diff --git a/_pytest/capture.py b/_pytest/capture.py
index 778b1396b..b3b7dee7e 100644
--- a/_pytest/capture.py
+++ b/_pytest/capture.py
@@ -333,6 +333,8 @@ class MultiCapture(object):
         return (self.out.snap() if self.out is not None else "",
                 self.err.snap() if self.err is not None else "")
 
+class NoCapture:
+    __init__ = start = done = lambda *args: None
 
 class FDCapture:
     """ Capture IO to/from a given os-level filedescriptor. """
@@ -340,36 +342,38 @@ class FDCapture:
     def __init__(self, targetfd, tmpfile=None):
         self.targetfd = targetfd
         try:
-            self._savefd = os.dup(self.targetfd)
+            self.targetfd_save = os.dup(self.targetfd)
         except OSError:
             self.start = lambda: None
             self.done = lambda: None
         else:
-            if tmpfile is None:
-                if targetfd == 0:
-                    tmpfile = open(os.devnull, "r")
-                else:
+            if targetfd == 0:
+                assert not tmpfile, "cannot set tmpfile with stdin"
+                tmpfile = open(os.devnull, "r")
+                self.syscapture = SysCapture(targetfd)
+            else:
+                if tmpfile is None:
                     f = TemporaryFile()
                     with f:
                         tmpfile = safe_text_dupfile(f, mode="wb+")
+                if targetfd in patchsysdict:
+                    self.syscapture = SysCapture(targetfd, tmpfile)
+                else:
+                    self.syscapture = NoCapture()
             self.tmpfile = tmpfile
-            if targetfd in patchsysdict:
-                self._oldsys = getattr(sys, patchsysdict[targetfd])
+            self.tmpfile_fd = tmpfile.fileno()
 
     def __repr__(self):
-        return "<FDCapture %s oldfd=%s>" % (self.targetfd, self._savefd)
+        return "<FDCapture %s oldfd=%s>" % (self.targetfd, self.targetfd_save)
 
     def start(self):
         """ Start capturing on targetfd using memorized tmpfile. """
         try:
-            os.fstat(self._savefd)
-        except OSError:
+            os.fstat(self.targetfd_save)
+        except (AttributeError, OSError):
             raise ValueError("saved filedescriptor not valid anymore")
-        targetfd = self.targetfd
-        os.dup2(self.tmpfile.fileno(), targetfd)
-        if hasattr(self, '_oldsys'):
-            subst = self.tmpfile if targetfd != 0 else DontReadFromInput()
-            setattr(sys, patchsysdict[targetfd], subst)
+        os.dup2(self.tmpfile_fd, self.targetfd)
+        self.syscapture.start()
 
     def snap(self):
         f = self.tmpfile
@@ -386,28 +390,38 @@ class FDCapture:
     def done(self):
         """ stop capturing, restore streams, return original capture file,
         seeked to position zero. """
-        os.dup2(self._savefd, self.targetfd)
-        os.close(self._savefd)
-        if hasattr(self, '_oldsys'):
-            setattr(sys, patchsysdict[self.targetfd], self._oldsys)
+        targetfd_save = self.__dict__.pop("targetfd_save")
+        os.dup2(targetfd_save, self.targetfd)
+        os.close(targetfd_save)
+        self.syscapture.done()
         self.tmpfile.close()
 
+    def suspend(self):
+        self.syscapture.suspend()
+        os.dup2(self.targetfd_save, self.targetfd)
+
+    def resume(self):
+        self.syscapture.resume()
+        os.dup2(self.tmpfile_fd, self.targetfd)
+
     def writeorg(self, data):
         """ write to original file descriptor. """
         if py.builtin._istext(data):
             data = data.encode("utf8") # XXX use encoding of original stream
-        os.write(self._savefd, data)
+        os.write(self.targetfd_save, data)
 
 
 class SysCapture:
-    def __init__(self, fd):
+    def __init__(self, fd, tmpfile=None):
         name = patchsysdict[fd]
         self._old = getattr(sys, name)
         self.name = name
-        if name == "stdin":
-            self.tmpfile = DontReadFromInput()
-        else:
-            self.tmpfile = TextIO()
+        if tmpfile is None:
+            if name == "stdin":
+                tmpfile = DontReadFromInput()
+            else:
+                tmpfile = TextIO()
+        self.tmpfile = tmpfile
 
     def start(self):
         setattr(sys, self.name, self.tmpfile)
@@ -421,8 +435,15 @@ class SysCapture:
 
     def done(self):
         setattr(sys, self.name, self._old)
+        del self._old
         self.tmpfile.close()
 
+    def suspend(self):
+        setattr(sys, self.name, self._old)
+
+    def resume(self):
+        setattr(sys, self.name, self.tmpfile)
+
     def writeorg(self, data):
         self._old.write(data)
         self._old.flush()
diff --git a/testing/test_capture.py b/testing/test_capture.py
index 33f538890..fb2ff75d7 100644
--- a/testing/test_capture.py
+++ b/testing/test_capture.py
@@ -726,15 +726,11 @@ class TestFDCapture:
         assert s == "hello\n"
 
     def test_stdin(self, tmpfile):
-        tmpfile.write(tobytes("3"))
-        tmpfile.seek(0)
-        cap = capture.FDCapture(0, tmpfile)
+        cap = capture.FDCapture(0)
         cap.start()
-        # check with os.read() directly instead of raw_input(), because
-        # sys.stdin itself may be redirected (as pytest now does by default)
         x = os.read(0, 100).strip()
         cap.done()
-        assert x == tobytes("3")
+        assert x == tobytes('')
 
     def test_writeorg(self, tmpfile):
         data1, data2 = tobytes("foo"), tobytes("bar")
@@ -751,7 +747,37 @@ class TestFDCapture:
         stmp = open(tmpfile.name, 'rb').read()
         assert stmp == data2
 
+    def test_simple_resume_suspend(self, tmpfile):
+        with saved_fd(1):
+            cap = capture.FDCapture(1)
+            cap.start()
+            data = tobytes("hello")
+            os.write(1, data)
+            sys.stdout.write("whatever")
+            s = cap.snap()
+            assert s == "hellowhatever"
+            cap.suspend()
+            os.write(1, tobytes("world"))
+            sys.stdout.write("qlwkej")
+            assert not cap.snap()
+            cap.resume()
+            os.write(1, tobytes("but now"))
+            sys.stdout.write(" yes\n")
+            s = cap.snap()
+            assert s == "but now yes\n"
+            cap.suspend()
+            cap.done()
+            pytest.raises(AttributeError, cap.suspend)
 
+@contextlib.contextmanager
+def saved_fd(fd):
+    new_fd = os.dup(fd)
+    try:
+        yield
+    finally:
+        os.dup2(new_fd, fd)
+
+    
 class TestStdCapture:
     captureclass = staticmethod(StdCapture)