# pin hole daylight contact printer



## mysteryscribe (Sep 2, 2006)

I had been threatening to make a contact printer that was all daylight no electricity needed for some time now.  It finally all came together.

The first things you need to know are:

a little about pinhole photography.
how to deal with paper exposure.
how to make some kind of back for the printer to hold standard film holders

So I had to rip the lens from one of my remanufactured cameras.  I decided that it was a good time to finally make the printer.  I made a pinhole lens with a 1/16 inch hole.  To large for a camera but I thought it might work

after you get those things simi mastered your ready to go.

You just take your standard film holder and insert a piece of enlarging paper into the holder.  Then you insert your negative over it.  I used the next size up paper but I believe you could use the same size paper and negative.  That is my next test.

So then you take the printer to a place with a consistant light source.  I took mine along with a cup of coffee to the front porch.  I pointed my light meter up and read the light.  Since I have been shooting some paper negatives I knew that the ceiling of the porch is what I now call a dead light source.  With a dead light source the asa/iso of the paper is 2.  I had estimated just by looking that the aperture was f64.  So I got a time of 2 minutes.  I pulled the darkslide and left the camera sitting in a chair for the two minutes then replaced the dark slide.

I loaded the paper into a daylight tank and processed it for the max time I use for paper negs.  

I was a little shocked to find that I had a print.  There were two things wrong with it.  The roof of the porch was clearly evident and the print was too light.  I decided that the print was 2 stops under exposed so I redid the shot with a ten minute exposure.  I added the extra 1/4 stop because I put a piece of frosted plastic over the pinhole opening.  It was there to defuse the light and kill outside image.

so how did it look, here see for yourself.


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## JamesD (Sep 2, 2006)

Outstanding, Charlie!  Very nice.  There's a lot of tonal depth in this one, and I like it--even though it's a little unsettling on a personal level (ie the name LOL).

It's a little fuzzy around the corners... is that as-printed, or is it in the post-processing?

I'm planning to use a reflection enlarger for my MF and LF negatives, once I finally get around to it.  It's going to be interesting.


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## mysteryscribe (Sep 2, 2006)

the paper and or the film wasn't flat. Something I need to revist but you know there is a certain interesting look to it since I still shoot the center out of pictures. I might not bother.

by the way this is a 3x4 version I am deep into making a 4x5 version at the moment.  It should be ready to shoot tomorrow.


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## mysteryscribe (Sep 2, 2006)

I just got the 4x5 version completed and tested.  It works just fine.  I should have been doing this all along.

So james or joe how much longer does it take to do a contract print from a paper negative than from a film negative.


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## JamesD (Sep 3, 2006)

I'd say start by giving it an extra stop of exposure.  Or, start at +2 or +3 stops and use the darkslide to make a test.


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