6x12 Pinhole Holga

[Mablo]

Ordered a 6x12 Pinhole Holga from China on the other day. I was checking out some photos taken with it on Flickr. I find some of them look like from a 'real' camera. Not overly soft images like you usually get from a pinhole camera. If that is really the case I think $50 for a lowly Holga could be a good investment compared to $2000 for a real panorama rig.

Someone here shooting with a 6x12 Pinhole Holga? Any experience or tips to share?

[Corvi]

I got one too, and its amazing. Produces amazingly sharp pictures for a pinhole. Actually i got sharper pictures out of the Holga than out of many older medium format cameras. Like to use it with Fuji Across, since you don't need to take long exposure factors into account.

A tip i can give you is, file down or cut away that stupid "ring" around the pinhole. Its too high and will give your dark corners if you use the 6x12 mask and you pinhole isnt perfectly centered (which will most likely be). You can glue a 55mm filter ring on it instead, so you can even use filters with it.

Also, watch out. The angle of view is really immense. I already had tripod legs in the pictures, myself while standing next to the camera and so on .. so be careful not to block it in any way. Also, since the focal length is very very short, you will have to get really really close to stuff you want to incorporate things closer by in your pictures.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Post some pics, Corvi! Freestyle sells these but I have never seen anything shot with them.

[Corvi]

Will do when i get home

[Mablo]

Corvi, thanks for the tips and experiences. I have a few rolls of Acros waiting for the Holga. Have you by chance shot any color negs or maybe even chromes? Can't wait to see your photos!

[Corvi]

I once shot a roll of Portra 160VC, but forgot to take the long exposure into account, thus underexposing the whole film. But turned out quite nice too, darkish but nice. And as i said, ill post some pics as soon as i get home in the evening

Oh and, just because i read it again .. By that ring i meant the ring where you put the lens cap on. Either file it down and make is smaller, or just cut it away entirely.

[PKR]

Yes, please post some of your photos taken with the Holga Pano.

[Corvi]

Okay, here we go. The B/W ones are on Across 100 in HC110, not the best combo, but i haven't had anything else at home at that time. Color is on expired 160VC, as i said, when exposures became longer, i still underexposed a lot





You can see the light falloff pretty clearly. Its immense, but i like it. Nothing else to expect from a pinhole camera.



This one is a special one, that shows how close you actually have to get to stuff. The penguins where only around 1-1.5 meters away. Actually, you can even see the dirt on the aquarium glas. Note that the camera was only a thumbs width away from the glas, yet its still very visible in the picture, like it was pretty far away ..



One of the color negs that turned out nice but too dark. Scanner messed up the rest. Well, still i like it a lot. Note here that i was almost next to the trashcans on the right. it shows the immense angle of view of the pinhole ..



And this one here (exposure turned out better this time) shows the black corners you get from that stupid lens hood ring around the lens. Remove it and it wont be visible anymore

Gonna search for some more pictures if i have the time

[Ducky]

Encouraging. I have a Zero Image 6x6 I am playing with. I may look into one of these 6x9 Holgas.
Thanks.

[Mablo]

Corvi, thanks for posting. They really are quite sharp for pinhole shots.

[kuzano]

A $45 6X12/6X9 roll film back to mod for my home built custom Mamiya/Linhof camera....

Can I get it in pink.

Thanks for posting guys!!

[Ducky]

Originally Posted by aperture64

I bought one. Shaved the corners to get rid of the vignetting. Then it broke on the third shot and I threw it out. Second Holga I bought. Second one that broke. I am considering a Zero Image camera.

Good grief, how do you break a Holga, let alone two of them. Seriously, what broke?

You'll like the Zero Image.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by Ducky

Good grief, how do you break a Holga, let alone two of them. Seriously, what broke?

You'll like the Zero Image.

The shutter spring is the only thing I can think of. I have never had a Holga, but I have a couple of the original Diana cameras from back in the early 70s and the shutter spring in one of them broke a couple yrs ago. I'd used the camera for 10 years, so I guess I can't complain considering it was junky plastic and 40 years old.

[Mablo]

Holga arrived and looks good. I tried to cut away some of the round lens cap holder but evidently I didn't cut deep enough as all of my test images show hard vignetting.

I took a test roll using Acros 100 @ 100 the camera placed on a tripod. I calculated exposures by metering at f/5.6 and multiplied it with 1000. Maybe f/4 or even less would have been better.

To tell the truth this is the first camera I've encountered that I really want to take color photos with. Someone please tell me what's a good color film to use with a pinhole camera!

Some test photos (vignetting cropped away)

[Corvi]

Awesome ! Great pictures

For color, you should try to find some Fuji Superia .. Sadly its already discontinued in 120 roll film, but maybe you still find some old stock. As far as i remember you dont have to take the schwarzschild effect into account, so you wont need any exposure correction for long exposures under 120 seconds. But i may be wrong too. Best thing is if you just check the datasheets for exposure compensation at long exposure, that way you should be fine with all the colors films out there

[Todd Frederick]

I use a regular Holga 120N with no problems and a Zero image pinhole, but those pinhole panoramas are amazing. The Holga people are making them too good!

[Mablo]

Ok, I get it now. Thanks, aperture64.