Panos with a folder?

[henryvk]

I don’t quite understand how shooting a strip of 35mm film in a 120 film folder creates a panorama picture since the taking lens remains the same. How would this differ from simply cropping the top and bottom from a 120 negative?
Rollei made a 35mm film adapter for TLR cameras, but that just meant that you were then shooting 35 with a long 80mm lens. What am I missing here?

Yeah, you are capturing a 9 cm wide 35 mm negative, the same as 6x9 cropped to 24 mm height.

 

[Dustin McAmera]

Exactly as you say (and as I said earlier), it's not a proper panorama if you do this as described above with an old box or folder. The reason for doing it is largely the joy of tinkering; because you can. That's reason enough if it makes you happy. Other reasons I can think of:

• 35mm film is available in more varieties and more places than 120; and lots more than 127.
• Some people can't develop 120 (and again, even less can develop 127).
• Some people get a perverse pleasure from having sprocket holes and frame numbers intrude on their picture (not me: I framed my scans to leave that stuff out).

I thought about trying this with my Century Graphic, because you can swap out the lens. That would give me the 90 (actually about 84) x 24 mm frame, and I could use a lens like a 65mm that's wide on the full frame. I'm not sure if the 35mm cassette would fit in the roll film backs, or how the film would fare; the film gets wound inside-out round the insert. Without backing paper it might scratch. As you say, I could just do it on 120 film and crop, and get the same picture (technically much better, I'm sure).

 

[grain elevator]

Additional advantage of cropping the 120 frame: you can get a bit of shift by using a strip from the bottom.

 

[KitosLAB]

I don’t quite understand how shooting a strip of 35mm film in a 120 film folder creates a panorama picture since the taking lens remains the same. How would this differ from simply cropping the top and bottom from a 120 negative?
Rollei made a 35mm film adapter for TLR cameras, but that just meant that you were then shooting 35 with a long 80mm lens. What am I missing here?

It is no different from simple framing. This is a simple cropping, unless it is possible with the image on the perforation. Many point-and-shoot cameras are equipped with such a pseudo-panorama function, they simply close the shutters at the top and bottom. My photo was taken on a 127 camera, it does not require adapters for 35mm. This is not a scan, just a photo of a negative on a mobile phone.

 

[snusmumriken]

I don’t quite understand how shooting a strip of 35mm film in a 120 film folder creates a panorama picture since the taking lens remains the same. How would this differ from simply cropping the top and bottom from a 120 negative?
Rollei made a 35mm film adapter for TLR cameras, but that just meant that you were then shooting 35 with a long 80mm lens. What am I missing here?

I could be wrong, because I have never handled a true pano camera, nor seriously researched them, but doesn’t the Xpan use a wide lens designed to cover a larger format and mask out all but the central horizontal strip?

 

[Dustin McAmera]

Yes! Unless you use a swinging lens, it would be harder to design a lens that covered a yard wide and only an inch tall, wouldn't it? Lenses have image circles.

The XPan or equivalently Fuji TX-1 or 2, has interchangeable lenses; originally 45mm f/4, 90mm f/4 and 30mm f/5.6. It makes images 65x24mm, or standard 36x24, and you can swap between the formats at any time.

Fujifilm TX-1 - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia

camera-wiki.org

 

[IMetodiev]

I've done the reused backing paper trick, with two strips of 35mm alongside each other, it's another level of fun

 

[Axelwik]

Not worth the trouble in my opinion. If I need a pano from a camera like that I'd simply shoot 120 and then crop the image. May be better because you'll have more of a choice of where to crop in case of framing errors.

For 6x17 I do something similar - either shoot a full 5x7" sheet and crop where I want later, or use a modified dark slide to get two 6x17 images on one sheet of 5x7. No need at all for a special 6x17 camera or rollfilm back since all I shoot in those formats is B & W, for which there are still enough emulsions for my needs. If I were shooting 6x17 in color that would be a different story, but there still are some color emulsions that come available for 5x7.

 

[Jeremy Mudd]

I've never shot 35mm in a folder before but I have done it many times in a Holga where a red window is also used for advancing. I just measured that it took 1.5 turns of the knob to advance it to the next frame and marked the top of the knob with two different colored marks opposite each other, and a mark on the body. I then use those for reference to count the number of half turns. It's close, the gap does get a little wider by the end as the 120 take-up spool gets more film on it. It's not much though, and easier than trying to use a sliding scale regarding number of wind clicks.


Film curl might be a worry for me, especially with older film that's been spooled for awhile. I do shoot a lot of 35mm panos in my RB67 Pro SD and now use a 3d-printed gate on the front of the back that replaces the 6x7 gate and only exposes about 26mm x 68mm of film and keeps it flat. This seems to work the best for me, and in conjuction with a mask for the viewfinder, allows for easy composition and shooting in pano format. The different film stocks available in 35mm, especially slow films like SVEMA MZ3, makes this a fun way to shoot panos. Of course when I need something larger with more detail I'll drag out my GX617.

 

[Donald Qualls]

a 3d-printed gate on the front of the back that replaces the 6x7 gate

Do you have a link for the .stl file(s) for that? I've been meaning to design one, but...

 

[Jeremy Mudd]

Do you have a link for the .stl file(s) for that? I've been meaning to design one, but...

I cheated and bought one already made from these guys:

RB-67 Back Conversions

135 Panoramic Back Conversion Kit Mercury has produced a special modification of the Mamiya RB67 Pro, Pro-S, or Pro-SD medium format back to allow it to accept standard 135 (35mm) film cartridges. …

mercurycamera.com

 

[Donald Qualls]

these guys:

The wording in the included part of their ad seems worrying...

 

[Jeremy Mudd]

The wording in the included part of their ad seems worrying...

Yeah I saw that, its weird. Its not on the page. Must be in the SEO data in the page. Someone didn't do a good job when they created it. That said the film gate I bought from them is good and viagra free.
My only problem with it is the "limp" flimsy darkslide. The thickness is correct but the material seems floppier than the stock RB67 darkslide. It's sometimes hard to insert and get aligned properly. I may cut a new one from an older RB67 dark slide.

 

[koraks]

The wording in the included part of their ad seems worrying...

Oops. I've sent them a message to inform them of the probable security breach on their website.

 

[Donald Qualls]

probable security breach on their website.

No doubt. And since I'm on my work computer at the moment, I'll refrain from following the link. Mercury was just here, though, announcing their new 6x6 stereo camera with user selectable lenses...