Looking for new panorama camera

ghiebert

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A Noblex sits in my carrying case, an older one that I bought used. It has already more than paid its way in the few short months I have owned it, but I know it will need to be replaced with something that can function well at low light levels (this one bands at 1/30 sec). I love this camera, but am looking for something that will be more robust, and that will also do 140 degrees-ish like this one. Something that uses 120 film because I don't think I can afford digital panoramics yet. I am open to using a fixed lens, but as far as I know they can't go that wide.
Any suggestions?
 
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The Widepan Pro II is a swing lens panoramic that covers 140 degrees. It will also take both 120 & 35mm film: http://shop.lomography.com/widepan/

From friends I have not seen any particular banding problems, but there are only three shutter speeds. Resonably robust, but not bomb proof.

They also make a non rotation panoramic that covers 110 degrees.
 
Tomiyama in Japan used to make 6x24 cameras; I have used one of these, belonging to a guy I used to work with in New York. The camera is much like current 6x12 or 6x17 cameras in design and build. Film is kept flat with a long spring-loaded pressure plate; it uses a fixed (as opposed to swinging) lens, in standard copal shutter. They were available with fixed lenses, and a cone with focusing helical, or with a bellows system; either way, large format lenses with enough coverage are used. You might find one of these- they are still out there, if you look hard enough.
 
Thanks for all these varied replies. The next week will be spent checking out all of the ideas! Xpan was my original goal, but the Noblex came along.
 
The Noblex line is actually the best example of the type of camera you specify. There are a couple of other 120 swing lens cameras, but all are inferior to the Noblex. Yours could probably be serviced and brought back to good operation.

The wide rectilinear camers are ones that make full use of some of the 120 to 125 degree lenses out there. I use a CamboWide with a 35 Grandagon on 6x12 (as well as a Noblex 150U). For really wide there are fisheye possibilities like a Kowa 19mm lens on 4x5, or a rotating lens camera like the Roundshot 28-220 with Nikon PC 28 which I use. Nearly 90 degrees vertical and round and around horizontally.

As for distortion: pick your preferred distortion. Once you're into wideangle territory you have 'distortion'. The CamboWide with the 35 doesn't do good things to people's faces in the corners; the fisheye doesn't do well for traditional architectural shots, and the swing lens cameras.... well, you know.

Henning
 
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