Skip to main content

Go Wide!

Got my hands on a 617 medium format panoramic camera. Its a Gaoersi 617.  Its built like a Chinese tank! Not as pretty as Linhof 617, but at 1/8th of the price do you really care?

But the glass is German, Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8. Its interchangeable with most large format lenses using their 'cones'.  The camera is heavy, painfully slow to reload, and the viewfinder is not that accurate (its a 'ballpark' finder). Focusing is done by guessing the distance and turning the ring to the proper distance. You only get 4 shots per roll of 120.  So most of the time you're reloading the camera... Did I tell you that its a pain to reload?

So noticing its poor handling characteristic of this camera, I thought it would be perfect for street photography.  Some would say I'm smoking crack. Your typical pano shooters are obsessed with getting things leveled, and they love their tripod. I could understand why. but I wanted to use this camera in a way I wanted to. Hand-held, loose, grabbing moments with this crazy wide perspective that frames the street like a stage.

Chinatown Washington D.C.  Kodak TMY 400, Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8, Gaoersi 617

The biggest challenge was the focusing. Even with fairly bright conditions and fast film, I'm shooting at 500th at f11 or 8.  Keep in mind that this lens is large format lens so they are pretty slow. I like to shoot with faster shutter speed since I'm moving around a lot and want to prevent shakes. Hyperfocal focusing would work if I was shooting like 125th and stopped down to f16 or something I guess, but once again, I wanted to prevent camera shakes.


Capitol BuildingWashington D.C.  Kodak TMY 400, Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8, Gaoersi 617
Getting things to fit in this format is a fun challenge.  You really have to use all that space, if you don't why shoot a pano?


Washington D.C.  Kodak TMY 400, Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8, Gaoersi 617
This was nuts! I was reloading the camera with my head down and heard this 'clop clop clop'. I looked up and said, 'are you kidding me?'  I wanted to use the pano format to get these riders in. Since I was in a hurry, I've noticed that I was framing like I was using a regular camera. So instead of shooting (and having to reload after 4 shots, daaamn!) I slowed myself down to look for a proper composition where I can justify the pano format.


Capitol Building Washington D.C.  Kodak TMY 400, Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8, Gaoersi 617
Pano cameras are almost perfect for inconspicuous shooting. This kid had no idea that he was in the picture! My camera was so pointing away from him, even I had to convince myself that he's actually in the picture.  As far as he was concerned I'm just another tourist shooting that building for the millionth time.


Washington D.C.  Kodak TMY 400, Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8, Gaoersi 617
I was probably 15 feet away from this group of people.  That big camera is pretty hard to hide.  But I've learned to hide my intentions, not my camera. Hiding your intention is a psychological game that you play with your subject. You make it seem that you are photographing something else, then when the moment is right you compose and shoot. After the shot you're shooting something else again, as far as what they think. So from their perspective, 'oh this guy is taking picture of the street... wait, did he take a picture of me just now?... no I think he was shooting something else.' With smooth motions and relaxed mindset you can be invisible even with a big clunker in your hand.


Washington D.C.  Kodak TMY 400, Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8, Gaoersi 617
I had so much fun shooting this thing in the street.  The quiet shutter, non-blackout viewfinder, and that wide perspective, can be used very effectively in the streets. Sure it has its down side, but if you learn to get around it, it won't bother you too much.  Sure changing after only 4 shots can not be overcome, but have you seen the size of the negative of 617 compared to x pan (35mm)? No contest. Stiching multiple shots with your digicam? Can't do, when things are moving.  Cropping the image from your DSLR? Sure, but what's the fun in that? 
I'm a believer of enjoyment is not necessarily 'easy'... This film spool is such a pain in the ass to switch over...damn it.

Comments

  1. EnsignDecember 21, 2013 at 2:07 PM

    I have just purchased the Grandagon-N 90mm 6.8 lens with the idea of building my own 6x17 camera. Nice write up by the way thanks. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan ChungDecember 22, 2013 at 8:30 PM

    Nice choice of lens! I would like to see your finished product. It would be nice if the viewfinder was more accurate on my finder. Good luck to you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Large Format ...Slight Return

Took out my Linhof 4x5 field camera out for a spin. Tripod, cable release, focusing cloth, loupe, lightmeter, and film holders! The gang's all here. Linhof Technica III, (circa 1940's) with Fujinon 150mm 5.6 a modern lens design.  Bull Run Park near Manassas VA.The camera is wonderfully made with machined aluminum with German engineering. Like Butter. Working with a 4x5 is a whole different world. It takes long to set up and there are so many things that you can screw up. "Did I cock the shutter? check focus?, meter reading, dark slide out? lock the movements?... There are like 13 different steps that you have to make to take a picture.  So why do it when I can just point my 5d and shoot in easy one two steps?  Reasons may vary, but I do it because of the camera movements. The tilts, swings, shifts. These cameras were made so you can technically control how the image hits the film plane. You can achieve "technically perfect" images, whatever that means. 
5 comments
Read more

Polaroid Negative?

I've been wanting to do color large format for awhile. When there were photo labs around the corner, it wasn't hard to do a E-6 process in a day or two. Now that process has gotten expensive and if you're doing sheet film, its even more pain. So my solution... Polaroid! well technically, it should be called "instant film" since Polaroid is trademarked term. I'm using  Fuji FP 100c45. But here's the twist. I wanted a different look. If I want true colors, I wouldn't bother with the cost of 2 bucks per shot.  I also was fascinated with some surface texture that I saw on polaroids.  I recently came across some sites that talks about turning a polaroid into negatives. Its true that Polariod years ago did have those positive/negative film, but they've discontinued all instant film a couple of years ago.   The process is simple. you take bleach and take off the black stuff on the part that you throw away.  Once the black part is off, you have a negati
5 comments
Read more

Boston: B&W Architecture with Leica Q2M: From a Purist Perspective.

I swear I was going to switch out my black and white ONLY Leica Q2M to a regular Q2 color camera before going to this trip.  I"m glad I didn't.   Oh, before I forget, take a look at my icandy slide shows .  I will be making slideshows that is designed for big screen TV's.  Take a look at this one: Ok, back to the topic on hand.  So one of the most asked question about the Leica Q2M is, 'why limit yourself to just black and white when you can easily convert color photos to BW?'  Very good question.  My answer is,  if you know with certainty you want the best quality BW image possible, you want the dedicated monochrome camera.  Am I being a staunch purist? or is there a practical argument for it? Let's talk about it.  Beacon Street Boston,  MA One of many beautiful architecture on that hill.   First, this camera doesn't have any moire filter on the sensor.  Moire filters are on most color camera sensors to get rid of those annoying repeating patterns that loo
Post a Comment
Read more