Film photographers have been exploring new ways of creating images. From using expired film to working with half-frame formats to create diptychs, analog photographers are at the forefront of change. However, this photographer from Reddit has taken it a step further, building an alternative Hasselblad and Fujifilm XPan camera. However, this time, I used an Olympus device.
First posted on Reddit’s r/annalogcommunity, u/xavierfg revealed that his goal was to create a 35mm film camera capable of delivering XPan0style wide frame. However, without the hardware or the price tag of the original camera. He drew inspiration from Freeman Lin’s Fauxpan projects, which also use a 35mm camera. Xavier then chose the Olympus microscope camera because of its stripped-down, utilitarian design. As he said in his Instagram post:
The microscope camera has everything I need and nothing I don’t – film transport, rewind, rear door, solid chassis – which should hopefully make this a clean build.
At the heart of the camera is a Nikon 65mm f4 lens, which was previously used on a 6×17 large-format project. While the focal range is limited for larger formats, it is a perfect option for a 36mm horizontal field view on panoramic film gate. The lens is mounted using custom 3D-printed elements, with the light path concealed to prevent leaks.
The creator plans to take it a step further by converting the prototype into a rangefinder. A vinatge Zeiss rangerfinder salvaged from a a $5 Polaroid 250 Land Camera. Its external control lever makes it especially suitable for integration, allowing manual adjustment of the rangefinder patch without redesigning the entire top plate.
In another Instagram post, Xavier also suggested that his early testing is playing out well. He used a two-decade-old expired Kodak Ultramax film, which he exposed by two stops, and the results were great.
To further simplify the use of this Olympus camera, the creator has also designed custom focus and depth-of-field scales for zone focusing, paired with a shoe-mounted laser rangefinder. More test rolls are planned using fresh film, a replacement advance lever from a donor body, and the addition of both a viewfinder and a rangefinding meter.
While the final version of Xavier’s 6×17 camera continues to take shape, the Olympus microscope-camera-turned-panoramic serves as a reminder of why it is important to work with DIY devices to get the vision you imagined. Your curiosity can stretch old mechanical designs into new photographic territory, the latter of which we are slowly forgetting.