My 5x7 and 8x10 pinhole cameras, plus photo

[stsinner]

Awesome story, Dick.. That camera looks like something Ron Evers would build.. So tell me, are these made by you, or do you buy them, either made by someone else or by a company? I'm about to go Wiki the questions, but I like the way you detail your posts..

Thanks.

 

[Dick Sanders]

Thanks, ST. Sometimes I think I'm telling too much, but then I figure somebody might want to know.

My cabinet maker made these. He's not the most reliable guy, sometimes he does a job in a week, and other times in 3 months, or not at all. Very moody. But I believe he still has a couple of 4 3/4 inch pinholes in his shop and could make you one. If you're interested, let me know. Otherwise you can buy good working pinhole cameras from the Pinhole Resource. And they are very reliable.

Welcome to the Pinhole Resource

 

[stsinner]

Thanks, ST. Sometimes I think I'm telling too much, but then I figure somebody might want to know.

My cabinet maker made these. He's not the most reliable guy, sometimes he does a job in a week, and other times in 3 months, or not at all. Very moody. But I believe he still has a couple of 4 3/4 inch pinholes in his shop and could make you one. If you're interested, let me know. Otherwise you can buy good working pinhole cameras from the Pinhole Resource. And they are very reliable.

Welcome to the Pinhole Resource

Oh, I wouldn't have a clue about developing, and wouldn't really be interested in making life more difficult for myself.. Digital is turning out to be much more difficult than I had anticipated to produce a "good" picture.. I do enjoy your work and others like you who are willing to do this tedious type of photography..

I'd love to learn wood working, but I fear that it's something that if you haven't discovered you're good at by now, you're probably not good at it..

 

[Fraggo]

hey Dick, great shots, makes me want to build another pinhole camera myself. i also took a tour through your website, out-freaking-standng, i really enjoy your work and how you do it.

 

[Dick Sanders]

Thanks, Fraggo, I appreciate it. I checked out your flickr site with all the pics of Marines on duty. Nice documentary. I'm in the Southern California desert -- not too far from the Marine Corps 29 Palms Air Ground Combat Center. Your shot of Corporal Misha Weisinger playing guitar reminded me of a program that sent guitars to Marines in Iraq that I donated to a while back. Music has got to be a comfort.

And yeah, we all gotta get out and do more pinhole -- even me!

 

[christopher walrath]

These are great Dick. Hey, we're running a pinhole/lensless issue of the magazine in April for WOrld Pinhole Day. Check out the mag in the sig and if you are interested in contributing fire off an email and we can discuss it.

 

[dtornabene1]

Another beautiful photo!

The idea that one needs the latest whiz bang camera and lens to create a
great photo is the height of ignorance!

This can not be understated. I can not tell you how many times I reply in a thread only to deal with idiots that believe the camera body is the most important piece of the puzzle. Thank you compur!

Dick illustrates the point perfectly. The most important piece is the point of entry to the final image. It all starts with a great lens. In this case, Dick has taken the time to get the size of the hole perfectly. The pinhole version of a great lens.

Dick, the inlays are actually the first thing I noticed. Beautiful and functional. Great post! :thumbup:

-Nick

 

[manfromh]

Just wondering, wouldnt it be easier to frame if the sightlines extended from the back of the camera into the corners on the front of the camera. I see its easier to make them the way they are, but with a little measuring "reversing" them should be easy, right? Or maybe im missing something.

 

[Dick Sanders]

Man from H: I'm not sure what you mean by "measuring and reversing." Do you mean "testing" to determine what would be in the frame? And then making framing lines to match?

The framing lines inlaid into my cameras are based on the principle of how light enters through the lens (or pinhole) and projects to the film plane. As you know, when you focus a view camera the image is upside down and backwards. That which is on the top ends up on the bottom. That which is at left, ends up at right, and so on. Of course, modern viewfinders on smaller cameras (through mirrors) convert the image back to the way we actually see it.

No such luxury on these pinhole cameras, but by projecting imaginary lines from the edges of the film plane out through the pinhole and into the landscape, we can follow the path of the light. We will see how light, reflecting off objects in the landscape between the lines, will come back to us through the pinhole and strike the film plane.

Because this works, I never thought about how it might be done differently. But if you've got another idea that would work, do share it. Thanks!

 

[manfromh]

Heres what I mean:




As I understood by looking at pictures of your camera, the longer lines represent light coming from pinhole and onto the film. I alse remember seeing smaller lines extending outwards from the pinhole, and into the scene.
I just think that having longer lines to visualise extending into the scene, would make composing easier. I havent actualy used a pinhole camera, so im just guessing here. With a quick test you could find out where the edges of the frame are, and draw the lines accordingly.

 

[Dick Sanders]

Seems to me the only way your lines could come close to being accurate is if they were parallel to the lines crossing at the pinhole, but even then, since they are not starting at same place, they couldn't be entirely accurate. In this case, your lines would show a wider view and include things that are not actually in the picture.

But I think you're right about "longer lines" being easier to use. I suppose one could cut a yardstick (or meter stick) into two pieces and align those with the framing lines, and in this way extend out into the landscape a little further for better sighting.

In any case, I recommend you try pinhole. Here's a good resource to get you started...

Welcome to the Pinhole Resource

 

[manfromh]

The added "picture" was just a rough, quick way to show you what i mean (im not very good with words).

Im probably going to make a pinhole lensboard for my Speed Graphic. I actualy want the front bed to be included in some images.

 

[Dick Sanders]

I think this is exactly the product you need:

Apo II Pinhole/Zone Plate Shutter

 

[KrisNavarro]

Great work, and thanks for the inspiration, will be building one of these for myself. What I was wondering was the side of the rear hinge, what wood did you use it seems thiner then the 1/2" wood in the rest of the build.

Thanks

Kris Navarro

 

[Dick Sanders]

Hi, Kris: I didn't make the camera, my cabinet maker did, and I'm no longer in contact with him, but I believe the body is made of inexpensive wood (plywood?) and then covered with a mahogany veneer and finished natural. The front is a more exotic veneer, not sure what, but it looks cool. The back frame is solid wood and I think that's maple. And you're right the sides that hold the hinges are much thinner; they measure just a tad under 1/4 inch. When I had my cabinet maker build this camera, I showed him an old Leonardo from Pinhole Resource, and he made the 5x7 in a similar way, with those fat dowls going down into a slanted track to hold the film holder tight, but then he came up with his own idea for the 8x10, which I like a lot. It's lightweight, fun to use, and with the sight lines, it frames quite accurately. One of most important aspects, even if you were to buy a Leonardo, is to mount a filter step-up ring in front of the pinhole, say 58mm to 67mm, so you can then use 67mm filters and a 67mm plastic lens cap for a shutter. And for anyone NOT wanting to undertake the building (I can't do it myself) a cabinet maker is a good option, or if you can find a luthier (custom acoustic guitar maker) who also has an interest in photography, you could get a very high level of craftsmanship in your camera, although that would cost more. Look up Jim Worland at [email protected]. We never went through with the project, but at one point I was going to have him make an 11x14 pinhole camera for me. Just need to provide these guys with a film holder, a professionally made pinhole in the correct size for the focal length, and the step-up ring, and let them have at it. You can buy pinholes at Pinhole Resource. Of course, the problem is finding time to do all the different types of photography projects we want to do. Need 3 or 4 lifetimes, I guess. Good luck!