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Suggestions on a panorama camera
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:11 pm    Post subject: Suggestions on a panorama camera Reply with quote
I am seriously thinking of buying a panorama camera. This weekend I have seen a photographer doing a lecture on photographing. I was very impressed about the panorama photographs which he did with a Linhof 6 X 17 panorama camera on Velvia film.

Has anybody of you experience with panorama (film) cameras ? Is a Linhof camera a "up-to-date" product ?
My budget is about to 1500 Euro. I am happy for any suggestions and comments ...

Cheers
Tobias


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Panorama cameras aren't really "up to date" - almost all of them do not go beyond fifties' standards in camera construction, so it is pretty much up to the lens and mechanical reliability which one you pick. The Linhof is good, but a bit on the expensive side - 617 Fujis tend to be a bit more affordable, and are just as good and even a bit more comfortable. The recent bunch of chinese field camera/back combinations is affordable, and not bad either as long as you restrict yourselt to static subjects like landscape and architecture.

Stay away from rotating panorama cameras unless you want to make camera repair and adjustment a major part of your hobby - they are fascinating and cute, but they were fragile even when new. By now the affordable and compact ones in that class usually are rather worn and will need constant readjustment and cleaning to avoid the striping that will happen whenever their gears start to get rough.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've been looking at pano cameras myself and considered one of the Fuji 617 series.

I'm finding more and more that I'm cropping either the top or bottom and sometimes both off of a lot of my shots which kind of tells me something...

The Fuji GX617 I researched has a few idiosyncrasies in that you can't change lenses mid-roll without the use of a changing bag and focusing is done either by guesstimation or via a ground glass on the back of the camera - the latter method having to be done before any film is loaded naturally.

That said, I don't see the above as major drawbacks and would still have one if I could afford it.

Definitely on the radar for me. Cool


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Good ones are very expensive, I don't think so they will have better output than your "stitching" technology. A roll Provia with 35mm or medium format gears with your panorama technic way to go in my opinion.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
Good ones are very expensive, I don't think so they will have better output than your "stitching" technology. A roll Provia with 35mm or medium format gears with your panorama technic way to go in my opinion.


No having to take multiple shots with a pano camera - unless you want a super pano... Laughing

After developing, you'd have to scan every neg/slide and if you have a lot, it's going to take time. And that's before you start to stitch...

A pano camera is the way I would go - especially considering Tobias' pano vision.

Fuji GX617, Tobias - go on, you KNOW you want to... Laughing

Last edited by bob955i on Fri Nov 06, 2009 9:54 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 9:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you for the comments !!! It gives already some insight in the direction where to think on further ...

Quote:
... unless you want a super pano

Laughing Laughing Laughing hehe, sounds interesting, I have to think about it Wink


Cheers
Tobias


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You should also check in advance how you able to scan pano camera output.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
You should also check in advance how you able to scan pano camera output.


Yes, very true ...
The only thought which I had:
"many peaple do it, so I should be able to do it too" ... Wink
hope that it is true ... Embarassed

So ... can anybody tell me, what gear I need to scan this large negatives ?

Cheers
Tobias


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
1 TB HDD for the resulting TIFF... Laughing


Arrrrhhhghhh, tell me that it is not true Shocked Laughing

Cheers
Tobias


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Drum scanner...

Plus 1 TB HDD for the resulting TIFF... Laughing

I thought you hadn't seen my reply to Attila so I deleted it and reposted it again.

The HDD size was a joke but seriously, these files are going to be BIG especially if you want all the detail medium format is capable of delivering and at a large size.

Attila does have a point but if you simply have to have medium format pano, then there's no real alternative.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I am not frightened about big files anyway (I love all the detail, that's the essence of panorama photographing for my opinion)
My panos usually have some 100 Megapixel, so most of the time I am editing TIFs to 1 GB. Cool

Cheers
Tobias


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
bob955i wrote:

The Fuji GX617 I researched has a few idiosyncrasies in that you can't change lenses mid-roll without the use of a changing bag and focusing is done either by guesstimation or via a ground glass on the back of the camera - the latter method having to be done before any film is loaded naturally.


IIRC there are no true panorama cameras with a rangefinder apart from the Xpan, whose film format is a bit small for landscape and architecture - but it still is probably the only camera that would qualify for panoramic street photography. For landscapes and architecture, scale focusing works well enough.

The older fixed-lens Fujis are much more affordable than the GX617, and do well enough - the ability to change lenses is no usual panoramic requirement, except for commercial architectural photography where you may have to capture a entire building from whatever unobstructed camera position there is.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sevo wrote:

IIRC there are no true panorama cameras with a rangefinder apart from the Xpan, whose film format is a bit small for landscape and architecture - but it still is probably the only camera that would qualify for panoramic street photography. For landscapes and architecture, scale focusing works well enough.

The older fixed-lens Fujis are much more affordable than the GX617, and do well enough - the ability to change lenses is no usual panoramic requirement, except for commercial architectural photography where you may have to capture a entire building from whatever unobstructed camera position there is.


The X-Pan was the one I was thinking of regarding RF focusing but couldn't recall at the time. I shoot landscapes myself and find that there are times where I need the flexibility of different FLs as the most unobstructed view is not always the best hence my GX617 lens changing opinion/ramblings. Laughing


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
bob955i wrote:

The HDD size was a joke but seriously, these files are going to be BIG especially if you want all the detail medium format is capable of delivering and at a large size.


Indeed. My full-resolution (4000lpi) 6x9cm scans on a Coolscan 9000ED already are 0.7GB per raw file - 6x17 at a similar resolution would be 1.5GB per file (and can't be done on a 9000ED without stitching, as it is limited to 9cm per scan).


PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Before spending big bucks, check the book written by Joseph Meehan
if you have not read it yet. The book title is "Panoramic Photography".
ISBN 0-8174-5349-0 Publisher AMPHOTO
An Imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications
1515 Broaway, New York, NY 10036

This book is quite nice even looking at examples alone.
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