A Game of Two Halves - Jed Pearson

 

I have been very fortunate to get hold of a Chroma Pin12 multi-format (6x6, 6x9, 6x12) ultra wide (25mm) pinhole camera in advance of its' launch in October 2026. Keen to put it through its' paces on an autumn morning with some great great cloud movement in the sky, I visited Liverpools' beautiful waterfront with the camera, a tripod, a roll of Ilford FP4+ and bundles of enthusiasm.

As soon as I got the camera out of my bag and set it on top of my tripod it was clear that it is exceptionally well designed. Steve, the owner of Chroma Camera, is a keen photographer himself and his eye for detail is apparent in every aspect and feature on the Pin12.

I framed up for my first shot using the sight line guides on the camera’s top plate, The Beatles statue with the Liver Building in the background, and realised just how wide this 25mm camera shoots. I played around with a couple of compositions and settled on the shot below. I took the shot, the sliders that operate the pinhole working smoothly but with enough resistance to not open unintentionally. A unique feature here is that the central shutter slider is raised so easily found by just feel. A feature I was going to really appreciate later in the day. 

 

 

Off to find a second shot. It wasn’t too difficult, I just turned around and The Museum of Liverpool was directly behind me with the Leeds Liverpool canal acting as a lead-in line and the Port of Liverpool Building to my left.

 

 

The Chroma Pin12 has three pinholes, 15mm of rise and 15mm of fall, and I was keen to find a shot where I could test out this feature. After a little wander around I settled on The Edmund Gardner, a cutter that sits as an exhibition in the Graving Dock adjacent to the museum. This was shot with the lower pinhole and this, along with the 25mm focal length, let me frame up perfectly.

 

 

I’d had a really good morning, the conditions were perfect, the camera felt great to shoot with and I had several more rolls of film in my bag. I decided to head off to another location and get some more shots. Having done some urban stuff I thought why not have a go at some landscapes. Nant Mill Falls is a waterfall just outside of Wrexham in North Wales I have shot it many times before but not for a few years and never with a pinhole camera. I checked the weather app, there was a possibility of light showers but overall the forecast was good. I jumped in the van and drove the 45 minute journey to Wrexham. I parked at the Mill carpark and started on the 20 minute walk down to the waterfall. Halfway there it began to rain, lightly at first and I thought ok that’s what the weather app predicted so continued on. Within minutes the rain was coming down in sheets, I had a waterproof coat but I was absolutely drenched from the waist down. I thought about heading back  but didn’t see the point as I’d made the effort to get here, I couldn’t get any wetter than I was already and most importantly I wanted to take some pictures.

I was worried about the camera’s ability to deal with these conditions but then thought there are no electronic parts to damage so why not give it a go, so I did.

 

 

To get the shot I wanted, making the most of the ultra wide 6x12 25mm format,  I soon found myself standing in a stream up to my knees, wellies full of water and the rain pouring down on me. I got some strange looks from the odd dog walker who was as foolish as me to be out in these conditions. 

 

 

I had tested the fall pinhole at Liverpool in the morning so wanted to test the rise feature here at the falls. The impact of changing pinholes is quite striking as can be seen from these two images both shot from the same position. The first using the centre pinhole and the second using the upper.

 

 

Having got the shots I wanted I sat on the river bank, emptied my wellies, and started the walk back to the van. Although the rain stopped as I was walking back the drips off the trees in the heavy woodland continued to fall on me and by the time I arrived at the car park even my waterproof coat had given up the ghost and I was soaked through. I got into the back of the van stripped off and got myself dry and and got my bag of spare clothes that I carry for just this type of occasion only to find that I had packed a top, boxers but no shorts! As I had no intention of putting my cold wet clothes back on I had no option other than to jump into the drivers' seat in a tee shirt and boxer shorts. I drove very carefully all of the way home as I didn’t fancy getting pulled over and having to explain my attire to a police officer. 

When I did arrive home, I had to phone my wife to bring out a pair of jeans so I could get out of the van fully dressed to get into the house. This has only fuelled her view that I have a number of problems and most of them are photography related. 

So what did I learn?

This camera is great! It is tactile and lovely to use. It works really well in good conditions and every piece of it is well designed and has been throughly thought through. But  importantly it works really well in very challenging conditions too. It is weathertight, I had no issues with water ingress in very tough conditions. It is ergonomically designed so everything is just where you need it, you are not fumbling around to find shutter mechanisms or film advancing knobs. It is very light weight making it perfect for tromping through the woods or up and down hills. Oh and pack a full set of spare clothes!

I have been shooting pinhole for a couple of years now and have been fortunate to own or borrow cameras from a number of manufactures. They have all been well built and I have taken shots I love with them but each has had its own issues and quirks. In my opinion none have been as well designed and  considered as the Chroma Pin12 and I don’t think I would have put any of them through the conditions I put the the Chroma Pin12 through on my afternoon at Nant Mill Falls.

- Jed Pearson

If you would like to see more of my shots taken with the Chroma Pin 12 and more of my pinhole photography please visit jedpearsonphotography.myportfolio.com