For Sale 6x17 Panoramic Film Camera: 304 Stainless Frame & 3D Printed PC,PETG Body

Hi everyone,

We’re two industrial designers based in California who genuinely love shooting film.
We just launched our first camera online yesterday, a 6x17 panoramic film camera called Sasquatch 617. We wanted to share it here with the community.

This started as a very personal project. We always wanted an XPan, but the price was well beyond what we could afford. Since we already had a 3D printer at home, we decided to try building our own 6x17 camera. After shooting with it for a while and continuing to refine the design, we felt this was something worth sharing with other film shooters.

The Sasquatch 617 is built around a 304 stainless steel frame, with the body made from 3D-printed PC and PETG parts. It includes a helicoid with marked focusing distances. Depending on the version, optional accessories include a magnetic viewfinder, magnetic shutter release cable, and lens cover (included with the Bundle and Summit Edition).

The camera was designed and tested around the Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon 90mm f/8 and the Nikon Nikkor SW 90mm f/8. We tested five of those lenses in total, and the shutters that have been verified are Copal #0 and Synchro-Compur.

All finishing and assembly are done by hand, so minor cosmetic marks can be present on the stainless steel or 3D-printed parts. The stainless steel may also show brushed textures or patterns that differ from photos.

We’re based in California, USA, and do ship internationally. The camera is available in three versions:

• Sasquatch 617
• Sasquatch 617 Bundle
• Sasquatch 617 Summit Edition

Pricing is $529 / $579 / $629 (shipping not included).

For anyone interested, more detailed information, photos, and specs are available on our website here:

thesasquatchcamera.com

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Happy to discuss the design or shooting experience.

Thanks for taking a look!

This looks great! It's nice to see a project like this that's using metal as much as you are. It's not clear to me from the website what the difference between the bundle and summit edition is?

armadsen said:

This looks great! It's nice to see a project like this that's using metal as much as you are. It's not clear to me from the website what the difference between the bundle and summit edition is?

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Thank you! The Summit Edition is functionally the same camera as the standard version, but with a few material and finish upgrades. The cap logo and camera logo are black instead of red, and the front lens cover and rear door panel are reinforced with stainless steel instead of the 3D-printed parts.

Your page showing all 3 cameras is a bit confusing since the camera on the left has a lens. I know you state elsewhere sold without lens but first look is confusing. And does the basic camera come with a lens cover?
And on the lens cover, I have a 6x17 made by CCB and no big cone covering the lens. I carry my camera in a bag so it is protected. Your cover seem to me to be not needed.
just my 2 cents

Congratulations!

Very cool, im tempted. The only thing id love and would make it a will buy is a 6x12 mask and opening for 6x12 numbers. I love the stainless on it, and it is a great looking camera.

Shaps said:

Your page showing all 3 cameras is a bit confusing since the camera on the left has a lens. I know you state elsewhere sold without lens but first look is confusing. And does the basic camera come with a lens cover?
And on the lens cover, I have a 6x17 made by CCB and no big cone covering the lens. I carry my camera in a bag so it is protected. Your cover seem to me to be not needed.
just my 2 cents

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Thanks for the feedback! I agree the shop page can look confusing. we’ll probably add some explanations there.

The basic camera does not include a lens cover.

Personally, I often take the camera out on short walks without a bag, so having a lens cover has been nice for me. But I also agree it’s not something everyone needs.

That a great idea and I already have the lens that would work with it. Not looking to go beyond 6x9 at this point, but yours would be a solid choice if I did! I'll have to keep it in mind.

I would definitely be interested in this - what other lenses were tested?

popdoc said:

Congratulations!

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Thank you!

rkmiec said:

Very cool, im tempted. The only thing id love and would make it a will buy is a 6x12 mask and opening for 6x12 numbers. I love the stainless on it, and it is a great looking camera.

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Thanks! I actually thought about doing 6x12, but wasn't sure if anyone would actually want it. Good to know.

loccdor said:

That a great idea and I already have the lens that would work with it. Not looking to go beyond 6x9 at this point, but yours would be a solid choice if I did! I'll have to keep it in mind.

