Horizon 202

[thebanana]

I just picked up one of these cheap off Craigslist. It looks virtually unused. I'm in the process of running some colour film through it, but wonder about processing. I'm guessing that the frame size will be different that that of regular 35mm cameras (Yes? No?) so I should tell the lab not to cut the negs? Or, will the lab cut them correctly (I'm not sure how automated that process is). Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

 

[butterflydream]

The format size is 24x58mm.

 

[mabman]

I looked into these a while ago - I believe the negative length is (or is almost) 60mm, so no, they shouldn't cut it for you automatically at the regular 36mm length

I'd consider one of these if I could find a working one reasonably cheaply, but they seem to have become popular with the lomography crowd, which pushes the prices up.

 

[David Brown]

... they seem to have become popular with the lomography crowd ...

But they take much better pictures. (IMO)

I'm guessing that the frame size will be different that that of regular 35mm cameras.

Yep, tell the lab to not cut the negs. You'll also notice that you don't get 36 frames - more like 20 +/-. BTW - when you get to that point and it seems suddenly harder to advance to the next frame - you're done!!! Don't force it!

 

[Karl K]

Tell your lab: DO NOT CUT.
I've had one for about four years. Difficult to load properly in the field. You may experience "banding" in evenly exposed areas, such as a gray sky. Hold it level unless you want dramatic curvature. Noisy. Cumbersome. Spacing between negs may be inconsistent. Yet, I love mine and wouldn't part with it. I last shot inside the old Supreme Court during a tour of the Capitol Building in DC. Some German tourist behind me asked me if it was digital.

 

[Tony Egan]

I had one for about 6 months and didn't like any of the shots I took so we parted ways. Very prone to flaring/light "spraying" if any direct light source hits the lens during rotation. Did you get the tiny filter set as well? Inserting and removing them was a fun exercise!

 

[DBP]

I love mine dearly. A few tips:

1. Tell the lab not to cut the negs. Tell them several times.
2. Keep the rewind button pushed in while loading and use the rewind knob and advance knob to get the film flat before closing the back. This will usually eliminate spacing issues.
3. Check the lens for spots, as these will show up as horizontal lines on the negatives.
4. Watch out for the sun, the lens flares badly.

Here's proof that you can even shoot action with one.

 

[thebanana]

Thanks for the tips! Much appreciated.

ps, I did not get the filter set with the camera, although it seems to me that they would be way too small for my clumsy hands to manipulate easily.

 

[Colin Corneau]

I just got an Xpan -- between that and my old Widelux, we have this town covered.

 

[MattKing]

I just got an Xpan -- between that and my old Widelux, we have this town covered.

And in Manitoba, that means wide!

Matt

 

[Jersey Vic]

great camera..very sharp and it provides a very interesting perspective what with the rotation and 28mm lens. Quite unique.
And it's 20 or 21 frames. Don't try for 22 unless you bring a changing bag or a darkroom.

 

[gordrob]

For colour I have Costco "develop only" and not cut the film for $2 a roll. B&W I do myself. They are a fun camera to use but watch that it is kept level.

Gord

 

[thebanana]

I just got an Xpan -- between that and my old Widelux, we have this town covered.

Sounds like a good reason for a trip to Spirit Sands!

 

[Colin Corneau]

Shoot off!!!

 

[srs5694]

FWIW, although I don't have a Horizon (or any other panoramic camera), one's been on my "wish list" for a while. I did some checking on processing a while back, and the labs I asked about it said that they couldn't handle the format properly. No doubt they'd develop the film into negatives, but getting prints would be a problem. Given the format size (24x58mm), in a home darkroom you'd need an enlarger capable of handling medium format (6x6), but set up to mask out part of the frame. I'm sure there are commercial photofinishers who can handle the format properly, but you might need to ask around to find one that's either local to you or that'll do mail-order processing.

 

[David Brown]

in a home darkroom you'd need an enlarger capable of handling medium format (6x6), but set up to mask out part of the frame.

6x6, yes. But the simplest solution is a neg carrier for the 24x58 negs. Some enlargers (Omega D's, for instance) have a carrier available for the Xpan size, which is just a bit longer, but would do. Or, if one is the least bit handy with tools, get a standard 35mm carrier and cut/drill/file the opening to the correct proportions.

 

[srs5694]

Concerning enlarger needs, I was thinking more in terms of lens and condensers or diffusion boxes. Creating a negative carrier of the right size can be done pretty easily, by contrast. (I made a negative carrier insert for 126-format film out of paper, for instance.) That said, it's nice to know that somebody makes an "official" negative carrier for panoramic format!

 

[Colin Corneau]

David's got a great point; I've probably belaboured the point but I custom cut an Omega metal neg carrier very easily...Monsieur Banana, I'd be happy to help you out with this if you like. I print my B&W Widelux negs all the time with this at our local gallery. Any lab in town can just develop only and not cut the negs if you specifically ask.

 

[Mick Fagan]

Bought mine new in 1994, one of my better purchases. It does have some interesting quirks, but then the swinging lens bit is a quirk, compared to most cameras I know of.

In the slow speed rotation in cold weather, and I mean cold around and below 0ºC, I do get slight banding. However if I switch to the high speed rotation setting, I don't get any banding, regardless of the temperature.

I have a LASER cut steel plate set made for the neg carrier of my DeVere 504, brilliant, but heavy.

I have put about 400 rolls of film through, so far so good. I only use colour and B&W negative film, any negative that has the sun at one end and shadow at the other, requires burning in and/or dodging for a consistent print.

There are a couple of examples in my gallery, one of which shows straight lines being bowed up, by tilting the camera down.

Mick.