You’re probably thinking, what do I mean by Visual Whiplash? It was mentioned in a comment left on one of my recent photos posted to my photostream, where right next to each other is a 4×5 image that’s sharp, crisp, and clear…and then a pinhole photo that’s rather soft.
Visual Whiplash. I was at first a bit disappointed at these, I mean they’re not what I’m used to getting out of my trusty Pentax 645, they look like something a bit out of a toy camera. But oddly enough they’ve started to grow on me. So what got me into Pinhole photography after avoiding it for so long? My friend Wu has been talking about building a pinhole camera for a while, and the mention that worldwide pinhole photography day is coming up on the 27th this month. I thought, hey why not give it a go. My original plan was to build a pinhole board for my 4×5 camera, and sadly I won’t be able to gather the materials together in time to make that happen (but it will), so in a recent trip to my usual camera store, Burlington Camera they happened to have a new product in stock.
The product is by Rising, a Korean company, the Obscura Adapter, it is a highly modified body cap for your camera with a laser drilled pinhole in an alumnium lug. And they make these for almost every camera and mount out there. Pentax 645, Pentax 67, Pentax K, Hassleblad, Micro 4/3, Nikon F, Canon FD, Canon EOS. And the best part is that they work on digital and film! It’s a cheap, easy way to get into pinhole photography.
Final say, these little things are a great way to get started in pinhole photography without spending too much time getting the camera itself made. It’s not that I’m saying don’t, I mean if you want to go for it! These nice adapters are a nice easy way to get started, like me, in the craft. It’s just another tool in my camera bag. Can’t way to try it out some more!
Pentax 645 – Rising Obscura Adapter (f/180) – Efke R50
Kodak Xtol (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C