Article by Chris
Groenhout.
© 2006. Visit Chris' Website for more articles.
Sooner or later, every photographer will
develop an interest in panoramic photography. It is the natural
urge to include "more" of the subject (especially interesting
to note that most panoramas are in fact "less" as it is generally
the act of cropping that creates the panorama).
There are several approaches to panoramic photography - the
most common of which are : "scanning" and "fixed lens". The
former involves the lens rotating around its rear nodal point
(the optical point from which the focal length is measured)
opposite a curved film plane. This method encompasses a very
wide angle of view, similar to that of the fisheye lens, though
when used carefully, without the extreme distortion of lines
within the image. The most famous camera of this type is the
Widelux (made in Japan) with an angle of view of around 140
degrees. Other cameras include the Noblex (Germany) available
in both 35mm and 120, the Horizon (Russia) and the RoundShot
(capable of a 360 degree view).
Scanning cameras have a number of limitations including the
lack of available shutter speeds (1/15, 1/125 and 1/250 on
the Widelux). More modern models such as the Horizon 202 offer
up to 1/2 second by increasing the width of the scanning slit,
but I have not as yet seen evidence of this working well in
practice. Another limitation is their inability to focus easily
or at all (most models focus at or near infinity), requiring
a small aperture to bring the foreground into focus. It is
for these reasons that most cameras of this type are used
outside and specifically for landscape photography. I've found
my Widelux a reliable addition to the kit I take when doing
aerial photography.
Hints for the use of Scanning panoramic cameras
- For
the least distortion, keep the camera level (in both directions).
Tilting the camera up or down will cause the horizon to
bend and objects at the edges to go with it.
- Select
appropriate film speed for lighting conditions before loading.
This may seem obvious, but when you're limited to 3 shutter
speeds, no focus-ability and an aperture that'll only stop
down to f11, a little planning doesn't go astray.
- Exercise
shutter before loading. This is especially important in
mechanical cameras as the camera can run roughly and cause
banding in the image. This appears as darker strips across
the film and is most commonly seen in older or poorly maintained
Widelux cameras.
- Work as close
as possible to the subject in the foreground. The camera
is much wider than you think! Too often a great panoramic
idea has been wasted by trusting the perspective as seen
in the viewfinder.
- Keep your
fingers out of the shot by holding the camera on the top
& bottom.
- When buying
secondhand (or even new in the case of the Horizon) scanning
panoramic cameras, test them thoroughly, checking for unevenness
of exposure and inaccurate winding spacing and tension.
If possible run a film or two through the camera and be
critical of the results.
Fixed lens panoramic
cameras range from the humble compact or APS camera, right up
to the 6x17 and 6x24cm variety. The resultant quality is almost
as varied as their prices - a factor of as much as 100:1! Personally
I wouldn't bother with either APS or 35mm compact cameras as
they simply crop the normal frame into a panoramic ratio, thereby
losing half or more of the image quality in one fell swoop.
Even 35mm SLR's that offer 'panoramic' facility are of limited
usefulness - you're better off shooting conventional 35mm format
and cropping the image later as much or as little as you like.
The only advantage of the SLR over the compact might be the
quality of lenses and metering.
One exception to the rule (in more ways than one) is the
Hasselblad XPan, a camera that emerged a few years ago from
a company famous for its' medium format SLR system. It's basically
a 35mm rangefinder camera with an extended film plane (24x65mm
- the length of the RB67 neg) and interchangeable lenses capable
of covering the film format. I've been using one of these for
a year or so now and they're great, though not cheap! (after
all, tell me a Hasselblad that is). Read my review on this website.
Moving right along, the next format to consider is 6x12cm. Quite
a jump from the 35mm XPan, the primary contenders in this category
are the Linhof 612 and the Horseman 612SW. Both cameras use
120 film (6 frames per roll), a view camera lens (from 35mm
to 135mm) with a built in shutter and mounted on a helicoid
focussing mount. The Linhof is unusual in that it has a permanent
'shift' built in for architectural photography (you turn the
camera upside down to do a downward shift). The Horseman has
recently come out with shift movements both up and down as well
as horizontally. Some would argue that 6x12cm is too short to
be 'true' panorama, so the Horseman 612SW offers interchangeable
backs with formats 6x7 and 6x9cm as well. I fell in love with
the Horseman 612SW when it was released a few years ago, but
found limited use for its format considering the amount of capital
tied up in it and the difficulty with which its results could
be scanned/printed. On a positive note - both the format and
incredible angle of view make the camera ideal for interior
photography!
The most common 'professional' panoramic format is 6x17cm. The
three brands to watch for are Linhof, Fuji (with an array of
interchangeable lenses) and Art Panorama. The Linhof is the
best known as it's been around forever, while the Fuji 617 came
out ten years ago or so, is much lighter and easier to use.
The Art Panorama is a cheaper alternative allowing the photographer
to mount his/her choice of lenses directly from the view camera
outfit (much cheaper than the helicoid mounted varieties on
offer from everyone else). The camera is really just a box to
wind the film on and for critical composition, a ground glass
can be employed.
