light actually entering the camera, plus it gives a whole extra section to make sure is light tight...

Just wondering if anybody has any thoughts and/or hints & tricks.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[rogue_designer]

you could always cannibalize the rear standard from a junker monorail camera. Build off that.

 

[sweathog]

you could always cannibalize the rear standard from a junker monorail camera. Build off that.

That makes a lot of sense. This is just in its early concept phases, still kicking ideas around, but I will certainly bear that in mind.

 

[rtphotos]

Hi sweathog,

If you get a chance to look at a pinhole camera made by the Lensless Camera Mfg. Co. of Santa Barbara, you will see how easy it might be to build a pinhole camera yourself out of some plywood - well if you weren't all thumbs, like I am. 😉

Here is a link to their website:

http://www.pinholecamera.com/

These don't have a ground glass, though and I would think it would be next to impossible to compose your shots - too dark an image. Better you get an external viewfinder to estimate your shots. Well, part of the fun with pinholes is the surprise when you see the image on print anyway.

Besides cannibalizing a view camera as rogue_designer suggests, you might also try and locate a cheap graflex press camera and use that as a source of parts.

Me, I just use a crown graphic 4x5 with a pinhole taped to the lens board (see attached). Checkout my flickr site for a couple of pinhole images I've taken with it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36exposures/sets/72157604730669564/

Have fun! 🙂
rt

 

[sweathog]

Well if you weren't all thumbs, like I am. 😉

These don't have a ground glass, though and I would think it would be next to impossible to compose your shots - too dark an image. Better you get an external viewfinder to estimate your shots.

Hey rt.
First of all, I don't think I'm all thumbs, but at least half thumbs...

I realise the issue with the groound glass, as I say it was just a crazy thought rather than a definite idea. I like the idea of an external viewfinder though, but of course if the 'lens' ends up being wide then that becomes difficult too...

 

[sweathog]

skibeerr, those look nice. Can't afford one at the moment though, so it looks like I'm returning to plan A of making one. Shouldn't be too hard to do...

Just wondering how one works out the focal length? Is it as simple as distance form the 'lens' to the film plane?

...I just read what I just wrote. I am a true berk at times.

 

[rich815]

After seeing these:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41427422@N00/2171174895/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41427422@N00/2408772638/

I got myself one. A Zero Image 45B. Did not make it myself and have no suggestions for doing so (I got mine used at a pretty good price, with a Jobo 4x5 processing set up too) but thought that might inspire you as it did me. The precise, small, laser-drilled pinhole is what gave the sharpness in the center; that with the vignetting and distorted wide angle is what reeled me in.

My first two images made yesterday and scanned just this morning:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rich8155/2453810227/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rich8155/2453810303/

 

[dazedgonebye]

I have this thing laying around...not really sure where it came from. It has a 4x5 graflok back and a nice place to mount an old shutter and pinhole.
I might just get around to making it.

 

[JoeV]

Re: Viewing Hole

Re: Viewing Hole

I've built a homemade 4x5 from wood, that uses sheet film holders. It has a homemade ground 'plastic' removable view screen, and a removable pinhole plate up front, with an internal shutter actuated by a control rod.

I use a viewing hole, about 1/8" diameter, to preview and compose the image on the ground glass. The image is soft, but bright enough to give a general idea of image composition.

The camera also has viewing dots, for quick composition when you don't want to take the time to swap out the pinhole plate with the viewing hole plate.

Here's a link to F295 where I have a thread detailing the camera.

~Joe

 

[oftheherd]

It has been about 15 years ago now that I helped my youngest daughter make a pinhole camera for a science project where the idea was to confirm the best pinhole (aperture) size. Focal length remained the same of course, but the pinhole sizes were changed by switching thin aluminum plates, thinned even more with a hammer. Then some tiny drill bits from a model shop (some so small they had to be used with a small hand held 😛encil" drill) were used. The wood used was thin pine, painted inside and out with flat black paint. I don't recall now if I used anything on the joints or just planned them or what. There was a piece of wood on the front to mount the aluminum, and the back was open with felt strips glued on to place the 4x5 film holders on and keep them light tight. Black electrician's tape was used on the pin holes for a shutter, pulled off after the dark slide was removed. That works well because your "shutter speeds" are so long. You have to experiment for that. I placed map tacks, one on the rear and two on the front, for aiming devices.

Sounds hokey, but it worked and she got an honorable mention.

 

[rtphotos]

JoeV, that is an ultra-cool pinhole camera you created! I really think the view hole and shutter is especially clever, too. Well done! 🙂

rt

 

[sweathog]

Lots of great ideas here, I'm taking notes.
I'm rather busy with my FMP at the moment, but when that's done I shall try to make time to make me a camera.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I've seen the Santa Barbara (Lenless Photography) 4x5 pinhole cameras. The way they hold the film holder to the back is amazingly simple with the angled cutouts that the wooden dowels fit into. They should be easy for a competent woodworker to make. Alas, I am not such nor have the proper tools. But the price around $70 makes it logical to just buy one rather than spending days trying to cobble on together that may or may not work properly.

If I was a tripod kind of photographer, I would get one and play with it.

 

[MISH]

i made one with the dowel rods to to hold the film holder in place but never really liked it so i purchased a 4x5 reducing back of of ebay and just built a wooden box around it ......works great, bought the pinholes from pinhole resource, don't remember all the specs but the film plane is only 1 1/2 inches from the pinhole and it covers the 4x5.... super wide angle