NORITA 66 A HIDDEN GEM

PINHOLE PHOTGRAPHY

THE ONDU 6X12

BY PIERRO POZELLA

I have shot on many pin hole cameras over the years from homemade cardboard boxes, pinhole cameras made from shopping trollies, holga and many others. ONDU 6x12 is something different. 

I have shot a variety of formats across the board using pinhole cameras, with every camera I used I felt like something was missing, either in design, functionality or performance. Until I met the ONDU 6X12, don’t get me wrong the camera is not prefect, however the designer is working on a MK3 that sounds as if the design of the ONDU 6X12 will be perfected. 

The ONDU 6X12 is a simplistic design, easy to use and somewhat portable. What makes it so different standing out from the others? Ill explain through this review how spending a week with this camera is great for any photographer to try , bringing them back to the pure basic fundamentals of photography its self. 

The Size

The ONDU 6X12 is compact for a medium format panoramic camera however it is not something you can place in your pocket as expected. The size is comparable to the length of a Hasselblad with an 80mm lens attached, much smaller than a Mamiya RZ and similar length to a Hasselblad Xpan. Dimensions:(W) 65mm x (H) 103mm (L) 200mm. The camera has no lens or finder that you have to worry about, its simply a block of wood that can be easily placed inside your camera bag or even handbag as it comes with its own protective sleeve Kindly supplied with the camera by OND. The viewfinder is engraved into the top on of the camera with three options, shooting 6X6, 6X9 and 6X12. These lines are accompanied by a level meter to help guide whether your shooting straight or wonky. The front shutter does not stick out far away from the body and is helped securely in place with a magnet designed into the camera body. The only two parts that protrude from the camera is the advanced knob. The overall design is sleek with rounded edges sanded down smoothly, this is great when placing inside your bag and taking it out in the field as it means that it does not get caught on anything. The overall camera is rectangular due to the panoramic design, sitting comfortably in two hands. 

The Handling

The ergonomics of the camera are what you would expect from holding a block of wood, However much car has been taken around the overall design and functionality of the shutter. The camera rounded corners making it great to rest your finger on when holding, carrying and even shooting with the camera handheld. The edges have also been softened slightly so that they do not dig into your hand making it uncomfortable. The shutter mechanism is a good size its not to small and is easy to operate. The shutter is simply pushed down to expose and pushed up to close the shutter snapping into place with magnets. The shutter has a safety feature that does not allow you to accidentally go past the pinhole when closing the shutter. The film wind on is pretty smooth, they suggest using both wind on knobs when moving the frame across, I found this not to be a problem using one. 

The camera does not have straps lugs meaning you can not use a camera strap. I find this to be a downfall when shooting handheld as the strap can be used to stabilise the camera when shooting and without it I was just carrying it around in my hand all day. This was okay as it was light wight and easy to hold, more annoying than anything else. I have been informed that the next model will be designed with strap-lugs to accompany a camera strap. 

The frame counter is easy to read offering a window for both 6X6 , 6X12 and another for 6X9. The window is easy to see through in bright sunlight but can be tricky in subdued light, I did not find this to be a problem when shooting.The camera is supplied with wooden inserts that can be changed before a roll of film is loaded for the select format, Its like having three cameras in one. I primarily used 6X12 however it was nice to have to option as when shooting with 6X6 and 6X9 vignette was less of a problem. 

Another thing to mention is that the camera takes no battery so you can throw it into you bag and not worry especially when traveling. The camera also being made out of wood is light wieght yet durable and can be throw around as long as you don’t mind marking it. I found when shooting the design offered a large flat base which I could balance, rest and hold against multiple surfaces meaning there was no need for me to take a tripod around.

Can You Shoot handheld with out worry? 

Yes to an extent, I mainly shot handheld over the last week as we have been lucky enough the sun has been out. I found that shooting handheld was easier I could be more spontaneous shooting rather than being grounded to a fixed point. I did not have to stop pull out a tripod and set up, I simply held it against my chest and snapped away or found a log, post, ground or raling to rest. The camera against. I found this method to produced quality images and felt that a tripod would have not have offered more. When it is cloudy I would recommend a tripod for best results as It will allowing for perfect levelling as well as slower speeds. 

The Viewfinder

The ONDU 6x12 offers engraved markings that guide you across all formats the camera has to offer. When shooting 6X12 I found a viewfinder was not needed, I became familiar with the camera in the first few days and knew that it would capture everything I could see with my eyes. I found is a little tricker with 6X6, after a few rolls I got the hang of it, would be nice to have a hotshot attachment to attach a external finder for a bit more guidance. 

Focusing and Sharpness

The best part about pinhole photography there is no focusing, simply point that the camera and capture what you can see. The camera produced good results from about 2 feet away all the way through to infinity. To me sharpness is not even something that should be dicussed when talking about pinhole cameras, thats the main character of a pinhole camera is not to be perfected. The camera is not super sharp and don’t expect to achieve results that you would expect from an sir with a lens. The ONDU offers so much more, character and life to the image. Unlike many other pinhole camera the images produced by ONDU offer so much character, the fact they have been hand made adds so much to the life within the camera which is reflected heavily in the images. The photographs produced have something different which I can not explain. This is why I believe sharpness should be out of the question. 

Metering 

ONDU provide a metering card which offers both instructions to allow a light meter to be used with the camera and a simple meter for when its sunny, could ect… I found this to be great no need to lug a meter, calculate times or get weighed down in maths. You could simply glance at the card and capture. In more tricky lighting situations I found the metering option to be handy to achieve a precise reading for an exposure.

Loading the Film 

The film is pretty easy to load, detach the wind on knobs by simply taking them off as they are attached by magnets with is great as they snap back right Ito place and placing the small metal disc at the bottom which helps hold the spool in place. I found these small discs to become annoying when the camera was no loaded with film as they would bounce around inside the film chamber. You could just take them out when the camera is not loaded and place them in the camera bag provided. Then load your new roll in the right, pulling it across to the empty spool on the left, this felt strange to me as its the other way in most medium format cameras I use. Then loading the camera as you would most medium formats. Its a simple process to follow, I found the film to catch well every time, not feeling loose at any point which is very reassuring. The other great thing is the camera back simply pops off and reattach using magnets, super easy and is held securely in place without worry. 

Things to mention 

The camera produces heavy vignette when shooting 6X12, this is a character of pinhole photography which I feel is quite endearing, Although this can be corrected in post if its not your cup of tea. The majority of images produced they are much brighter in the centre of the frame, this also can be corrected in post 9/10 times. The camera doe snot allow for filters to be added yet, so those pro landscape photographers out there may want to hold off until the updated version is released. The camera offers a standard tripod thread at the base of the camera for tripod attachments or wrist straps. This may be a bit strange but the wood smells great if you like that sort of thing. 

Conclusion 

Light wight, easy to throw in my bag with my other gear and does not take up loads of room, easy to use, meter card is brilliant, tough body and does not matter if it take a few knocks. However bottom film holder disc can be annoying when camera is not loaded and no strap lugs. The camera feels like a high quality product, the materials do not feel cheap, they feel tough and made to a high standard.  This company have some great ideas and many plans for future products definitely worth keeping an eye on. 

The Images