Panoramic Cameras

EdinburghGary

EdinburghGary

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Gary
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Hey Guys,

Any advice on either FILM or DIGITAL Panoramic Cameras? I think there is a 17 x 6 format which sounds extremely good fun. Anyone here have any experience with such models, and are you up to date on pricing etc?

Gary.
 
Hi
I know Hasselblad did an X-Pan panoramic camera. I thought they also did a digital version. I expect google knows.

Good luck with your search.

Graham
 
Hasselblad X-Pan uses 35mm film and can produce either normal 24 x 36mm images or double size 24 x 72mm images. Most of the rest are either 6x12cm or 6x17cm on 120 film

http://www.digipan.com/images/fuji6x17a.gif

Other people make their own: http://photo.net/general-comments/attachment/5266280/6x17camera.jpg

myself included. I am half way through building a 6x12 format camera with a Schneider Super Angulon 65mm lens. This is quite wide on the 6x12 format being roughly equivalent to a 21mm lens on 35mm film.

Mine will be made from some nice oak I have here waiting to be cut up.

The drawback of 6x17 is four shots per roll!


Steve.
 
Some pictures of my camera (work in progress) can be seen on these two pages (scroll down a bit).

EDIT: No they can't! - See post below.


Steve.
 
I had the Art Panorama 617 with Schneider 90mm lens. It's built like a tank and a joy to use however I had to sell it to fund my conservation volunteering, was a real shame.
 
I had always wanted a panoramic film camera but, the cost was prohibitive for a good one. Both the price of the camera and the price of film was high. Add to that, the cost of commercial processing/printing and/or the cost of the processing/printing equipment. Additionally, a darkroom setup is needed if you do not have your processing done commercially.

One of the reasons that I love digital photography is the ease of panoramic imagery. Here are some links to interesting pano sites:

http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/index.html

http://www.zenadsl5251.zen.co.uk/photos/panos.html

Much is said about the intricacies of shooting panos and stitching them together, including special pano heads and the establishment of nodal points. However, single string panos (wherein you stitch a series of images together left to right but, only have one line of images) are very easy to shoot. Using an L bracket and a Arca compatible tripod head allows you to shoot your images in the portrait position which will provide a larger top to bottom view. The left to right coverage is predicated on the number of images you decide to stitch.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/QR/05.html

Multiple string panos are somewhat more complicated, especially when portions of the image are close to the camera. However, there are pano heads available, such as the Panosaurus which will do the job without having to spend a fortune:

http://gregwired.com/pano/Pano.htm
 
Fuji S1000fd has a panorama mode. It stitches together 3 shots in camera but only on low resolution. I've not tried it yet so can't comment on how good it is. But, if you're looking for something on a low budget it could be worth a look.
 
There have been many panoramic cameras over the years, all of them devised to overcome the problems of matching multiple images from a normal film camera. With digital, stitching multiple images together seamlessly with simple software is easy.

With the exception of those cameras that use large format lenses to shoot a single image on a strip of 120 film, ie in one shot, none of them has any real advantage over shooting multiple digital images in a patchwork, and letting the software sort it out.

Okay, it may be a little more difficult than that, but here's a master of the art of panoramas, left right, up down, in HDR, and at night! (He used a Canon 300D.) www.cambridgeincolour.com
 
MisterE said:
Interesting. I've been looking at 120 film panoramic backs for my 5x4 but they're so damned expensive and I was thinking of making my own. But I suppose I should start putting some 5x4 film through it first!
Click to expand...

They certainly are. However, if you are not opposed to a bit of precision bodging, Holga make a 6x12 format pinhole camera which could be cut up and attached to a scrap 5x4 film holder to make a 6x12 back.

You would also need to make a viewing screen with the ground glass in the same place as the film.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&sku=589340&Q=&is=REG&A=details

I was originally going to use one of these for my 6x12 camera but as I have access to a CNC router and a laser cutter at work, I decided to make my own.


Steve.
 
ifotou said:
Gary if it's for fun why not get a panoramic pinhole Holga - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400050292040

6x12 and certainly somethign different :)

for serious stuff the XPan and Fuji 617 are the big players

The Widepan cameras have got decent write ups, seen one review in BJP that was veryu good and you can get a body from Ffordes for around £500 - https://secure.ffordes.com/Shop/Sto...cd&sub=1&Code=LF&SubCode=MB&id=101452&promo=0
Click to expand...


Really wanting BIG negs and trannies, so I am thinking of possibly getting a pro film model (120, 220)...

Thanks for all the advice guys!! :D

Gary.
 
The widepan is a 120/220 i believe

But if you want to go really big you could try to find a 7x17 (inch) Large format camera.... but the film for that is HUGELY expensive (around £130 plus vat for 25 sheets) and needs to be ordered specially (silverprint do an annual ultra large format order)
 
ifotou said:
The widepan is a 120/220 i believe

But if you want to go really big you could try to find a 7x17 (inch) Large format camera.... but the film for that is HUGELY expensive (around £130 plus vat for 25 sheets) and needs to be ordered specially (silverprint do an annual ultra large format order)
Click to expand...

Wow :D

Sounds too extreme, and difficult to justify. If I were good enough, and in a position to sell my work, then not an issue,

Gary.
 
Girl at college's husband has one but he works with 5x4 and above all the time - mainly 10x8 so brave.

just the thought of trying to scan a 7x17 inch neg scares the bejesus out of me :)
 
Thank you Steve. Making things like this isn't a problem. I've put it on my list of things to do.
 
MisterE said:
Thank you Steve. Making things like this isn't a problem. I've put it on my list of things to do.
Click to expand...

I have one of those lists. There are lots of things on it.

My problem is that I am very good at starting things but not finishing them. I get interested in something else half way through a project and turn my attention to that instead.

I am determined to get my 6x12 camera finished soon though. I'm just waiting for a friend to do a bit of lathe work on the helix of the Minolta lens mechanism I am using for focusing.

I would do it myself but my lathe is in the shed rusted up and lacking a motor. I must soak it in WD40 one day.


Steve.
 
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