35mm Panoramic Cameras Out in the Wild - A Field Test
The Hasselblad X-Pan - 24mmx65mm images, rangefinder focus, and current price tag that’s more than my first 3 cars combined.
This is a bit of a lengthy post. So, grab your favorite hot or cold beverage and settle in.
First, I want to state up front that there is NOT a Hasselblad X-Pan in this test.
Why not?
As far as shooting 35mm panoramic images go, the first camera that comes to mind is the X-Pan, and it is THE camera that most other panoramic cameras are compared to. But to be honest, it is incredibly expensive for what it is, and there are other options out there.
When I was considering purchasing an X-Pan a few years ago, I decided on purchasing the larger medium format Fuji GX617 - because at the time I really only cared about the larger format and potential for greater image quality. Imagine essentially the same image ratio as the X-pan, but on steroids.
While I still own the GX617, I find myself using it less and less. I think that’s because its huge, expensive, not convenient to use, and is a bit of a one-trick pony. So eventually that has brought me full circle into using other alternative cameras if I am looking to shoot panoramas, but don’t want to lug around a kit that’s about the same size and weight as a toddler, that’s also worth more than the vehicle I am hauling it around in.
The three panoramic set-ups that I’ll be reviewing today are ones that I own and use fairly frequently.
Here’s a quick breakdown on them before we get into test details and results/thoughts. All of them are close to the X-Pan image ratio - approximately 65mm x 24mm or greater.
PressPan (Trastic conversion)
Press Pan from Trastic
Current Price as tested: $1045.00 USD (Conversion/Hood/Donor Body/Shipping = $545, VGC Lens and Viewfinder on eBay = $500)
Lens Focal Length: 50mm Mamiya Press Lens (Approximate Field of View = 82 degrees)
Image size: 65mm x 24mm
Focus Type: Uncoupled viewfinder, Range Focus (not able to check focus)
Cable Release Capable: Yes
Double Exposure Protection: No
Dark Bag required to unload film: No
Mamiya RB67 Pro SD with 220back, 35mm adapters, custom viewfinder mask
Mamiya RB67 Pro SD
Current Price as tested: Approximately $1000.00 USD (includes body/lens/back/WLVF + 35mm adapters) – note this price is based on current eBay prices for VGC gear – one could pay less if “fair” or “ugly” gear is purchased. Also, note that the earlier versions, the Pro and Pro S, are slightly cheaper, but carry with them their own set of problems due to age and light seals.
Lens Focal Length: 50mm Mamiya RB67 Lens (Approximate Field of View = 82 degrees)
Image size: 70x36mm with 35mm adapters in 220 back
Focus Type: Waist Level Viewfinder (able to check focus)
Cable Release Capable: Yes
Double Exposure Protection: Yes/No (depends on how you set it up)
Dark Bag required to unload film: YES - Medium Format cameras are not designed to re-roll film after use, so once done the back has to go into a dark bag or dark room to be removed
Lomography Sprocket Rocket
Current Price as tested: $75.00 USD New, plus shipping
Lens Focal Length: Approximately 30mm (Approximate Field of View = 108 degrees)
Image size: 72x33mm or 72x24mm (depending on whether included mask is used)
Focus Type: Uncoupled viewfinder, Zone Focus (not able to check focus)
Cable Release Capable: No
Double Exposure Protection: No
Dark Bag required to unload film: No
Misc: Fixed Shutter speeds of 1/100th or Bulb. 2 apertures = f/10.8 (Cloudy) or f/16 (Sunny)
FujiColor C200 film - $12.99 for a 3-pack at Meijer
As far as testing goes, this is going to be fairly straight-forward.
Same roll of film in all three cameras - FujiColor 200 color film shot at box speed. This is a fairly cheap film that yields good results when exposed properly and is only $12.99 for a 3 pack at various retailers.
Same subjects shot for all three - First camera used is the RB67 on the tripod, then the PressPan, then the Sprocket Rocket. No change in tripod position or height.
Same Settings - Since the Sprocket Rocket is the limiting factor with its widest f/stop at @ f/11, all will be shot at the same f/11 setting and metered accordingly with the same Sekonic light meter.
Same Development - All three rolls developed at the same time in a 1000ML Paterson tank with fresh UniColor C41 chems.
Same Scanning Techniques - Epson V600 with 2 pieces of ANR glass with the negatives sandwiched between them. This allows for borders to be included in the scans. Scans to be done as true to color and exposure as possible, with light edits in Photoshop in regards to alignment, dust removal, etc.
I won’t show all of the images from the three rolls, because this is already getting too lengthy, but here are a select few for comparison.
First, a daylight image of a local monument, the Carillon Bell Tower.
As you can see, the Press Pan has the tower set slightly lower than the RB67 even though the tripod was not moved and the view thru the finder matched what the view was on the RB67. This has been one of my constant issues with the PressPan - the final image appears to suffer from Parallax even with the adjustable viewfinder set to infinity when shooting infinity. I haven’t found a good solution. Also, if you look at the left side of the PressPan image, you will see where there is extra plastic from the lens mount getting in the way of the frame. Also note the small bits of what look to be reflection issues in the corners, especially the top ones. The Sprocket Rocket image really shows its wider angle of view, and also how much things distort if it is slightly tilted up. Note the heavy vignetting. From a quality standpoint, the RB67 wins here.
Next up is an image of a local park, Deeds Point, at night.
The RB67 image is once again the better of the three, in my opinion. Same issues still exist with the PressPan, and its just a tad bit less sharp even at the same aperture. Here you can start to see the flaws and shortcomings of the plastic lens in the Sprocket Rocket. Flaring from the lights just behind and above is very evident. It was pouring rain for all three of these shots, and although I did my best to keep the cameras dry, they all got some water on the lens. The Sprocket Rocket didn’t handle this well at all, at least from an image standpoint.
