Low cost 6x12 or 6x17 camera?

<p>Hi,<br>

I am new to medium format, very into my pano landscape shots but find my SLR does a relatively poor job of creating these (even when stitched) compared to the results I've seen from medium formats.<br>

Is there such a thing as a "low cost" 6x12 or 6x17 MF camera?<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>6x17 and 6x12 on ebay, one option for both formats ... <strong><em>Gaoersi 617 SHIFT 6X17 Large Format CAMERA (6x12)</em></strong> ... "New" ... $888 buy it now. New 6x12 about the same price on ebay. Oh, lens NOT included.<br>

Rich for my blood, but may be construed to be affordable by some.<br>

Jim</p>

 

<p>Yes! Any 4x5" camera with a Graflok back (ground glass holder is completely removable, rollfilm holder attaches by two sliding bars) can accept a 6x12 rollfilm holder and take pictures just as good as a dedicated 6x12 camera. Even cheaper is to shoot on 4x5 sheet film and crop. I believe there is a Chinese-made "step-up" attachment for a 4x5 camera which allows 6x17 cm pictures on a special rollfilm back, but I have no experience of this. Among 6x12 backs, Horseman is well regarded. You can of course crop a 6x12 at top and bottom and make a 4.25 x 12 cm picture which is the same proportions as 6x17 and is still quite large (almost the same area as 6x9 cm, 51 versus 54 square cm).</p>

<p>And to run some numbers:<br>

a Calumet or Toyo View runs less than $100 most days<br>

A 130-150 lens run less than $100 if you are patient enough<br>

a 6x12 chinese back run $225 (new Horseman/Linhof are $1100, but you might be able to find a deal)<br>

$450 + a tripod and you've got a good, cheap system. Change out that unweildy monorail for a field camera will be costly, but mostly worth it. I can fit my toyo view in a small backpack, but it's still a lot to worry about in the field, and it's heavy.<br>

And you can shoot 4x5 too.<br>

Or you can take the same thing, without the 6x12 back, and cut a dark slide in half and have a pair of 2"x5" shots on the 4x5 negative.</p>

<p>A very affordable and easy project is converting an old 616 or 116 Kodak folder to accept 120 rolls and create 6x12 negs . A downloadable pdf file is available here :<br>

<a href="http://kodak.3106.net/download/616panoramicconversion-RevBE.pdf">http://kodak.3106.net/download/616panoramicconversion-RevBE.pdf</a></p>

If you just want to experiment with the format first you could try the Holga 120WPC. Shoots 6x9 and 6x12. At $48 for the camera it's

cheap enough to play around with: http://shop.holgadirect.com/collections/holga-120-cameras/products/holga-120-wpc-wide-panorama-

pinhole-camera

 

R

<p>Low cost for me meant making my own: http://stevesmithphoto.webs.com/pano612.html<br>

Results here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-smith/sets/72157626839286266/</p>

<p>A cheap method of doing this would be to get one of the Holga 6x12 pinhole cameras to use as a film back and add a lens to it. </p>

<p>If I were to make mine again I don't think I would bother with the focusing mount as a 65mm lens fixed at hyperfocal distance would have been fine.</p>

<p>A modification to use 120 in a Kodak Senior Six-16 folding camera is my next project.</p>

<p>A reasonable option is to stitch 6x6 or 6x7 frames. If things are far enough away you don't need a tripod or a pan head. I stitched a 3 frame 6x6 landscape earlier this year, as my fixed lens camera wasn't wide enough, and it turned out super nice. </p>