build my own Lumiere-style hand-crank

[Guest Erik]

hi there

has anyone out there tried to build a lumiere-type camera, ie: from the dawn of cinema, hand crank, single lens, 50 feet of film (or thereabouts).

I was thinking it'd be cool to build my own, and fitting it with a pentax lens mount a la the K3.

Or even considering outfitting it as a pinhole camera.

I guess I'm thinking very low tech/analog these days....

Except that it's gonna be super 16.

 

thanks

Erik

[John Pytlak RIP]

Some original Lumiere cameras in the George Eastman House technology collection:

 

http://www.eastmanhouse.org/inc/collections/technology.asp

 

http://www.eastmanhouse.org/inc/collection...ion_picture.asp

 

http://www.geh.org/

 

http://www.geh.org/fm/precin/lumiere/htmls...e_sum00001.html

 

http://www.geh.org/fm/precin/htmlsrc5/cinema_sum00001.html

[John Sprung]

You might start by finding a filmo or eyemo that's been destroyed by using it as a crash camera. That way you can take it apart and see how it works. Basically just two moving parts are all they use to advance and expose film.

 

Also, look around for junior colleges or trade schools that teach machine shop work. That's what you need to know to make cameras. Get good at machine work, and you'll never lack for a day job. Get really good at it, and you might get to work for a camera maker like Panavision or Arri.

 

If you're in the Los Angeles area, the ASC has a collection of antique cameras, and their curator knows a lot about the mechanical side of it.

 

 

 

-- J.S.

[jasarsenault]

I think I read somwhere on the net about a guy who made a super 8 pinhole cam.

If you find anything out let me know. I am interested in seeing how it is done!

jason

[Guest Erik]

yeah, I found a 16mm hand-crank pinhole guy after much searching as well.

http://www.wastedlife.org/

He doesn't follow up and say how well or even whether his camera worked, though.

 

Further, you can also hand crank a bolex if you disengage the spring (like you do to backwind) and then use the backwind key as a forward crank.

 

That's what this guy did, and look at his excellent clip.

http://www.handcrankedfilm.com/films/films.html

 

Back to pinholing, here's something I found from a long time ago on the yahoo K3 forum by a guy named tony brown (it's long, but lots of good info)

 

"Adapting a motion camera with a pinhole lens will depend partly on what focal length you wish to shoot at. The farther you choose to place your pinhole aperture from the film plane the longer your focal length will be. To properly calculate your pinhole focal length, measure from your film plane to your aperture. In this instance your pinhole will act as the optical center of your lens so you can achieve an exact measurement of your focal length via a mm scale ruler.

 

I don't mean to come off as pedantic but in the interest of completeness here is some common yet necessary info:

 

For the record the following are an extended list of standard f/stop numbers.

.25, .5, 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45, 64, 90, 128, 180...

 

The math to calculate your f/number is fairly straightforward.

 

It is: focal length - divided by - aperture diameter = f/stop

 

For the sake of argument let's assume that you want a 50mm focal length. Let's also assume that your pinhole has a diameter of 2mm. If you follow the above math your end result would be an f/stop of f/25. While this is not a standard f/number it is just slightly more reduced than an f/22.

 

If you desire a smaller pinhole for a sharper image with more contrast you could recalculate the same equation using a 1mm pinhole. 50mm focal length - divided by - 1mm aperture = f/50. And so on...

 

Be warned, the longer your focal length the smaller your f/stop shall be and more light will be required. Another example: 200mm focal length - divided by - 2mm aperture = f/100. Obviously the inverse rule applies here; the shorter your focal length the greater your f/stop shall be in relation to it.

 

Use these rules to configure a focal length and aperture that will best suit your given situation. If you choose a fast stock you could easily shoot with a pinhole on a soundstage if you have the requisite amount of light. Personally I would always select an aperture diameter over a given f/stop due to the focused clarity I desired for my image and then light accordingly. It is a little difficult but it does work, I have shot with a pinhole attachment myself. I had an f/stop equivalent to an f/32 and lit the scene with a series of Dino's (24k pars) and 12k fresnels. You really need to kick a lot of light out for it to work but once it is there you're set. Shooting exterior day is obviously much easier. If you are in a situation where you may not have enough light you may want to consider pushing your stock a little. If you are going for a very soft and muted look, a little extra grain shouldn't hurt you too much. You could even slow the frame rate to 20 or 22 fps for an extra 1/5 stop exposure or so. This will also give a softer feel to the movement if transferred at the same speed.

 

Using this info should enable you to get an exposure regardless of whether you choose to shoot stop motion or standard 24fps. Simply use your pinhole lens as any you would any other lens with a (very) small aperture.

 

SOME ADVICE ON MAKING A PINHOLE ATTACHMENT:

 

Use a large diameter, thin walled PVC pipe for the housing of your pinhole rig. You can easily cut a precise length of it for a stable focal length.

 

Do not use cardboard or anything porous or flimsy.

 

Paint the interior and exterior of your pipe matte black if using white pipe.

 

I recommend using black wrap (heavy gauge black anodized aluminum foil) for the front element where your pinhole will be.

 

DRILL a hole in the black wrap, do not punch one with a needle or pin. A drilled hole is a much cleaner and more precise hole. An additional bonus being that drill bits come in standard diameters. If you drill with a 2mm bit your hole will be 2mm.

 

Attaching the rig to your camera can differ based upon the manufacture of said camera. The easiest advice I can give not knowing the style of camera being used is to buy a spare lens cavity cap, cut the center out and then attach it to your pinhole rig. This will obviously allow it to attach to whatever mount your camera accepts.

 

There are no set rules for this technique so don't be intimidated by using whatever means necessary to achieve an image on your film plane.