Next up is another local landmark - the view of the Masonic Temple and Dayton Art Institute from the Great Miami River.
Once again, the RB67 looks the best. This was a 4 minute long exposure - while the Sprocket Rocket doesn’t have capability for a cable release, I was fortunate to have some rubber bands in my bag and a rubber band around the shutter lever with the other end looped around one of the tripod adjustment nobs worked great. Even though the Sprocket Rocket was focused at the infinity mark, the buildings in the background are really blurry. With a little dodging and burning, these turned out not too bad, with each having some gives and takes.
What are the cameras like to use?
Mamiya RB67 Pro SD
Out of the three, the RB creates the sharpest images. It’s the easiest to compose and allows for easier/better focus if you are shooting anything closer than infinity. And, I may be a bit biased here because I have been using RB’s for years - but there’s nothing like looking down into that viewfinder and seeing the scene before you, even with the panoramic mask. You know what you are going to get every time, as long as you nail the exposure correctly.
All that said, the RB is the heaviest of the three and definitely doesn’t hand-hold well unless you add even more weight with the left-hand grip and prism finder. I do shoot it hand-held on occasion, but primarily it spends most of its shooting time on a tripod. The other drawback is that you need a dark bag or a second 220 back if you plan on shooting more than 1 roll of 35mm in the field. See my prior blogpost on this here. For me its really a non-issue as it takes all of about 2 minutes to throw the back into a dark bag, pull the 35mm canister, and rewind the film back into it.
The other advantage the RB has over the other three is the fact that there are many lens choices. If I am out shooting 35mm panos with it, I will typically have the 90mm, 50mm, and 37mm in my bag to allow me to compose a scene the way I want - I understand the whole “zoom with your feet” thing but often panoramic landscape photography has compositional hurdles to overcome that simply moving back and forth won’t cure.
PressPan
Full disclosure here - this is the camera that I really wanted to love when I ordered it last year, almost 1 year ago in fact. I didn’t mind the long wait, the lack of communication from Trastic, and the fact that it arrived needing new seals (this wasn’t an option on the website at the time I ordered - it is there now). When it finally arrived in May of this year, I took it out and shot a bunch of rolls thru it. Between the light leaks (not from the back, maybe from the lens mount?), some parallax issues, and images just not being tack-sharp even at infinity, I grew to not enjoy using it. I’ve picked it up a few times in the Summer and early Fall, but was just left with a feeling of “meh”.
On the bright side, it is easy to hand-hold and carry around with you on a strap. However, the Mamiya Press viewfinder does not lock into the cold shoe provided on the PressPan, so use caution - it does work its way out of the mount and depending on how you carry it you could hear a thud when the expensive viewfinder hits the ground.
I think the PressPan is the best-looking option of the three cameras here, looking like an interesting steam-punkish mix of retro and new tech. I do get questions about it when I am walking around with it in public. The ability to also rewind and remove rolls without a dark bag is nice.
Sprocket Rocket
The Sprocket Rocket is the lightest of the three by far, and is super easy to carry around. The lack of strap mounts is a little annoying but something that I can live with. Composing is a bit of a guess, as the viewfinder only approximates the image and you have to get used to it being a little off, and also the image having more in it than you thought when composing.
Its definitely not “sharp” by any means, and having such a wide angle of view, if you don’t have it perfectly level it shows in the image with some serious distortion. It also has a lot of vignetting in the corners.
Its super light hungry as well. Even on the cloudy setting which is around f/11, you usually want to give an extra stop or two more than what your light meters says.
It is a fun camera to shoot, but over time I fear that it can be a bit “gimmicky” and grow old on folks.
Here another shot - the newly rebuilt bike/pedestrian bridge to Dayton at Deeds Point.
Once again the RB67 image stands out as the best. Note how little distortion there is - especially compared to the Sprocket Rocket image. The PressPan image is less sharp, and also doesn’t have a lot of distortion apparent on the bridge railing uprights. The glaring problem though, is the frame overlap on the right side. You see, on top of all of the other problems I have had with this camera, it was during this test that the old donor body decided that the film advance wasn’t going to work well. Even though I did the full two cocks of the advance to move it to the next double frame, it started randomly missing and partially overlapping frames. So frustrating.
Conclusions
OK, so by not you can tell that the PressPan has not fared well in this test, and hasn’t been great since I received it earlier this year. So I can’t really recommend it to anyone at this time.
And to be honest, the Sprocket Rocket is a toy at best. I know that will upset folks but I’m talking quality here. Yes it is immensely fun to shoot and sometimes the results can be surprisingly good. But its not consistent, and that’s what I really want/need.
If you are looking for a panoramic 35mm camera, I have two recommendations.
If you already have an RB67, the easiest thing to do is follow my lead and shoot panoramic images with 35mm film in a 220 back with adapters and a viewfinder mask. The image quality is great, and you know what you are going to get as long as you nail the exposure.
If you don’t have an RB, or think that its too big and cumbersome to haul around, then consider just spending the money on an X-Pan. Yes, I said it.
From a financial standpoint, spending the money for one up front versus throwing good money after bad makes the most sense. Why drop over $1K on everything you need to build a PressPan when that money gets you part of the way there already for an X-Pan. The X-Pan will continue to hold its value, or maybe even go up in value, while the PressPan will probably be worth less than you paid for it over time. The X-Pan also has the great functionality of a rangefinder, and by flipping a switch, can also shoot normal 24x36 images.
For me, I don’t desire an X-Pan as I am perfectly happy with the RB if I need to shoot 35mm panos. Or if I really have the pano itch to scratch, I can grab the GX617.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Jeremy
