In the world of photography, with its glossy magazines, expensive cameras and sophisticated lenses, pinhole photography is probably one of its best kept secrets. In fact, you don't need a fancy camera, or even a lens, to take great photographs! All you need is a lightproof container, some photographic film and a pinhole. Not only is pinhole (ie lensless) photography easily affordable, but it is incredibly satisfying and terrific fun! If you haven't already tried it then perhaps I can persuade you to give it a try. I first became interested in pinhole photography in 1998, and have been hooked on it ever since. I was once asked, "Why pinhole photography?". I struggled to find an adequate explanation, however after some reflection I offered the following explanation: Pinhole photography can be absorbing, affordable, alluring, artistic, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, challenging, charming, compelling, compulsive, delightful, different, enchanting, entrancing, engaging, engrossing, enrapturing, enthralling, expensive, experimental, fascinating, fun, gripping, inexpensive, irresitable, intriguing, magical, riveting, spellbinding, uncommon, unusual, scientific, simple, time consuming and unique, but not necessarily all of these things at the same time! If you are already a pinhole photographer and have a site of your own then you might like to consider joining the Pinhole Photography Ring. This page contains a number of links to useful resources that relate to such things as: pinhole cameras, exposure, reciprocity failure, books, links, etc. I will add to it, from time to time, as I come across other items that I think may be of interest, so please bookmark it and visit this page again if you are interested in pinhole photography. Contents
Pinhole camerasA pinhole camera need not be very sophisticated. All you need is a light tight container, such as a biscuit tin, some way of mounting the film in the camera and a pinhole of a suitable diameter, in place of a lens. For any given focal length there is an optimal pinhole diameter which produces best results. With an ordinary camera, the depth of focus reduces, as the aperture increases. With a pinhole camera, all distances are in the same focus because the aperture is extremely small. In other words, a pinhole camera appears to have infinite depth of focus. This means everything in the field of view is in focus. When designing your pinhole camera it is important to choose a pinhole diameter that is appropriate for the focal length of your camera. The focal length is the distance from the pinhole to the film plane. Whilst a precision pinhole is not absolutely necessary, knowing the diameter of your pinhole is helpful! The list of photography links includes suppliers of precision laser drilled pinholes. Eric Renner's excellent book Pinhole Photography - Rediscovering a Historic Technique contains a table of focal lengths versus pinhole diameters. It is important to paint the inside of the camera with matt black paint, to reduce internal reflections. Some Web sites that are solely devoted to pinhole photography give detailed information on how to build a pinhole camera. Some of these sites are included in the list of photography links. If you do not feel inclined to build your own pinhole camera, there are plenty of companies around that would be delighted to supply you a camera that meets your requirements! Once again, have a look at the Web sites listed in the photography links.
Zero 2000 camera for 120 roll filmAmateur Photographer magazine announced the arrival of a 120 roll film pinhole camera called Zero 2000 in the UK on 7th April 2001. These limited edition cameras are made in Hong Kong by the Zero Image Company. The Zero 2000 is made of kiln-dried teak from Thailand and hand-turned brass (dimensions 5.25" x 3.25" x 1.75"), weight 250g (1lb), has an 0.2mm (0.0079") diameter pinhole, f-number 138, focal length of 25mm (1"). Angle of view is 130 degrees. Image circle is 87.5mm (3.44"). It takes 120 roll film, 12 images to the roll, a film counter window, hand-operated sliding shutter, tripod mount, and brass exposure guide attached to back of camera. The tripod socket is 1/4in thread. Note: The genuine Zero 2000 is available directly from the manufacturers Zero Image Company. Whilst they do not have any authorized dealer or manufacturer of their products in the UK, their products can easily be obtained via their site. Beware inferior imitations, or copies, of this camera which can be found in the UK. Each genuine Zero 2000 camera is numbered on a brass etched plate and comes with a certificate. This camera is beautifully made and very attractive in appearance. The Zero 2000 was reviewed very favourably by Amateur Photographer magazine in the issue dated 28th April 2001. Copies of Amateur Photographer equipment tests are available from Old Timer Cameras Limited.
Pinhole camera for 4x5 sheet filmI built myself a wooden pinhole camera which takes a standard double-darkslide 4x5 filmholder, so that I could use 4x5 sheet film. I added a brass handle to make carrying it easier and three brass feet to ensure that it is always stable, no matter how unlevel the surface it is resting on. 
