Cameras for Panoramas

Cameras suitable for photographing panoramas come in several categories.

Wide view cameras

To the purest, these are not true panoramas; more an extended wide-angle image.
There are specialist cameras for this format.

6 x 17 is considered the industry standard for such panoramic work. It is also the television wide-screen format.
Several images can be taken with these cameras and then stitch together to make a grand panoramic view.

Fuji Panorama G617

• The Fuji Panorama camera uses 120 or 220 film.
• The panoramas are 6cm x 17cm so you get a large image and superb quality.
• Interchangeable lenses are 90mm, 105mm, 180mm and 300mm, with separate clip-on viewfinders.
• In spite of its size, the camera is easy to handle and is strong and durable.

• The XPan is specially designed for wide format.
• It uses 35mm film and will shoot in two formats - standard 35 mm and panorama format of 24mm x 65mm.
• Changing from one to the other is by a simple twist of a knob and there is no waste of film between changes.
• It is a rangefinder camera and therefore is very quiet.
• Three interchangeable lenses are available with focal lengths of 35mm, 45mm and 90mm.
• The viewfinder adjusts as the lens and formats are changed.
• Other features include auto bracketing, auto film transport and multi-exposure option.
• Hasselblad quality and Hasselblad prices.

• The famous make of Linhof has a range of 3 panoramic cameras.
• They all take 120 or 220 film.
  
• The 612 has an aspect ratio of 2:1 with 58mm and 135mm lenses.
• The Linhof Technorama 617 is more panoramic with a ratio of 3:1.
• The excellent Schneider lenses are 72mm, 90mm, 180mm and 250mm focal lengths, and each has its own viewfinder.
• The body is die-cast and very strong.
• The 617 also comes as an outdoors version.
• This version requires no batteries and there is a choice of four colours; perhaps it is mainly meant as a fashion accessory.

Swing lens cameras

• The Noblex has a lens which rotates a full 360 degrees. The first portion is to gather speed and the image covers 145 degrees.
• The lens is recessed in the revolving drum. It is a strong camera made of aircraft strength aluminium.
• There are several models in the range for both 35mm and roll films.
• The 120 cameras have an image size of 6cm x 17cm.
• The 175 UX model also has a shift lens.
• There is a large range of filter accessories.

Noblex cameras

• The Russian-made Horizon 202 swing lens camera gives an angle of view of 120 degrees and a film frame size of 24mm x 58mm.
• Swing lens cameras have the film on a curved plane, thus eliminating distortion.
• The lens views the scene through a slit. As a result, the exposure is made with the centre of the lens, giving better quality.
• The built-in spirit level can be seen in the viewfinder.
• Shutter speeds go from 1/2 to 1/250 second and there is a good range of apertures.
• Accessories include a pistol grip and three filters. Price is modest.

• The Widelux has been around for a long time and although no longer in production, it remains a good second-hand buy.
• It is a basic swing lens panoramic and produces a wide format image measuring 24 X 60mm on 35mm film.
• The angle of view is 140 degrees.
  
• There is a built-in spirit level.
• Shutter is mechanical, so no batteries are required.
• The viewfinder covers the whole angle of view and the lens is fixed-focus.
• The Model 1500 takes 120 film with an angle of view of 150 degrees.

• The Widepan Pro II will take 120 or 220 film giving an image size of 55mm x 110mm.
• In fact it is two cameras in one because a 35mm adaptor will give a image size of 24mm x 110mm.
• The mechanical shutter only has three speeds but the aperture range is good.
• There is a good set of neutral density and coloured filters, plus the bonus of 3 close-up filters.

Rotating cameras

The Globuscope 360 is of modern compact design.
It is fairly light and can be comfortably hand-held.
Taking 35mm it has a 25mm wide-angle lens.
Rotation speed is just one second.

A web-link to Globuscope cameras seems to be hard to find at the moment.

The Roundshot range is Swiss-made and it includes 35mm and 120 film models.
The 28/220 model looks similar to the Globuscope, being hand-held and versatile.
The Super 35 model takes lenses from 13mm to 300mm and Shift lenses.
The computer control enables it to shoot in 5 modes, including panorama, movie and stereo.
Roundshot cameras

Hulcher make a reknown 35mm rapid sequence camera, and the Hulcherama comes from this stable.
Using 120 and 220 film it takes the full 360 degrees.
With a choice of lenses, exposure is controlled by the size of the viewing slit and the speed of the rotation.
Hulcher cameras

The Kaidan 360 One VR is one of new breed of digital panorama cameras, although this unit is an accessory rather than an actual camera.
It is an optical unit which will attach to a large range of digital cameras.
The Kaidan views the full panorama and the camera photographs it as a doughnut shaped image.
The system's own software, PhotoWrap, unwraps the image to a standard panorama which can be played on QuickTime VR and others.
The price is modest compared with many cameras and a good way to take digital panos.
Kaidan cameras

The Panoscan digital panorama camera gives a high quality full 360 degrees image with no stitching.
They can be viewed as full panos or as virtual reality movies.
Lenses are the Mamiya 645.
The system and software are designed with BetterLight, makers of high-end scanning cameras.
The Panoscan will also take infra-red and ultra-violet images - and burn a hole in your pocket.
Panoscan cameras

The Spherocam is another of the new quality digital panoramics.
The camera rotates on an axis and everything is controlled by the notebook computer it must be attached to.
No stiching necessary, nor any distortion or colour aberations, just a good 48 bit file to work on.
Spheron cameras

These rotating cameras produce excellent results with the minimum of fuss. One of them is likely to be an ideal choice for anyone serious about panoramas. Well designed, hand-built, precision engineering, small production runs all mean a high price. This puts some of them in the professional category or rich people's toys.



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Making Panoramas
Photomerge
The Nodal Point
Tripod heads for panoramas
Software for panoramas

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