I fully agree what Will has surmised. I myself have one in my possession and have used it on several occassions. Besides the images being soft, you will notice that sensor dust is clearly visible. You need a squeaky clean camera to avoid this problem. I prefer scratches and dust on negatives. I also find that using colour film with a pinhole camera, the colour results are much better. There is better colour luminance and hue than what you get using the digital method. Using the digital method removes the challenge and anticipation one finds doing "slow photography".
I think the problem with digital is the sensor size. In order to capture a wide enough range you need to get way closer to the sensor, and the pinhole size is a function of the focal length. Hence, the pinhole has to be so small that refraction dominates. I wonder though what would happen if we use a medium format digital sensor though? Anyway, nice review
Thanks for showing us the Thingyfy; been thinking about gettting that specific one (with dialable pinhole diametres) and am glad I didn't! I get better images on my FF Canon 6D with a home-made pinhole out of tin-foil. Just wondering: did you edit the digipix? I really need to edit the digital pinhole pix I get out of my 6D. I do like the images coming out of the Mia 6X6, but I have no intentions of ever going back to film photography. BTW: I just reported two spam comments here, regarding adult dating sites.
Hi thanks for reporting them, I reported and deleted, UA-cam does normally automatically gets them. I think from a price point of view foil in a lens cap works just as good and saves spending the money. I did tweak the digital pix a little, bit of contrast and a few minor adjustments just to try and make the photos unsuccessfully "better" 😁
Just a quick reply re your comment on cost etc..... I've re-engineered a Kodak 3a folder into a Rat Cam multi focal length pinhole camera with interchangeable optimised pinholes currently with 90, 100,150 & 175mm focal lengths. It uses a Kodak shutter from a scrap 3a in T for the exposure..... It shoots 120 film with adapters giving 4no 60 x 145 ish negs per roll. The Collector crews will have me frog-marched off and whipped for descrating an early Kodak no doubt. Total cost £35. The shutter it uses came from a junker as mentioned, the original shutter lens combo now not required is on EBay for £25. So in effect I've made 4 pinhole cameras for around £10 at best £35.at most. So £85 for a multi diameter pinhole 'lens' does seem a lot of money.
I can't see the point of the Thingyfy, with pinhole photography we are not looking for the sharpest pictures but you match the pinhole diameter to the focal length, there are plenty of calculators for that online to get the optimum size pinhole. If they had built in some sort of variable focal length zoom into it I could see a value in the different pinhole sizes, but with a fixed focal length it is pointless. I like your thinking on the large format lens, that would work and be far more useful.
If you want to ZOOM with it, get some extension tubes. If you want one that "zooms", you need to buy something like a SAVAGE CANON MACRO ART VARIABLE AUTO-EXTENSION TUBE. (or for whatever brand). Otherwise, using different length extension tubes will give you different focal length pinhole lenses. Macro extension tubes are cheap enough.
Nice try Will, it's interesting to check it out but no cigar for the Thingyfy I'm afraid. I have tried an old Fed Leica copy collapsible on my Xt-1 with interesting results, which gives me a strange "40's" look to the images? You should try that out some time, all you need is a cheap l39-Fx adapter and an equally cheap fed.
I loved my Thing-y-fy ;) Pro-S 11mm (?) for my Fugi XT-4 but I sold the camera and still have the lens. Do you know if there's a decent adapter mount to use it on a different camera like a Leica M6 or Nikon F mount? Thanks!
I don't use digital for pinhole, but I do like 35mm. The optimal size for a pinhole at 26mm from the image plane is .21mm. You can get away with a lot of variation from optimal, but at these shorter distances, using the .1, half the size of optimal, is going to contribute quite a bit to the softness. My big problem with it is he refers to it as a lens, but it doesn't refract light. I don't understand why it vignettes only at the smallest aperture. That should be a pure function of angle of view and the size of the pinhole shouldn't make any difference.
Nice try. I use a pinhole cap on a digital camera for some ‘fun’. I agree that digitally pinhole photos are nowhere near as beautiful as film. I enjoyed your honesty and look forward to your next video.
