Panoramic Cameras

Panoramic Cameras allow the photographer to create images with a wide field of view. The capable field of view of a panoramic camera can be compared to that of the human eye which can view about 160˚ by 75˚, while maintaining detail across the entire image. The general way to classify a panoramic camera is by a 2:1 ratio which means that the image has a width 2 times the height. There are two types of panoramic cameras which are the Linhof Technorama 617s III and the Lomographic Horizon Kompakt Rotating Lens 35mm.

Types of Panoramic Cameras:

Linhof Technorama 617s III

The Linhof Technorama 617s III camera has a 3:1 ratio (the image has a width 3 times the height) which can make 4 exposures of 6x17cm images on 120 roll film or 8 exposures of 6x7cm images on 220 roll film. The Technorama has four interchangeable lenses (72mm, 90mm, 180mm, and a Tele-Arton S 250mm) which produce a large format quality. There are also lenses that fix the parallax problem that many cameras have trouble correcting. The Technorama is ideal for shooting architectural, industrial, landscapes, and aerial photographs.

Lomographic Horizon Kompakt Rotating Lens 35m

The Lomographic Horizon Kompakt Rotating Lens 35mm camera has a double-wide angle of view which fills two full 35mm frames. A disadvantage to using a Horizon is that the format for an image is 24x58mm, which requires professional processing which is expensive and inconvenient. A unique feature of the Horizon is the swing lens technology. The camera has a rotating lens which swings from side to side and has a narrow vertical slit between the lens and film that rotates along with it to expose the film as the lens moves. Another good feature about the camera is that the film plane is curved so that the film is tight and the image maintains an equal distance from the lens.

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Types of Medium Format Cameras

Twin Lens Reflex Cameras

Seagull GC-104

The Seagull GC-104 has a lightweight design which consists of a waist-level finder with a pop-up magnifier, manual film wind advance and separate shutter speed and aperature levers and comes equipped with a built-in 75mm f/3.5 Seagull lens. There are some great features about this camera; for instance, it shoots in a 6x6cm format, the camera is supplied with a 6x4.5cm format mask which fits inside the camera and allows the photographer to obtain 16 exposures from 120 film. Another good camera feature is the mechanical lens shutter is designed to provide a flash synchronization at all speeds up to 1/3000 second and has a bulb exposure as well.

Rolleiflex 4.0 FW

The Rolleiflex 4.0 FW uses a 6x6cm format and has more than 4x the area of a 35mm camera. Instead of using a typical viewfinder, the Rolleiflex uses a ground-glass focusing system which gives a larger format feel when looking through the camera. The Rolleiflex also features a fold-away crank that moves the film with a quick swinging motion, while simultaneously cocking the shutter and advancing the frame counter. There are other features such as film speed adjustment that ranges from 25-6400 ISO, a cable release socket, high performance 50mm f/4.0 wide-angle lens, parallax correction, and interchangeable focusing screens.

Single Lens Reflex Cameras

Hasselblad 503CW

The Hasselblad 503CW has a compact, lightweight design with a built-in flash metering system, and is good for studio or location photography. Some other features of the Hasselblad are they have an acute-matte “D” focusing screen with microprism and split-image rangefinder spot and a gliding mirror system, which works well with longer lenses.



35mm Camera


The Nikon FM2 is just an example of a 35mm camera but there are many other types designed by Canon and Minolta. In particular, the Nikon 35mm cameras, have shutter speeds that range from 1 second to 1/4000 of a second including the bulb exposure as well. A 35mm camera is a good back-up camera because it is compact, light weight, battery powered, and can be taken outside of a studio easily.

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Medium Format Cameras

Medium format cameras are not too big and not too small so it makes it easier to take to different locations without carrying a lot of bulky equipment. Medium format cameras use 35mm lenses but can use long lenses and high speed lenses with autofocus and produce exceptional image quality. There are two types of medium format cameras which are the twin lens reflex cameras and the single lens reflex cameras.

Twin Lens Reflex Cameras

One type of Medium Format Camera is called a Twin Lens Reflex Camera which means that there are two lenses, with the same focal length, mounted in the front of the camera body. One lens takes the picture while the other lens is the viewfinder. The viewfinder has a 45 degree mirror, a matte focusing screen at the top of the camera, and a pop-up hood surrounding it. A disadvantage of using a twin lens reflex camera is that the photographer views through one lens but takes the photograph through another; parallax error makes the photograph different from the view on the screen. This error would not be noticeable if the subject is far away but highly noticeable for close-up subjects. This also makes viewing the depth of field in an image very hard. An advantage of using a twin lens reflex camera is they use leaf shutter which decreases the noise during an exposure. Typically these types of cameras uses 120 roll of film with square 6x6 cm images. There are two types of Twin Lens Reflex Cameras such as the Seagull GC-104 and the Rolleiflex 4.0 FW.

Single Lens Reflex Cameras

Another type of Medium Format Camera is called a Single Lens Reflex Camera which means that there is only one lens which allows the photographer to see exactly what will be captured on the film through the lens. Single lens reflex cameras use a pentaprism situated above the optical path through the lens to the film plane for direct viewing. The way the pentaprism works is light is reflected by a movable mirror upwards into it where is reflected several times until it aligns with the viewfinder. Then when the shutter is released the mirror moves out of the way of the light and exposes the film. There are two types of Single Lens Reflex Cameras such as the Hasselblad 503CW and the 35mm style.

Types of Large Format Cameras

Toyo Field 45AX Pro Field Camera

The Toyo Field 45AX Pro Field Camera is a type of large format camera that very closely resembles the Toyo-View 45A II 4x5 Field Camera, which is an older model. Field Cameras use bellows instead of using a wooden box. Bellows resemble an accordion in the way that they fold back into themselves. The bellows reduce the bulk of the cameras and make it easier to take the cameras outside of the studio. The Toyo Field 45AX camera is equipped with a standard, reversible 4x5 Graflok back, which was enhanced from the older model to economize on weight and cost. The entire weight of the 45AX is less than 6 lbs., which makes it portable and light weight but rugged because of the metal construction of the body of the camera. Another benefit for using the 45AX is image control. The front part of the camera raises, swings, tilts, and shifts while the back tilts and swings as well. These controls allow for correction of distortion, adjustments of depth of field, and use selective focus to manipulate an image.

Santa Barbara Baltic Birch 4x5 Pinhole Camera

The Santa Barbara Baltic Birch 4x5 Pinhole Camera is another type of large format camera that is basically a light-proof box constructed of different woods. A Pinhole Camera is just as it sounds, a tiny hole about 1/64” or smaller drilled in the front panel. The shutter is small metal plate the swings up and down to begin and end the exposure. It also has a focal length equivalent of 75mm, which is a wide-angle lens format.

Linhof 4x5 Master Technika

The Linhof 4x5 Master Technika is another type of large format camera that is a wide angle specialist with a metal construction and a built-in wide angle focusing track and an enormous bellows range with a revolving graflok back suitable for 4x5” film. The advantages to using the Linhof is it’s good for landscape photography and it has a high image quality. The disadvantages are it’s heavier than most field cameras, there are a lot of accessories, a tripod is necessary, and the reloading process takes a long time and needs a bulky carry-on.

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