How to...... Pinhole photography

[jovedaddy]

hallo all,
got a 4x5 pinhole cam from B&H photo. going to try shooting something really soon.... but not sure how to calculate exposure.
hopefully no need to trial and error as it will be a very slow and painful process
anyone got any pointers?
thanks in advance.

 

[ckiang]

Originally posted by jovedaddy
hallo all,
got a 4x5 pinhole cam from B&H photo. going to try shooting something really soon.... but not sure how to calculate exposure.
hopefully no need to trial and error as it will be a very slow and painful process
anyone got any pointers?
thanks in advance.

I am not too sure but from what I read, pinhole cameras do have a rated f-stop. So, you can calculate exposure based on the film you used, the rated f-stop, and a reading you get from a handheld meter or another camera's meter.

Regards
CK

 

[jovedaddy]

the cam did not come with any instructions... hence don't know it's f-stop. how :dunno:

 

[excentrique]

I think you have to conduct to see for yourself. Use a light meter to test out the lighting condition and the exposure time. This is laborious but no better choice. The exposure time is related to the diameter of the pinhole and focal length. You can find out more about pinhole in some websites. I used to have a book which teaches you how to calculate but borrowed it to a friend for long ages. Have yet to get it back.

 

[excentrique]

here is a sample of my pic taken with a homemade pinhole.