While at this years Focus on Imaging at the NEC in Birmingham I was lucky enough to get my hands on Ilford‘s soon to be released (Easter 2013) Obscura Pinhole camera.
This nifty light collecting box has an 87mm focal length and a chemical etched 0.3mm pinhole (f/248) to give brilliantly sharp images.
Either 5×4 inch sheet film or photographic paper can be loaded into this simple to use camera, it is also great for use with Harman Direct Positive Paper. So far I have only used photographic paper, but from the results I have achieved I am really looking forward to working on both film and Direct Positive with this camera.
This weekend I had a trip to London planned and this was perfect opportunity for me to really give the Obscura a try.
First off I set myself up outside the Globe Theatre, using B&W photographic paper as my light sensitive media, which has an ISO of 6, my exposure was 9 mins. Pinhole exposures do tend to be on the longer side but the very low ISO of the paper coupled with a very overcast day is what made this particularly long. This didn’t have a detrimental effect on the final outcome, in fact it allowed me so capture a seemingly quiet walkway in front of the theatre (which I can guarantee was very busy), with the odd ghostly figure of a few people who where standing about just noticeable and a slight movement of the flags twitching in the wind.
Next up was the London Eye, again this was a 9 minute exposure which has captured movement of the main structure of the wheel, with only the sections of glass pods reflecting light registering. The effect is interesting as it makes the Eye look like it is moving very quickly unlike the 30 mins it actually takes for one full rotation.
Below you can see the two shots as they have come straight from the camera. Below these are the positive prints created in the darkroom from a face down contact print of the original.
All in all this is a great pinhole camera, which allows you to get back to basics while having some creative fun with Photography. Expecting to retail at £69 it won’t break the bank either, for this you get the camera, 3 boxes of light sensitive media (Ilford Delta 100, Ilford MGIV, Harman Direct Positive Paper), an exposure calculator and some stickers so you can personalise your camera.
Creative Photographic Gems 