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Thank you!

corposant said:

I would definitely be interested in this - what other lenses were tested?

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To be honest, we haven't hands-on tested every lens out there. We mainly designed it based on size charts, and the only ones we’ve personally confirmed are the Super Angulon 90mm f8 and the Nikon Nikkor SW 90mm f8.

That said, some early users have been sharing their results. For example, the Schneider 90mm f5.6 doesn't fit because the rear element is just too wide. We also heard the Caltar II -N 90mm f6.8 has some focusing issues, so we're looking into that right now to see if we can find a fix.

The Sasquatch Camera said:

Thanks! I actually thought about doing 6x12, but wasn't sure if anyone would actually want it. Good to know.

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FWIW, 6x12 means that you can use the film in 4x5 enlargers ...........
6x17 means you need the much more rare 5x7 enlargers.

For me, 6x9 is convenient because it matches the aspect ratio of my digitization camera's sensor. 6x17 will be good for people with a solid image stitching setup (or the appropriate scanner & holders). My old Epson only had a holder that went up to about 6x13.

Looks very tempting. Is there anywhere to attach a bubble level?

6x17 is easy to scan on the Epson 7xx or 8xx series scanners, or you can get the DigitaLIZA 120 film scanning mask and use your digital camera to capture 6x17 frames...

My only suggestion I would have now that I've taken a more detailed look is maybe a ground glass to verify the focus markings on the helicoid. The industrial design is pretty cool.

Well, I ordered one.

MattKing said:

FWIW, 6x12 means that you can use the film in 4x5 enlargers ...........
6x17 means you need the much more rare 5x7 enlargers.

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Ah, that makes sense. So 6x17 really is the rarer path lol

loccdor said:

For me, 6x9 is convenient because it matches the aspect ratio of my digitization camera's sensor. 6x17 will be good for people with a solid image stitching setup (or the appropriate scanner & holders). My old Epson only had a holder that went up to about 6x13.

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Yeah, that’s a really fair point. Definitely something to consider. Thanks!

hardly any color said:

Looks very tempting. Is there anywhere to attach a bubble level?

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We don't currently have a specific place to attach a bubble level, but if you want to, the top and bottom surface are flat enough to make a custom level mount.

corposant said:

My only suggestion I would have now that I've taken a more detailed look is maybe a ground glass to verify the focus markings on the helicoid. The industrial design is pretty cool.

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Yeah, totally agree. the ground glass question comes up a lot.
It’s definitely something worth considering. Thanks for the feedback, and glad you like the design.

hardly any color said:

Well, I ordered one.

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Oh, that was you! Just shipped it out today.
Hope you enjoy shooting with it. Really appreciate the support!!

The Sasquatch Camera said:

We don't currently have a specific place to attach a bubble level, but if you want to, the top and bottom surface are flat enough to make a custom level mount.


Oh, that was you! Just shipped it out today.
Hope you enjoy shooting with it. Really appreciate the support!!

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yes, it was me. I realized I have a lens I can use and the bubble level is solved with a double sided tape.

hardly any color said:

yes, it was me. I realized I have a lens I can use and the bubble level is solved with a double sided tape.

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Haha, double-sided tape solves everything.

This actually made me think about making a bubble level accessory.

The Sasquatch Camera said:

Haha, double-sided tape solves everything.

This actually made me think about making a bubble level accessory.

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everything not solved with duct tape or wd40.

easier to just add a cold shoe on the top plate. almost everyone who will buy this camera has a matching bubble level. you can probably get them in bulk bulk for a dollar each.

hardly any color said:

everything not solved with duct tape or wd40.

easier to just add a cold shoe on the top plate. almost everyone who will buy this camera has a matching bubble level. you can probably get them in bulk bulk for a dollar each.

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Yeah, that’s a solid idea.
Adding a cold shoe would mean making a hole on the metal frame though, so we’ll need to think about how to do it without messing up the design.