Plastic Panorama

[Deon]

But why do you insert a mask in the fim chamber? That only makes sense if printing is done at a mediocre lab.
More important is masking or otherwise indicating the aspect ratio in the finder.

I don't crop my images. I like the image to be printed full frame including the rebate edge. I design within the camera not in the darkroom. A black sharpie marks the viewfinder just fine. And, I'm a control freak when it comes to my art. I do all my own lab work.

 

[AgX]

I forgot, you filed the rebates of the mask.

 

[Deon]

Another plastic camera that did a fairly good job is this Ansco Pix Panorama. It's not as wide (don't remember the mm) and overall softer image. Still, they look good!

 

[4season]

Great work, I am impressed and a bit envious because I struggle with panoramic photos!

 

[blockend]

that $10.00 disposable camera did a much better job than the $300.00 Nikon. We sold the Nikon shortly. This started my fascination with disposables...

Some of the cheapest compact cameras are basically disposables with a door in the back. Simple plastic lens, thumbwheel advance, fixed aperture. They usually take surprisingly good pictures.

35mm panoramic cameras were designed for development and printing through high street labs, where the cropped frame required minimum conversion. They could have turned out an equally cheap true panoramic, but it would have required home printing with special masks and 99% of work went through photofinishing labs.

 

[AgX]

Some of the cheapest compact cameras are basically disposables with a door in the back.

And a rewind.

 

[Cholentpot]

Another plastic camera that did a fairly good job is this Ansco Pix Panorama. It's not as wide (don't remember the mm) and overall softer image. Still, they look good! View attachment 221080

I have one of these I've not yet tested. Any good leads on getting the yellow plastic filter? Wish I could find some 85 rated plastic sheets...

 

[Deon]

I have one of these I've not yet tested. Any good leads on getting the yellow plastic filter? Wish I could find some 85 rated plastic sheets...

I pick up FREE sample gel filter books from a cine shop. Every colour imaginable available including diffusion in these free sample books. Very useful!

 

[4season]

I'll try using my Lomo LC-Wide for panoramas - 17mm lens!

 

[Cholentpot]

I pick up FREE sample gel filter books from a cine shop. Every colour imaginable available including diffusion in these free sample books. Very useful!

I must find one of these mythical shoppes I've heard about. Free stuff? The only free I ever get is guitar picks from Samuel Ashkynase's Music Emporium.

 

[Daire Quinlan]

Ah, Deon, you might have been partly responsible for a brief B&W panorama obsession of mine, along with a copy of Koudelka's Chaos I picked up in a thrift shop one afternoon. AF600, Switchable panorama cameras from Nikon, surprisingly good quality 28mm lens, don't know if that would be a pro or a con for you :-D One downside is poor build quality, or at least poor enough that my habitual casual treatment has totalled 2 of them so far. I used to also tape some yellow filter material over the lens. I was pretty happy with the outcome. Funny thing was that I originally almost derided the idea of cropped 35mm panorama, but it does kind of ... grow on you.

complete set here including colour for the intrigued https://www.flickr.com/search/?user...ate-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=af600 panorama

 

[Cholentpot]

Ah, Deon, you might have been partly responsible for a brief B&W panorama obsession of mine, along with a copy of Koudelka's Chaos I picked up in a thrift shop one afternoon. AF600, Switchable panorama cameras from Nikon, surprisingly good quality 28mm lens, don't know if that would be a pro or a con for you :-D One downside is poor build quality, or at least poor enough that my habitual casual treatment has totalled 2 of them so far. I used to also tape some yellow filter material over the lens. I was pretty happy with the outcome. Funny thing was that I originally almost derided the idea of cropped 35mm panorama, but it does kind of ... grow on you.

complete set here including colour for the intrigued https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=31589949@N00&sort=date-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=af600 panorama

Nice work!

Always keep in mind that movies are shot on half-frame or smaller. 2 perf was used in more than a few movies. Good enough for hollywood is good enough for me.

 

[Inayat Noor]

Are there any 35mm slr's that have replaceable viewfinders, i.e. one with a grid. That way one could compose a pano using the gridlines with multiple lenses.

 

[AgX]

You do not need replacable finders, but replacable screens.

 

[Inayat Noor]

So I can get a replacement screen for my Nikon F2A?

Thanks

 

[Jerevan]

So I can get a replacement screen for my Nikon F2A?

Thanks

Yes, there is a number of them, see https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf2/screens/index.htm for an extensive list.

 

[Cholentpot]

Are there any 35mm slr's that have replaceable viewfinders, i.e. one with a grid. That way one could compose a pano using the gridlines with multiple lenses.

You can do what I did. I put tape over the lens until I masked off what I wanted too. Worked very well honestly. It's an SLR so you see what the lens sees.

 

[Daire Quinlan]

You can do what I did. I put tape over the lens until I masked off what I wanted too. Worked very well honestly. It's an SLR so you see what the lens sees.

How would tape over the lens work ? Surely that would just act as an oddly shaped aperture ?

 

[AgX]

With the masked/marked finder screen though one easily can change lenses without to prepare all.
However one still gets a full frame exposure and has to set the aspect ratio after processing the film, unless having mounted a resp. mask in the image gate, which can be tricky due to the immideate proximity to the focal plane shutter.

 

[Cholentpot]

How would tape over the lens work ? Surely that would just act as an oddly shaped aperture ?

This photo which I shared above.

It was taken on a Promaster 2500PK Super K mount. I had a 28 2.8 Vivitar lens mounted and I taped over the lens.

Here's the uncropped negative

 

[BlueWind]

Let me presen to you the the crappiest of the crappy "panoramic" plastic cameras
Details here

https://public.fotki.com/BlueWind/meikai-panarama-camera/

Regards
Joao

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Amazingly good and creative work here.

...
Before the C3 I used a Spirit SP Panorama plastic fantastic but I was never happy with the lens.

...

That's nice. The colors make it look like a post card from the 1950's.

 

[Cholentpot]

Amazingly good and creative work here.



That's nice. The colors make it look like a post card from the 1950's.

Was my last few rolls of Ferrania. I learned to love it after it was all gone...

 

[ProgramPlus]

This thread got me interested in these one time use panoramic cameras, but seems like they are pretty hard to find. The other cameras listed earlier in the thread as being decent panoramic cameras are not exactly cheap either.

 

[Jerevan]

I picked up a no-name plastic panorama camera with a 28 mm lens - still waiting for the post to deliver it. As often, the price of the shipping is tenfold the price of the camera itself.

EDIT: It arrived, and with a "manual" even. Well, the folded paper says that it is a 28 mm, f:9.6 lens. Roughly indicates where the panorama is in the viewfinder. Loaded it up for a test roll.