Linhof Technorama 617s III

Grimis

Ok I know this is a Digital forum so please don't bust my boongie's, but I often wonder if you guys use medium format at all or are into other type's of camera's? I have been really looking at photographic history.... Photographer's, camera's, film types etc. I am really looking into maybe getting a Linhof Technorama 617s III and using different types of film. Do any of you know of a good medium format site I could check out? I looked but wasn't able to find a specific site for medium format so do any of you know of another photo forum that might have some stuff on that format. What about digital medium format any of you into it? Thanx in advance.



J

ziggy53

That particular camera is a "very" special purpose panoramic camera, that just happens to use medium format film for acquisition. It really deserves its own special niche market and is not a good general photography camera. Unless you need the particular properties it provides, there are honestly better choices.

Beyond capturing the image, the negatives/positives provided by the Linhof Technorama 617s III will require printing or scanning beyond what many individuals or labs can provide. Make sure you explore every aspect of the camera's image production before you take the plunge.

With that caveat out of the way, the Linhof Technorama 617s III is a wonderful platform to capture instantaneous images of 6 x 17 cm format. While you could crop that same aspect ratio from a 5" x 7" sheet film, the Tech. is much more compact and portable (although it lacks the full controls of a 5" x 7" view camera.)

You can also use a FF digital (35mm format) camera on a panoramic head and perform 3 overlapping captures and stitch them in post to attain that aspect ratio, but you give up the instantaneous feature of the Tech.

If you have the need and the market for images of this aspect, and the rather deep pockets and resources for purchase and processing, I say "go for it". There is only one other system even similar, the Fuji GX-617, and it is (somewhat) less versatile.

Grimis

Thank you for your reply Ziggy, I do have a use and need for it and have been looking at it for quite sometime. Although some have told me that you can get the same effect from a digi and use CS4 to get the effect of Fuji films silver halide and their print paper. I recently bought Photomatix HDR program and it looks as if you can get a similar effect. But now the question is with a 5D Mark II can you make a panoramic using CS4 I have been messing around with it for a while and I heard there is a way for CS4 to make a pano and match three photo's. Care to comment or do you know?


J

Art Scott

Wisdh you had posted a pic of this wonderful cam.......

fuji film tried making a medium format comeback with specialized cams such as this also....one of the local photogs I used to wrk for used a 6x17 for shooting HS group shots and he also tried using the russian noblex .....the fuji g617 / gx617 were the best for his uses......ahhh to have a full swing scanning pano would be a fantastic thing for group shots tho................

ziggy53

Grimis wrote:

Thank you for your reply Ziggy, I do have a use and need for it and have been looking at it for quite sometime. Although some have told me that you can get the same effect from a digi and use CS4 to get the effect of Fuji films silver halide and their print paper. I recently bought Photomatix HDR program and it looks as if you can get a similar effect. But now the question is with a 5D Mark II can you make a panoramic using CS4 I have been messing around with it for a while and I heard there is a way for CS4 to make a pano and match three photo's. Care to comment or do you know?


J

Hmmm, I did comment previously ...

ziggy53 wrote:

... You can also use a FF digital (35mm format) camera on a panoramic head and perform 3 overlapping captures and stitch them in post to attain that aspect ratio, but you give up the instantaneous feature of the Tech.

...

I use a Canon 5D MKII and a panoramic head and the stitched panoramic technique has become a fairly regular tool in my repertoire (not limited to the 5D MKII).

I think you need the PS CS4 "Extended" version in order to get the automated stitching, but I don't have that version so I use a combination of freeware tools to get the job done (along with the regular version of PS CS4 for normal image processing.)

My first recommendation for panoramic stitching software is the AutoPano Pro, which is what I recommend to you. Baldy uses this software to great effect:

http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1039964&postcount=362
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1039966&postcount=363

I suggest that in addition to a panoramic head that a "geared" head is a great idea for those times when a panoramic head is not indicated (when the "nodal point" of the lens is not an issue.)

So there you go, a recipe for incredible image detail and any angle of view you require/desire:

Canon 5D MKII (or camera of your choice)
A bevy of the best lenses
A panoramic head (for when you need to pivot around the nodal point of the lens)
A geared head
AutoPano Pro software for stitching
PS CS4 for image processing

You can get started for much less cost than the Linhof Technorama 617s III alone, and (potentially) achieve detail hundreds of times better (as long as you don't need instantaneous captures, of course, and you shoot like Baldy did.)

BradJudy

I'd start with whatever camera you have and download Microsoft ICE (If you're on Windows) - great auto-stitching software, and it's free. You'd be surprised at the quality of panoramic stitching you can get without any special equipment or commercial software.

From there you can decide if you want to invest in HW or SW to maximize the quality of your panoramic shots.

I've done dozens of them with just a P&S camera and free software. This one is hanging above our fireplace:



I also shoot some 6x12 format film, so I can understand the appeal, but that's a LOT of money to invest in a specialized camera.

Grimis

Thanx guys for all the help and guidance. I have CS4 extended so I am gonna check it out and see what I find. Fisrt step is to shoot for a pano shot. Gonna look into a geared head right away!


J