Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Pinhole Photography
European portfolios I am aware of. The book has parallel text in German
and English.
(f) Pinhole cameras may take film or photographic paper. Black and white
film and color film for prints have more exposure latitude than chrome film.
XP-2 for black and white (available in 35 mm, 120 format and 4 x 5 in.) has
extraordinarily wide exposure latitude and may be exposed as anything
between ISO 50 and 800. The latitude makes it ideal for pinhole
photography. Photographic paper for black and white has a low ISO rating.
In my own pinhole photography I have used mainly Fujichrome 50 and
Fujichrome Velvia, XP-2 and Ilford Multigrade III RC. Some photographers
recommend mat-surfaced RC paper for curved image planes (paper curved
in an "oatmeal box camera") to avoid a reflected fogged strip. Glossy paper
may be used in cameras with flat image planes, where light will not be
reflected. Some photographers use Ilfochrome paper with great success. An
85B filter (sometimes in combination with an 81 or 82 series filter) may be
used to change tungsten light to daylight. Because of long exposures
reciprocity failure will often have to be taken into account when calculating
exposure both for film and paper.
(g) Pinhole cameras may also differ with regard to other characteristics.
Cameras are made from different types of material: cardboard, wood, metal
or other. For the beginner a camera made of cardboard may be the best
choice. Cardboard is easy to work with.
Some photographers use a grey neutral density filter to increase exposure
times when using film where exposure times are short. Filters may also be
used to control contrast in multigrade papers, or to control color when using
color film or Ilfochrome paper.
Many homebrew cameras have only a plastic flap or a piece of cardboard
for "shutter". This is my own choice for most of my cameras. Hardwood
cameras may have a simple moveable shutter. With short exposure times it
is important that the shutter opens easily without vibrations.
Some photographers make a viewing frame, e.g. by cutting a window the
same size as the pinhole image in a piece of cardboard. A wire frame
attached to the camera is another solution. The viewing frame is held at the
same distance from the eye as the distance between the pinhole and the film
in the camera. Pinhole photographers who use a large format camera
sometimes use a larger viewing pinhole when composing the image. In my
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