I was very interested in your struggle, to name the reason you don't like this lens. I have, over many years attempted to use 10+ different pinhole lenses. I've got the thingyfy, the lensbaby, many others. tried them on digital and film slr's. There is just something unsatisfactory about the images they produce. There simultaneously to soft and yet to lens like at the same time. Also on digital, there's no extension, due to reciprocity failure. So in bright son, your having to shoot sub 1 second. I tried to like them, but it just doesn't work.
I shoot home-made pinholes on various film formats,b&w, but the few I've done on my digital camera aren't comparable, I can think of a few reasons why not. I bought a thingyfy pro for £40, for various practical reasons. You have 8 different accurately machined holes, which can be used to assess your own efforts, and its got a filter thread, which is a boon, especially after blutaking filters on a body cap. It is not a digital camera pinhole lens, it is for both slr and dslr, it say's so on the box, mine is EF mount. I have yet to test it on my Canon EOS 600 film camera, but what I intend to do is fit it into a plate and try it on my 5"x4" bitsa with a 6x9 back, and then I will be in a position to pass comment, like for like, just don't expect me to do it next week, ok? I would not be surprised if there are images shot with the thingify on the wppd website, a good place to go for inspiration, I've no doubt some on here will be aware of it. Pinhole is about experimentation, anything goes.....
Seriously, who wants to mess with buying and developing film these days? Not worth it, I'm happy with my Thingyfy, did all my film photography and developing long before you were conceived.
I fully agree what Will has surmised. I myself have one in my possession and have used it on several occassions. Besides the images being soft, you will notice that sensor dust is clearly visible. You need a squeaky clean camera to avoid this problem. I prefer scratches and dust on negatives. I also find that using colour film with a pinhole camera, the colour results are much better. There is better colour luminance and hue than what you get using the digital method. Using the digital method removes the challenge and anticipation one finds doing "slow photography".
I think the problem with digital is the sensor size. In order to capture a wide enough range you need to get way closer to the sensor, and the pinhole size is a function of the focal length. Hence, the pinhole has to be so small that refraction dominates. I wonder though what would happen if we use a medium format digital sensor though? Anyway, nice review
It was good to see you try it out. I won’t be asking Santa for one.
I hope no one puts it on their Christmas list 🤣
@@WillGudgeon 😂😂
Thanks for showing us the Thingyfy; been thinking about gettting that specific one (with dialable pinhole diametres) and am glad I didn't! I get better images on my FF Canon 6D with a home-made pinhole out of tin-foil. Just wondering: did you edit the digipix? I really need to edit the digital pinhole pix I get out of my 6D. I do like the images coming out of the Mia 6X6, but I have no intentions of ever going back to film photography.
BTW: I just reported two spam comments here, regarding adult dating sites.
Hi thanks for reporting them, I reported and deleted, UA-cam does normally automatically gets them.
I think from a price point of view foil in a lens cap works just as good and saves spending the money. I did tweak the digital pix a little, bit of contrast and a few minor adjustments just to try and make the photos unsuccessfully "better" 😁
Just a quick reply re your comment on cost etc..... I've re-engineered a Kodak 3a folder into a Rat Cam multi focal length pinhole camera with interchangeable optimised pinholes currently with 90, 100,150 & 175mm focal lengths. It uses a Kodak shutter from a scrap 3a in T for the exposure..... It shoots 120 film with adapters giving 4no 60 x 145 ish negs per roll. The Collector crews will have me frog-marched off and whipped for descrating an early Kodak no doubt. Total cost £35. The shutter it uses came from a junker as mentioned, the original shutter lens combo now not required is on EBay for £25. So in effect I've made 4 pinhole cameras for around £10 at best £35.at most. So £85 for a multi diameter pinhole 'lens' does seem a lot of money.
I forgot to add it has rise and fall and side shift on the front standard so portrait & landscape both have a movable pinhole........
Great film pictures!! Is the Mia 20mm? Thanks
Yes it is 20mm, they also do a super wide 10mm
I can't see the point of the Thingyfy, with pinhole photography we are not looking for the sharpest pictures but you match the pinhole diameter to the focal length, there are plenty of calculators for that online to get the optimum size pinhole. If they had built in some sort of variable focal length zoom into it I could see a value in the different pinhole sizes, but with a fixed focal length it is pointless. I like your thinking on the large format lens, that would work and be far more useful.