The 90mm focal length is most commonly used on the 6x17cm
camera format, offering an angle of view around the same as
that of the 20mm lens on 35mm format. The almost 3:1 ratio is
that of a 'true' panorama and especially suits landscape work.
Four frames per roll might seem a little indulgent, but you
can either use a roll per idea easily (with bracketing or a
couple of viewpoints) or be careful exposing and get four shots
per roll. It's important to remember that you're shooting a
format about as long as 5x7 inch sheet film, so enjoy the ease
of use and affordability for such a large format!
One factor of the immense lens covering power is the accompanying
falloff of light towards the edges. With good quality lenses
such as the Nikkor SW or Super Angulon XL series, this is minimal
(less than 1 stop) and improved with stopping down the lens.
This falloff often benefits the subject, bring the viewer into
the centre of the frame, darkening the corners of the sky. If
this is a problem, you can fit a 'centre-weighted filter' -
basically a graduated neutral density filter that goes in the
place of the UV filter and requires an appropriate increase
in exposure to compensate. These filters aren't cheap, but are
essential with the ultra-wide lenses (35 and 45mm on 6x12) where
falloff it often over the 1.5 stop mark!
In my opinion, there's no reason NOT to use a 6x17 camera.
Easy for me to say, but they're not cheap to own or run and
they weigh as much as an entire 35mm outfit! This aside, you'll
create some really inspiring images with (relative) ease as
everything seems to look good on this format.
Hints for the use of Fixed-Lens panoramic cameras
- Keep an eye on the spirit
level to minimise distortion of parallels.
- Close
lens down at least a couple of stops to minimise fall off
(f11 or f16) to
avoid loss of sharpness (due to diffraction) avoid shooting
at f45 or f64 unless completely necessary.
- Use a tripod - nothing worse
than a beautiful, but not-quite-sharp 17cm length of film.
- Use an element of the foreground
to lead to the background to avoid flat perspective in your
images. This is learnt through experience and shooting as
composing on this format requires a different method than
35mm or medium format.
What Panoramic camera is best for me???
I couldn't decide, so I bought three. As for 'normal' people
(who eat), have a look at what you're most likely to shoot and
hire/borrow a camera for the weekend to get a feel for the format.
None of the cameras I've mentioned are cheap, but some are certainly
no more expensive than a good quality SLR. Here's a summary
of what's available...
Scanning Cameras
Widelux F8 (or earlier models second hand). Great hand-held
travel and landscape camera. Limited shutter speeds, apertures
and lacking any ability to be focussed. Great lens (26mm) and
nice to use. Careful buying second-hand as they're a bugger
to get serviced.
Noblex (various models available and changing all the time).
The 35mm models are sophisticated - even allowing exposure variation
within the frame to compensate for subject illumination. The
120 models (both 6x12 and 6x17) are large and a little cumbersome,
though offer a number of interesting features including a shift
capability.
Horizon 202 is cheap, made in Russia and sounds like one of
those Eastern-block cars that rarely work well (if at all).
Like most Russian cameras, their are fan clubs of eccentric
enthusiasts who wouldn't dare shooting anything vital on the
camera!
Fixed Lens Cameras
Hasselblad XPan - the ultimate
35mm travel camera capable of 24x36 and 24x65mm formats at the
flick of a switch. Available with 45mm and 90mm lenses. Small
and very nice to hold. The only problems are it's lack of a
'true' B setting (shutter cuts out at 30 seconds) and the IR
positioning of film which fogs the rebate of IR film. Not really
very wide (about the same as a 24mm lens on 35mm), but this
in itself can be a blessing...
Linhof 612/617 Cameras - Well made, expensive, workhorses.
Choose your format and sell your house.
Horseman 612SW Camera - Great interior camera available
with lenses from 45mm to 90mm on 6x12cm format. The design is
elegant and compact. Current models offer limited shift capability.
Interchangeable film backs widen the camera's usefulness for
other than panoramic purposes. This is pretty important when
you consider that you can buy a NEW car for the same price as
a basic lens and camera kit!!!
Fuji 617 - A lightweight, slightly cheaper alternative to
Linhof with lenses available up to 300mm utilising an electronic
shutter in each lens. Early models used a 105mm lens prone to
falloff.
Art Panorama 617 - A simple, cheap and heavy beast capable
of 6x12 as well as 6x17 formats with the use of masks at the
film plane. A 6x24cm model is also available and often good
value due to it's unusual format. If you already have a good
90mm lens on your 4x5 camera, consider one of these.
As a final note - it may pay to mention that an alternative
to all this self-indulgent and highly decadent behaviour could
be the use of a 6x12 (or even 6x17) film back on a view camera.
The 35mm equivalent is the 24x56mm film back for Bronica. It
might not be as compact, or good looking as a dedicated panoramic
camera, but it'll give you essentially the same results for
a fraction of the cost with the possibility of camera movements,
Polaroids and a wide range of usable lenses. Hey, maybe I'll
ditch my cameras, but a film back and a house in the south of
France with the change!
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