A quick search on the internet, and you can see various ways one can invest in a panoramic camera. Some are relying on models such as the Reto Pan, while others are looking at DIY creations to revive a dying format. If you look at Reddit, there are multiple examples of the latter, with a young photographer introducing something just as exciting, with a broken Soviet camera. Have a look.
In a new post on Reddit’s r/AnalogCommunity, u/-gingerninja revealed that he has worked on a new DIY camera, which is quite broader than the average Hasselblad camera. The post states that the panoramic camera was created with the help of a broken Soviet-era FED stereo camera, which uses a twin-lens, helping one to shoot a pair of images side-by-side. One advantage of this is the blank space between the stereo pairs, which is huge, about 47mm. This means the camera can be repurposed for a wide panoramic frame.
The standard 35mm frame is 24x36mm and the X-Pan captures about 24x65mm. But if one can double-stroke, the film advances per exposure, the frame width can be pushed even further. If one cuts the film gate, they get a remarkable 93mm wide, which is wider than XPan’s 65mm and even beyond the 85mm cameras. One then mounts a leaf-shuttered medium-format lens with a helicoid on the modified body, then advancing twice per frame.
In this case, the lens was Schneider Super Angulon 47mm f5.6, which is a legend in the DIY community. It has an image circle of 123mm, meaning a 65mm gate, and if you use about 60% of the available image circle, you leave a significant headroom for even wider gates. The creator relied on zone focusing, as it was the preferred choice for him.
Overall, at 93mm wide, the camera can result in 15 frames per roll of 35mm film format. To some, this is also like creating an XXPan, since the Hasselblad X-Pan shoots about 21 frames. Since film is expensive, one really has to slow down before they release the shutter.
One of the things that one must remember is that it offers one the means to go beyond commercial limits. It offers a new way to look at the world, and not spend thousands of dollars while doing so. Furthermore, you get creative liberty to shoot how you want to, and photograph whatever you want. Moreover, the buzz created by the Reddit post revealed how Instagram filters can never reach this style. If you are a young photographer, a DIY panoramic camera is a great solution for your woes.