I will go on to give more information about these handmade pinhole cameras....
8Banners pinhole cameras are designed and made by Mr Zhao He Zhen (赵和震, a senior member of the China Pinhole Photography committee (华夏针孔艺术摄影协会)。Armed with 26 years of knowledge about pinhole photography, he introduced this series of pinhole cameras in year 2005 during the Ping Yao Photo Festival in China.
The initial prototype was made of timber and had photographer's needs in mind when the deisgn was conceived. the camera were capable of producing sharp images due to its precision engineering when compared to DIY ones. This allowed the photographer to be able to produce great images without the hassle and worry of the technical aspects of the camera design if it is DIY'ed.
FAQs
Why are the pinhole cameras more superior than a normal DIY ones?
The 8Banners pinhole cameras has the following features which is lacking in DIY cameras. They're:
1. The pinhole are shot through by laser. So the edgesare not burred and will give you nice and sharp images compared to if you "poke" using a needle. It also ensures a more consistent pinhole size. All camera comes with plates that has 0.2mm, 0.3mm & 0.4mm pinhole size plates.
2. There is a spring loaded trigger mechanism that allows you to open and close the pinhole for exposure with ease.
3. We have put in a compass for directions (good for people who wants to shoot sunrise & sunset) and a bubble level to allow you to align your photos to level.
4. The body is entirely made of metal, powdered coated with industrial paint. This give the body a fine finish and durability against any physical damage.
Is it hard to use? How do I know the exposure time?
Pinhole cameras are very easy to use. Just open and close the opening of the pnhole and the image is made. Becos even in bright day light, each exposure would easily take 3 seconds, so a tripod to hold the camera is essential. U can "guesstimate" the exposure time or if you have a lightmeter, you can use the exposure conversion table to calculate the exposure time needed. You dun need to be a rocket scientist to make an image on the 8banners camera. 1st lesson will be thrown in from me when nu get the cams. lol....
What is covered in the product warranty?
All 8banners cameras comes with 5 year product warranty.
We provide full comprehensive support for parts and repairs and if we cannot repair, we'll replace with an equivalent.
The warranty will void if the following happens:
1. The buyer modify the camera beyond what it has been designed for.
2. Misuse by buyer ( we can still repair at but will be at costs of the buyer)
3. We'll cover any workmanship or parts defects but not from abuse or mishandling.
Below are some shots that are shot using the 8banners cameras:
By Ma (6x6 format)

by Mb 6x12 format

by 4x5 large format on 4x5 positive film

More of the images can be accessed at the flickr gallery:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8banners/sets/72157594517304484/