ONDU Multiformat 35mm Pinhole Camera
ONDU Multiformat 35mm Pinhole Camera
The Ondu Pinhole Cameras are made in Slovenia. See http://ondu.si/ONDU-Pinhole-cameras-1 for a picture and their sales pitch. This project was funded through Kickstarter. This model is the 35mm multiformat camera. It can take pictures in the traditional 24mmx36mm image format or a wider 24mmx72mm panoramic format. I have only used it in the panoramic mode. The instructions that come with it are a good start to introducing the camera. There are several supplementary details that I will try to fill in here.
The camera uses 135 film, commonly known as 35mm film. The leader of the film is taped to a take up spool. This spool is then put in a reloadable cassette that looks like a normal film canister. The camera comes with one reloadable cassette. This cassette will eventually need replacing as it is likely it may become deformed or start scratching the film. Replacements are easily obtained from freestylephoto.biz . After you have prepared the take up cassette and installed the film in the camera, install the wooden knobs and the back. For panoramic format I find that three turns of the take up knob are good for initial positioning of the film. I then take out the slack from the source spool to make sure the film is held flat.
Taking a picture is accomplished by aiming the camera, swiveling the shutter open, counting hippopotamuses (hippopotami?) and then swiveling the shutter closed. The pictures in this gallery were taken on sunny winter days (the sun was pretty low) using three for four second exposures on Fuji Reala 100 or Fuji NPS 160 color negative film. To advance the film, the provided instructions suggest two turns. This will work, but as you get deeper into the roll, the gaps between the images will get larger and larger as the take up spool gets fuller. Progressively reducing the advancement by about 1/20th of a turn for each shot is pretty safe. With the original two turn advancement I got about 14 images per normal 36 exposure roll. These guidelines should get you a few more.
After the end of roll is reached you have to manually rewind the film onto the source spool. Tedious. I turn both knobs at the same time. In fact, I also turn both knobs at the same time when advancing the film between images, and then make sure the film is tight before taking the next picture.
With multiple take up spools you can pretape and set up multiple rolls for shooting before starting the adventure. Reusing the take up cassette in the field is doable, but quite inconvenient.
The Ondu instructions give exposure tables but fail to give the F-number of the camera. As it has a .2 mm pinhole and a focal length of 25mm, we can calculate that the F-number is f/125. This has an exposure of 64 times the proper f/16 exposure. The outer part of the image receives noticably less exposure than the the center. There is probably about a full stop difference, meaning that the outer part is getting something like half the exposure. Color negative film can easily handle a stop or two of overexposure. I use exposures that are f/16 exposures times 200. Thus under Sunny f/16 conditions with ISO 100 film, the exposure for f/16 is 1/100th second and the exposure for f/125 becomes two seconds.
After processing the film with standard C41 hobby kit chemistry, I cut the film and store it in a Print File sleeve. This is scanned at 300 dpi with an Epson V700 scanner to make contact sheets. After determining which frames are to be further processed, I use an Imacon FlexTight Photo scanner to do final scans of the individual frames. The scans are done in the 3F format, recording the raw negative scan at 3200 dpi resolution. I don't let the Imacon/Hasselblad FlexColor scanning software do any adjustments. These files are then renamed from *.fff to *.tif and loaded into Photoshop. An invert layer followed by a black point setting from the space between the frames gives a good starting point for further processing.
There are two accessories I suggest using with this camera. First is a bubble level. Getting a level horizon is always a good idea unless you are looking for creative effects. I used a hot-shoe mountable bubble level I had on hand. Of course, there is no hot-shoe on the Ondu, but just laying the level on top of the camera is fine. As this unattached level is easily lost, I will be adding a bubble level from Zero Image 2000 ( http://www.zeroimage.com/web2003/EntryPage/entryFrameset2012.html ) attached to the camera top.
The other accessory I use is a Swiss-Arca style tripod mount. All of my tripods have Really Right Stuff heads with this type of mount. The RRS BPnS quick release plate ( http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2250/.f?sc=26&category=588 ) works well installed on the camera's built-in tripod mount. I assume you are not handholding pinhole shots!
The camera is attractive, light and compact. It is light-tight. It works well and is recommended.
