Hands On: Thingyfy's Pinhole Pro Max Is a Multi-Pinhole Zoom Lens

pcmag.com:

Pinhole specialists may be familiar with Thingyfy, but it's certainly not a household name, even in the photographic world. The boutique brand started with its first Pinhole Pro lens on Kickstarter back in 2017 and is back with a pre-order campaign for its latest, the Pinhole Pro Max. I had some time to try a pre-production copy and have some first impressions, and photos, to share.

Pinhole lenses aren't really lenses—there's no glass or optical formula involved. Instead they make images by allowing light to pass through a very, very tiny opening. It's the same principle as a camera obscura, and results in blurred, unsharp images. Photos aren't too far off from the look of impressionist and pointillist art.

Different pinhole sizes net slightly different looks. The Pro Max includes six different apertures, ranging from f/36 (0.5mm) to f/233 (0.15mm). You'll see the softest results at f/36, but it's a very suitable option for handheld photography with today's digital cameras. At f/233 you can reach for a tripod for long exposure work, and images will show a bit clearer detail—though you'd never think of a pinhole image as sharp.

Angle of view is adjustable, though just how wide a picture the Pro Max sees depends on the type of camera you pair it with. Thingyfy bills it as an 18-36mm zoom, but those focal length figures are in reference to the distance between the pinhole opening and lens mount, not the camera sensor.

It's not the first pinhole zoom—the older Thingyfy Pinhole Pro X ($119) also offers an adjustable angle of view, but only one aperture setting. The Pro Max adds a multi-aperture design, previously offered in company's first Pinhole Pro ($89). Putting the two together allows you to set both angle of view and