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After some market research, I decided to take the plunge and to find a local supplier to cut high quality pinhole plates.
I ultimately went down this route because I thought it would be nice to have precise pinholes manufactured in UK, since it was already so difficult to find quality pinhole plates in Europe.
I also wanted to experiment with different pinholes shapes, so having some ideas in mind, I decided it was the right time for it.
I am therefore very proud to launch my proprietary pinholes plates derived from 316 stainless steel (food/marine grade stainless steel, meaning that it would rust only if exposed to a salty environment for a very long time) with a 0.04 mm thickness.
We all know that making pinhole plates is not very a difficult task: you just need a very thin plate of metallic material, a sharp pin; and a little time. The hardest part is to make them in batches and ensuring precision and reliability so that the final result will. be obtaining sharp images.
Going back to the ideas I mentioned earlier, they were:
– why not have four holes, instead of just one?
– why not have a slot rather than a simple hole in the middle?
The results of the trials were quite unexpected (as it often happens) and very nice, in my opinion.
I am still carrying out some tests, but these results are giving me an idea of what to expect, moving forward.
The images were taken with the MIA 6×9 camera (27mm focal length), so I think that with different focal lenses the results may be different.
With the slot, to me the images are not that exciting. I define them “softer” than the single hole but I think that the biggest difference is the refraction of the light in some conditions.
What I find interesting is how the 4 holes plate render. I don’t think it can something to use regularly, but it does give a very unique effect, which almost looks like a pixellated image.
Ultimately, this new direction for MIA Pinhole Cameras required some planning and efforts on my part, however I think it’s worth it, not only to boost a UK (and local to me) business that is now going to be my pinhole plates supplier, but also to offer an opportunity to other pinhole businesses in the UK to get great quality pinhole plates locally. To them, my fellow pinhole businesses in the UK, I invite to get in touch to find out more.