The photo above shows my home-made camera mounted sideways on a Slik mini-tripod (the brass handle is fitted to the top of the camera). I chose to use a precision pinhole of 0.4053 millimetre (ie 0.0160 inch) diameter and focal length of 120 millimeters (ie 4.72 inches). In order to calculate the f/stop, I simply divided the focal length by the pinhole diameter, where the focal length is the distance from the pinhole to the film plane. Consequently, the f/stop of my camera is 120/0.4053 = f/296. I used Ilford DIN 400 HP5 Plus 4x5 sheet film. The white tops of the darkslides can just be seen in the photograph above. The first pinhole photograph that I took with this camera is shown below. I was pleasantly surprised by the results.
The photograph above was taken on Ferring beach on 15 March 1998 at 9.00 am on a cold grey overcast day. As the light level was quite low I gave it an exposure of 4 minutes 30 seconds. As it turned out, this was probably too long, but I was learning to cope with reciprocity failure. I would gladly repeat the experiment if only I could find those pebbles again!
Polaroid film holderIf you are impatient and want to see instant results, then you might like to consider getting a Polaroid film holder.  They are not exactly cheap, however they do make 4x5 pinhole photography a lot easier, not to mention quicker. If you are serious about 4x5 pinhole photography, then make sure you put one on your wish list! With the growing popularity of digital photogrpahy and demise of the use of film, if you are lucky then you might be able get a used one at a reasonable price. Calumet supplies Polaroid film holders such as the 545 Pro 4x5 Sheet Film Holder, shown above. They also supply both B&W and colour Polaroid film. The B&W cut film called Polapan Type 54 is rated at ISO 100. The B&W cut film called Polapan Type 72 is rated at ISO 400. The colour cut film called Polacolor Pro Type 79 is rated at ISO 100. Needless to say, B&W Polaroid film costs less than Polaroid colour film.
ExposureAs with any camera, it is necessary to get the exposure right. The correct exposure for a pinhole camera depends on the f/stop, the film speed and the amount of light reaching the film. With most pinhole cameras the f/stop is constant, and the film speed is known, so the amount of available light is the only variable. The light level can be measured either using a handheld light meter or an ordinary camera. The problem is that most lightmeters do not cater for f/stops like f296! The Pinhole Camera Design Center used to provide a handy Pinhole Camera Exposure Guide which enabled you to extrapolate from more ordinary readings to ones suitable for your pinhole camera. In fact, they used to provide a whole range of useful calculators, including: Pinhole Camera Design Calculator, Pinhole fStop Chart, Zone Plate Generator, Pinhole Exposure Guide, Pinhole Size Calculator, Light Meter Calculator. I used to set my lightmeter to the speed of the film that I was using and then take a reading at f64 and use a conversion table to find the corresponding exposure at f296. For example, if the exposure given by my lightmeter was 1/30th of a second at f64, then the corresponding exposure given by the Pinhole Camera Exposure Guide was 1/2 second at f296. When exposures exceed one second, you need to add time for reciprocity failure.
Reciprocity lawIn general, exposure can be described by the following equation: E = I x T Where E is exposure, I is intensity and T is time. This is a reciprocal equation (ie as intensity increases, the time must be decreased proportionally) which in photography is known as the reciprocity law. If the intensity of light is doubled and the time is halved, the exposure will stay the same. If the light level falls to a quarter, then the exposure time would have to be four times as long.
Reciprocity failureThe reciprocity law is true within wide limits, however reciprocity fails when light intensity is very weak and the exposure long. This generally occurs when the exposure is longer than about a second. Reciprocity also fails when light intensity is great and the indicated exposure time is very short (less than 1/1000th of a second). Getting the exposure right in pinhole photography can be a bit tricky when exposure times exceed one second, this is because reciprocity fails when light intensity is very weak and the exposure is long. Most B&W films begin to experience reciprocity failure at exposure times of one second or more, which is quite common in pinhole photography. The only way to compensate for reciprocity is to increase the already lengthy exposure time. Reciprocity failure can be a substantial problem for pinhole photographers. It helps to have an accurate light meter, however reciprocity failure means the exposure necessary to produce adequate minimum density will be greater than a meter reading indicates. Additional exposure is needed to compensate for reciprocity failure. This required correction can be surprisingly large and varies with the kind of film used. Experimentation is often necessary in order to produce best results, which makes it all the more interesting.
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