The latest from pinhole specialist Thingyfy swaps between six pinhole apertures and zooms to change its angle of view. We went hands on with a pre-production copy.

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 pick a look for your image.

With a full-frame Sony mirrorless camera, you'll end up with a wide view that's closer to a 35mm prime, and a zoomed-in view around 55mm. SLRs put more room between mount and sensor, so expect a coverage range closer to 60-80mm with an optical viewfinder system. I did note a hard, circular vignette with my full-frame a7R IV at wider settings; the Pro Max covers the entire frame by its mid-point 24mm setting. This should only be an issue with full-frame cameras—the Pro Max covers the entire APS-C sensor area when set wide.

Our pre-production sample isn't fully polished—it's got the wrong product name painted on the barrel, calling itself out as the Pinhole Pro X, not Pro Max. Don't worry, I didn't get the wrong lens to try out—the two simply share the same zoom barrel. I received a copy for Sony E mirrorless cameras, and it's also available for Canon EF, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Pentax K, and Sony A systems.

But even in the early stages, the Pro Max is a sturdy piece of gear. The barrel is machined aluminum, anodized in matte black. The zoom action is smooth, but tight enough to stay in place once set. The control ring that swaps between pinhole apertures is a little looser—it's a little too easy to take a photo with the aperture not set in the proper position, resulting in a partially obscured image. I hope Thingyfy puts some work into refining it before shipping the lens to customers.

As for imaging, my first round of photos are very much in line with other pinholes—there are no optical formulas to worry about here, which means there's not a lot of sharpness to photos. If you like impressionist takes, and are interested in longer exposures you may find pinhole imaging a rewarding medium. I appreciated the ability to adjust the angle of view on the fly, and certainly appreciated the different apertures—it's possible to get a few distinct pinhole looks from one lens here—but recognize the look is decidedly not for everyone.

Thingyfy is launching the Pinhole Pro Max on Kickstarter(Opens in a new window) ; the pre-order campaign runs through May 12, with early bird pricing for the lens at $219, half off the $428 the Pro Max will sell for when it comes to retail. If you're in love with pinhole images, you may find it to be a good addition to your kit—Thingyfy expects to deliver orders this September. There's always a risk when buying from Kickstarter, but Thingyfy has delivered on earlier campaigns; the Pro Max has already exceeded its modest funding goals. I'll still caution buyers to beware of any campaign, and remember that Kickstarter doesn't offer refunds(Opens in a new window) .

There are alternatives for photographers who want a pinhole lens and don't want to wait for September. Thingyfy's other wares are on sale at retail—it currently has the adjustable aperture Pinhole Pro ($89), the zooming-but-fixed-aperture Pinhole Pro X ($119), and the wide-angle Pinhole Pro S ($69) in its catalog.

There are other brands to consider as well. We've not had a chance to try any Rising Pinhole(Opens in a new window) lenses, but its body cap pinholes sell from around $30 to $50. We did put the Lensbaby Obscura 16 ($250) for mirrorless and Obscura 50 ($280) for SLRs to the test last year. The Lensbabies have three different pinhole arrangements, including a zone plate, for a decidedly different creative look.

We're happy to see photographers have more creative options available to them. If you're looking for some hints to help feed your creative spirit, you can read our ideas for at-home photo projects or our tips for advanced photographers.

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Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 10 years, which has given me a front row seat for the DSLR to mirrorless transition, the smartphone camera revolution, and the mainstream adoption of drones for aerial imaging. You can find me on Instagram @jamespfisher.

I use all of the major camera systems on a regular basis, swapping between Canon, Fujifilm, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, and Sony systems regularly, and I still find time to use Leica M rangefinders and Pentax SLRs on occasion. I keep an iPhone 13 in my pocket for the rare occasions I'm not carrying a camera.

I'm not a brand-specific photographer, and swap between a Canon EOS R5, a Nikon Z 7 II, and a Sony a7R IV when taking product photos for reviews. I use Flashpoint and Godox TTL lights, Gitzo and Peak Design tripods, and most often reach for a Think Tank or Peak Design backpack to carry equipment.

When it comes to computers, I'm an unapologetic Mac person and have been for the past 20 years. I write in Pages and use Numbers for spreadsheets. I currently use a 27-inch Retina iMac for photo and video editing, but have a Mac Studio on order, along with a calibrated BenQ display. I rely on a LaCie 6big RAID for media storage.

I split time with a few different software apps depending on the type of editing I'm doing. For Raw image processing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic is my standard. I pair it with a LoupeDeck CT console to supplement my keyboard and trackpad, and lean on RNI All Films 5 presets when I want to give an image a film look. I reach to Apple Final Cut Pro for video editing.

My first digital camera was a 3.2MP Canon PowerShot Elph, and my first interchangeable lens model a 6MP Pentax *ist DL. I have a soft spot for antique film gear, and still use a 1950 vintage Rolleiflex Automat and a 1947 Leica Summitar lens for personal work.

To relax at home, I spend time reading Marvel Unlimited comics on an iPad Pro, kick back with a good (or bad) movie on a 4K LG television with an Apple TV 4K streaming box, and enjoy story-driven video games on the Xbox Series X.

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