Looking for a pano for a week

PerfectOptics · Jun 28, 2007

Hi everyone.

This summer I'm taking a trip to north carolina (from maryland) and i'd like to rent or barrow a panoramic film camera. Something 6x12, 6x17 or maybe an XPan...

I havent been able to find one really, so I was wondering if anyone has one who lives between here and there, or knows of a place to rent one for a week or so.

I'm usually shooting digital professionally, and I'm getting a little nostalgic for the film days. I figure i'd like to rent something unusual ive never used before.

Thanks,
-John

Mitica100 · Jun 29, 2007

Hi John, first a warm welcome aboard. A panoramic camera, huh?

The only one here at TPF that I know had a pan is Ksmattfish. You can look him up on the user listing and fire a PM to him. He might be able to hep you. Good luck.

PerfectOptics · Jun 29, 2007

Thanks, unfortunately he is based out of kansas, so that most likely wont be feasible...

ksmattfish · Jul 3, 2007

If you can't find a medium format pano cam to rent, you might have better luck finding a 4x5 field camera with either a 6x12 or 6x17 roll film back, or do what I often do, crop from 4x5 sheet film.

You can probably purchase a 4x5 Speed Graphic with a press lens for $200ish. If you are cropping to 6cm x 12cm you'd be cropping off most of the issues (if any) with the press lens.

PerfectOptics · Jul 5, 2007

THanks for the advice. One of the reasons I want an Xpan is for the ultrawide FOV, which I unfortunately wouldnt get by cropping 4x5.

Right now I'm trying to pano-vize a disposable camera, and replace the plastic f11 aperture with an f90 pinhole. The high aperture should elevate the bad vignetting, i'm hoping to get a wicked sharp image, the equivalent of 15 mpxls. I built an f90 lens out of a disposable camera before and put it on a fuji s3 and got at least a 3mpxl image...

ksmattfish · Jul 6, 2007

PerfectOptics said:
THanks for the advice. One of the reasons I want an Xpan is for the ultrawide FOV, which I unfortunately wouldnt get by cropping 4x5.

Why not? A 90mm lens on cropped 4x5 format should have a slightly wider FOV than the Xpan 45mm lens.