Murray writes:
>
> BUT, people are telling me I will probably be disappointed by anything
> larger than 5 x 7 or so from my 35 mm pinhole negatives because they say
> pinhole images are "not very sharp".
>
> Is this just anecdotal advice from people who simply poked a hole without
> consideration of all the things that play a role....(that wasn't supposed to
> rhyme, it was an accident)? (Optimal hole diameter/focal length, thickness
> and roundness of pinhole material and resultant hole, etc.)
Just as an example, the optimal pinhole for 100 mm focal length will
resolve about 5 line pairs / mm. That will make a fairly sharp
looking contact print but doesn't come close to the resolution of
a lens, which can be in the 80 to 100 lines/mm range. So unless you
want the artistic effect of enlarging a pinhole negative, it's best
to contact print them.
