And now for something a little bit different.
After shooting digital for a few years and snapping away thousands of photos without ever giving it a second thought I wanted to try something a little different. Digital gives you ultimate flexibility and a virtually endless 'roll' of film. I wanted to something a lot less forgiving and came across a builder in Hong Kong that makes these beautiful, almost works of art in themselves, pinhole cameras. There are several varieties but the 6x9 seemed to meet my needs best.
The camera is built from wood and brass and given several coats of polish to give it a high quality look and feel. The fittings are very precise and so far has remained light-tight in humid, dry, warm and cold environments.
The other reason for buying this camera is for the 'feel' that each image gives you. Pixel peepers need not apply. I can only best describe the photographs as having a ghostly, withdrawn and absent feel. I love it.
The instant feedback that so many of us have become accustomed to is clearly non-existent, but the waiting can be just as exciting. You'll need to find an increasingly rare 120 film developer and either own a scanner or have someone scan negatives for you. Some 120 developers may have access to a drum scanner which would be ideal. Otherwise take your pick of any of the numerous flatbed scanners.
Because the exposure times are so long be ready to use a tripod or some other surface to steady the camera. A manual shutter release cord is also handy to limit camera movement.
This is the working end of the camera. The small brass and wood assembly is the shutter and release mechanism.
With an aperture equivalent to around f/235 you get nearly infinite depth of field and consequently, long shutter times of about 1 sec even in broad daylight with ISO100 film
Setting up the pinhole. Below is the result of setting up this particular shot.
A VERY warm day in Egypt.
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