here is a first test of a large format camera made with a simple shoebox and a lens + pinhole. I dismounted an old focal doubler and found a meniscus lens of 120mm of focal length. Then I placed in front a pinhole of 1.5mm made with a black cardboard and using a biopsie punch. The camera looks like a pinhole but with a lens. The aperture is about f:90, a bit more sharp than a pinhole
I made a first test with some pre exposed RC paper.

Some more infos here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/monsieurbe/4322491747/

Wonderful image!

I'm going to have to try this hybrid pinhole/lens combination. Great results.

~Joe

Thank you Joe,
It is surprisingly sharp. I didn't expect such results. And it is with paper, that is difficult to expose correctly.
I am wondering about the optimum placement of the hole regarding the lens, in front? in the back ?

Regards

A meniscus lens gives the flattest field when mounted with the concave surface towards the subject, and the aperture in front of the lens.  In this arrangement, the focal length is measured from slightly behind the lens.  In some cheap cameras, the convex surface is towards the subject and the aperture behind the lens.  In such an arrangement, the focal length is measured from slightly in front of the lens.  For identical focal lenths, this results in a more compact camera, but with greature curvature of field.  Sometimes the film was curved slightly to compensate for this.  The classic box cameras made from the late 19th centure to the middle of the 20th centurey usually used the first arrangement.  Some had adjustable apertures for sharper images.  These could produce suprisingly good contact prints.  The so-called landscape lens used in the early days of photography used this arrangement with a two element cemented achromat meniscus lens.  Some of the folding Kodaks also used an achromat meniscus lens.

Thank you M.Jones for these advices, I will try the concave face toward the subject, since the lens is attached only with patafix it will be easy. I think I will also add some black paint on the edges of the meniscus.
I will show the results .
Best regards


http://www.fougougou.com/camera