Read MoreThe Ondu Pinhole Cameras are made in Slovenia. See http://ondu.si/ONDU-Pinhole-cameras-1 for a picture and their sales pitch. This project was funded through Kickstarter. This model is the 35mm multiformat camera. It can take pictures in the traditional 24mmx36mm image format or a wider 24mmx72mm panoramic format. I have only used it in the panoramic mode. The instructions that come with it are a good start to introducing the camera. There are several supplementary details that I will try to fill in here.
The camera uses 135 film, commonly known as 35mm film. The leader of the film is taped to a take up spool. This spool is then put in a reloadable cassette that looks like a normal film canister. The camera comes with one reloadable cassette. This cassette will eventually need replacing as it is likely it may become deformed or start scratching the film. Replacements are easily obtained from freestylephoto.biz . After you have prepared the take up cassette and installed the film in the camera, install the wooden knobs and the back. For panoramic format I find that three turns of the take up knob are good for initial positioning of the film. I then take out the slack from the source spool to make sure the film is held flat.
Taking a picture is accomplished by aiming the camera, swiveling the shutter open, counting hippopotamuses (hippopotami?) and then swiveling the shutter closed. The pictures in this gallery were taken on sunny winter days (the sun was pretty low) using three for four second exposures on Fuji Reala 100 or Fuji NPS 160 color negative film. To advance the film, the provided instructions suggest two turns. This will work, but as you get deeper into the roll, the gaps between the images will get larger and larger as the take up spool gets fuller. Progressively reducing the advancement by about 1/20th of a turn for each shot is pretty safe. With the original two turn advancement I got about 14 images per normal 36 exposure roll. These guidelines should get you a few more.
After the end of roll is reached you have to manually rewind the film onto the source spool. Tedious. I turn both knobs at the same time. In fact, I also turn both knobs at the same time when advancing the film between images, and then make sure the film is tight before taking the next picture.
With multiple take up spools you can pretape and set up multiple rolls for shooting before starting the adventure. Reusing the take up cassette in the field is doable, but quite inconvenient.
The Ondu instructions give exposure tables but fail to give the F-number of the camera. As it has a .2 mm pinhole and a focal length of 25mm, we can calculate that the F-number is f/125. This has an exposure of 64 times the proper f/16 exposure. The outer part of the image receives noticably less exposure than the the center. There is probably about a full stop difference, meaning that the outer part is getting something like half the exposure. Color negative film can easily handle a stop or two of overexposure. I use exposures that are f/16 exposures times 200. Thus under Sunny f/16 conditions with ISO 100 film, the exposure for f/16 is 1/100th second and the exposure for f/125 becomes two seconds.
After processing the film with standard C41 hobby kit chemistry, I cut the film and store it in a Print File sleeve. This is scanned at 300 dpi with an Epson V700 scanner to make contact sheets. After determining which frames are to be further processed, I use an Imacon FlexTight Photo scanner to do final scans of the individual frames. The scans are done in the 3F format, recording the raw negative scan at 3200 dpi resolution. I don't let the Imacon/Hasselblad FlexColor scanning software do any adjustments. These files are then renamed from *.fff to *.tif and loaded into Photoshop. An invert layer followed by a black point setting from the space between the frames gives a good starting point for further processing.
There are two accessories I suggest using with this camera. First is a bubble level. Getting a level horizon is always a good idea unless you are looking for creative effects. I used a hot-shoe mountable bubble level I had on hand. Of course, there is no hot-shoe on the Ondu, but just laying the level on top of the camera is fine. As this unattached level is easily lost, I will be adding a bubble level from Zero Image 2000 ( http://www.zeroimage.com/web2003/EntryPage/entryFrameset2012.html ) attached to the camera top.
The other accessory I use is a Swiss-Arca style tripod mount. All of my tripods have Really Right Stuff heads with this type of mount. The RRS BPnS quick release plate ( http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2250/.f?sc=26&category=588 ) works well installed on the camera's built-in tripod mount. I assume you are not handholding pinhole shots!
The camera is attractive, light and compact. It is light-tight. It works well and is recommended.
"Along The Las Vegas Wash" -- Wetlands Park, Clark County, Nevada
