Pinhole cap on digital SLR - any good?

[dave wyman]

The problem with pinhole photography and a DSLR is that the image really can't be enlarged much beyond the size of the sensor itself, without becoming excessively soft. Most pinhole images we are used to viewing are made with film or on paper which are already much larger than an APS sized sensor, and are often printed as contact prints.

 

A few weeks ago I visited the Camera Obscura in Santa Monica, CA - essentially a giant pinhole camera - the image comes in through the roof of a city recreation building and is projected on a white disk that's about 3 feet in diameter. Of course, it's a soft image.

 

That's not to say you can't have fun with a pinhole photo made on a digital camera. I've tried it, I like it. I've learned to live within the constraints of a lens that functions as a short telephoto (albeit with infinite DOF), and a small image size.<div></div>

[dave wyman]

Of course, I suppose I could use Photoshop to upsize and sharpen my little pinhole photos - but that would be cheating.<div></div>

[mark_michaelson]

The lens gets in the way.

 

Presumably, you could remove it (and some of the lens mount) and get your pinhole closer to the sensor. 110 pinhole never developed a devoted following either - for the same reasons. 35mm pinhole is one of those things you do once or twice with aluminum foil and the Argus C3 to test the dubious theory of the rectilinear property of light. I recommend spending the $2 on a can of oatmeal, and another $50,000 for a high quality medium format digital back, to make the leap to digital pinhole. In this manner, you can go digital without incurring the exhorbitant cost of a lens.

[mark_michaelson]

But seriously, you can achieve the diffractive soft result you are looking for with a piece of aluminum foil, and a punched hole of approximately 0.3 mm diameter (about the diameter of a "pin").

 

Center the hole and indent the foil as far as possible such that it doesn't interfere with the mirror. Thinning the foil by hammering it can improve the sharpness of the pinhole. I'm not familiar with the D30, so I don't know if it will fire without a lens. I doubt that it will. Just mash the foil as close to the lens as possible.

 

On a similar note, I'm looking for a hand-starting crank and GM-Electronic Controls Module (ECM)-compatible magneto for a 1998 GMC Sierra pickup with a 5.0 liter V8 (Throttle Body Injection) - I don't want to adversely affect the emmissions computer, but I want to be able to hand-crank start the truck if the battery is dead.

[cathy_rondo]

Todd,

 

I like the look and feel of the images you mage with the Holga lens on your DSLR, although I still prefer the ones made with the 120. I have already ordered the Loreo Lens in a cap witch looks very similar to the Holga lens. If I am not satisfied with the results, I might order the Holga lens and compare. Thanks for your insight and examples!

[robert_l.2]

<br>pinhole caps do not allow wide angle shots and the pinhole

<br>cannot be placed much closer to the sensor anyway

<br>- the mirror needs its space.

<br>why not getting a cheap fixfocus digital camera, ripping

<br>off the lens and do experiments with a pinhole very close to

<br>the sensor? today, fixfocus digital cameras do not cost (much)

<br>more than a body-cap for a high-end digital SLR...

<br>here are some wide-angle digital pinhole shots

<br>and an image of the camera involved:

<br><a href="http://www.digitalpinhole.gn8.net" target="_blank">www.digitalpinhole.gn8.net</a>

[larrydressler]

For the same reason most of you won't get a Quaker Oatmeal can/box and load it with film with a pinhole in it ... too much work.

 

Larry

[tom_bronaugh]

<p>For what it is worth... I bought a premade precision-cut pinhole cap (0.22mm size hole) for my pentax 200d DSLR, made by a company called Rising. The information sheet says "45mm focal length" although this seems a bit arbitrary. So I set my camera's input focal length to 45mm, aperture approximately f/200, and the results were very blurry (as apposed to soft/dreamy like I was expecting). Obviously all pinhole shots will be a pretty soft, especially on digital, but I was quite dissappointed. I have not seen anything online about how to improve on this problem, except for the pinhole precsion itself, which I feel is pretty good form this adapter. So I started just randomly changing the input focal lenth. To my eyes, taking multiple shots of a stationary object under the same lighting, the longer focal length input settings produced better sharpness, up to about 135mm, then it worsened again. This was a quick study and I'd like to do it again and see if it is my imagination or not. Has anyone else tried this? Is there any other solution to getting the "everything infocus and nothing sharp" effect we are looking for with this technique?</p>

[dave wyman]

<p>Wow, Tom, you've updated a thread from 2006? Way to go.</p>

[larrydressler]

<p>I guess death of my last post is greatly exaggerated. Digital and Pinhole is something new. I have a friend shooting an 8x10 pinhole using double flashed paper and it is past amazing how sharp those things he gets from it are.</p>

[arnie_mater]

<p>I have the Holga Pinhole cap for Canon DSLR/SLRs. HPL-C . Using it reveals crap on my sensor I never knew I had. Like giant freaking ameobas floating around all over the place! OK so I have a tiny APS sensor that has never been serviced in its 4 years of life and that probably does not help... anyone with experience tell me this is normal? I'll post up images shortly. I'll blog my findings and share since I have not found many useful info re Digital Pinhole photography using APS DSLRs... Kinda sad.</p>

 

[arnie_mater]

<p>Agree with Mat Needham's comment<br>

>>""With the pinhole's DOF you will see every bit of grit laying on your sensor, and it's a scary sight! You are going to wonder how your camera even takes photos with that much dirt on the sensor."<br>

I am shocked with the filth on my x1.6 DSLR sensor after taking just 1 pinhole pic.<br>

Film wins for pinhole I guess...</p>