Definitely would be more useful on a large format camera, I think they do do a zoom version, expensive though.
If you want to ZOOM with it, get some extension tubes. If you want one that "zooms", you need to buy something like a SAVAGE CANON MACRO ART VARIABLE AUTO-EXTENSION TUBE. (or for whatever brand). Otherwise, using different length extension tubes will give you different focal length pinhole lenses. Macro extension tubes are cheap enough.
Nice try Will, it's interesting to check it out but no cigar for the Thingyfy I'm afraid.
I have tried an old Fed Leica copy collapsible on my Xt-1 with interesting results, which gives me a strange "40's" look to the images? You should try that out some time, all you need is a cheap l39-Fx adapter and an equally cheap fed.
Excellent thank you, I will look into it 😁
I loved my Thing-y-fy ;) Pro-S 11mm (?) for my Fugi XT-4 but I sold the camera and still have the lens. Do you know if there's a decent adapter mount to use it on a different camera like a Leica M6 or Nikon F mount? Thanks!
I think the 11mm would be fun to try, not sure of any adapters available 😔
It ( the camera) also has a feature to allow for square shooting
I don't use digital for pinhole, but I do like 35mm. The optimal size for a pinhole at 26mm from the image plane is .21mm. You can get away with a lot of variation from optimal, but at these shorter distances, using the .1, half the size of optimal, is going to contribute quite a bit to the softness. My big problem with it is he refers to it as a lens, but it doesn't refract light. I don't understand why it vignettes only at the smallest aperture. That should be a pure function of angle of view and the size of the pinhole shouldn't make any difference.
The film images are lovely. It would be interesting to now see whether you can recreate the film image look with the Thingyfy (field of view, B&W)
I think with the wider version of the Thingyfy you may get a more desirable image which could possibly be converted to look more film like.
Nice try. I use a pinhole cap on a digital camera for some ‘fun’. I agree that digitally pinhole photos are nowhere near as beautiful as film. I enjoyed your honesty and look forward to your next video.
Thank you Saalik, I had fun playing around with it in the garden afterwards, but definitely not for me 😁
How do you develop your film? People who don't want to deal with developing film might be a market.
I do all my own developing, normally a stand developed depending on what film I'm using.
I was very interested in your struggle, to name the reason you don't like this lens. I have, over many years attempted to use 10+ different pinhole lenses. I've got the thingyfy, the lensbaby, many others. tried them on digital and film slr's. There is just something unsatisfactory about the images they produce. There simultaneously to soft and yet to lens like at the same time. Also on digital, there's no extension, due to reciprocity failure. So in bright son, your having to shoot sub 1 second. I tried to like them, but it just doesn't work.
Phew 😅, at least I'm not the only one, I have really really tried to like it, but likewise, really can't, sticking with film 😁
I shoot home-made pinholes on various film formats,b&w, but the few I've done on my digital camera aren't comparable, I can think of a few reasons why not. I bought a thingyfy pro for £40, for various practical reasons. You have 8 different accurately machined holes, which can be used to assess your own efforts, and its got a filter thread, which is a boon, especially after blutaking filters on a body cap. It is not a digital camera pinhole lens, it is for both slr and dslr, it say's so on the box, mine is EF mount. I have yet to test it on my Canon EOS 600 film camera, but what I intend to do is fit it into a plate and try it on my 5"x4" bitsa with a 6x9 back, and then I will be in a position to pass comment, like for like, just don't expect me to do it next week, ok? I would not be surprised if there are images shot with the thingify on the wppd website, a good place to go for inspiration, I've no doubt some on here will be aware of it. Pinhole is about experimentation, anything goes.....
There is no comparison with the film pinhole images. I have never been tempted by Thingyfy and even less now. The film images are beautiful.
Thank you 😁
No comparison at all, the digital were much worse than I thought
Seriously, who wants to mess with buying and developing film these days? Not worth it, I'm happy with my Thingyfy, did all my film photography and developing long before you were conceived.
😂🤣