Topic: First attempts with Hasselblad XPan

[Late Developer]

Okay. Where to begin....

I've never been a particular fan of the 6x7 format. Nothing wrong with it but it's so close to square that I tended to crop to square a lot of the time. Therefore, I found my Mamiya 7 was becoming increasingly redundant.  I've always like panoramas - not the big, sweeping 360 degree versions but the "Colin Prior calendar" versions.  I'd lusted after an Xpan since they came out in the late 1990s but never taken it any further.  That changed when I was looking at a website dedicated to XPan photos (from Flickr).  What really pushed me over the edge were a couple of awesome photos posted on here by Paul Mitchell, a former XPan user, top-notch photographer and general nice guy.

At this point, I'd decided I had plenty of other SLR and TLR MF gear and, by coincidence, I saw an XPan c/w 45mm and 90mm lenses for sale at a photographic emporium of my acquaintance.  Coincidentally, this shop also specialises in selling Mamiya 7 kit. An enquiry for a potential trade was made and a deal was struck to swap my Mamiya 7 kit for the Hassy XPan and aforementioned lenses - plus a few other goodies I "needed"....ahem

Then the subject of the 30mm lens raised it's head.  This lens is a bit of a legend and is currently considerably outside of my budget. However, a chance viewing of a thread on another website highlighted that there is an adapter available that allows Nikon lenses to be attached to the XPan body allowing wider lenses to be used.  The website posted a couple of photos taken with a 35mm/f2.8 PC-E (Perspective Control) lens. This had to be investigated further.

I don't have any PC-E lenses and, quite honestly, I don't intend buying any just now but, for a modest sum, I bought the adapter and tried it with my Nikkor 24mm/f2.8 AF, hoping that the wide angle of view would cover the 24x65mm panoramic frame.

The first shot (of the tree) was taken using the 45mm/f4 Hasselblad (Fujinon?) lens. Really happy with this and the centre-spot filter has done a good job controlling the vignetting.  The second shot was with the adapter and 24mm/f2.8 AF lens combo.  As you can see, it's not ideal by any means.  However, I managed to crop the scanned image to the same aspect ratio as the shot of the church and the end result isn't too bad IMO - especially as a photo from the same position using the 45mm/f4 lens can only just get the body of the church in the frame - but not the roof. It also didn't require a centre-spot filter and the extreme edge of the built-in viewfinder is just about the right coverage for the area in the photo.

One day, perhaps, I will buy the 30mm/5.6 lens but, if I can get acceptable results from the adapter and Nikkor combo on the occasions when I need or want a wider option, it's at least do-able.

Here's the photos.  All shot on Ilford XP2 Super (as usual) and scanned using my Epson V750 and processed via LR4/Elements 11 with little more than a levels layer, crop, resize and sharpen.

[SLVR]

its funny you mention this camera. I was talking to mcduff about it what seems like a few weeks ago (likely more than a month though). I always thought it would be nice to get into panoramics like that. Maybe though, the upfront cost to get there is a little high.

Great results

[Francois]

That's why I got the Sprocket Rocket... cheap and cheerful.

But the Xpan is well known to be a somewhat addictive camera. Once you get one, you can't stop using it.

[Andrej K]

Congratulations on new toy, errr, filmwasting tool. Very nuce images fron the first rolls..

Been thinking about panoramic cameras myself lately, at least this comes more "handy" than most of those 6x17 beasts... And would not need a new enlarger..



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[Paul Mitchell]

Excellent choice of camera Paul and cheers for the kind comments.

I too had the 45 & 90mm lenses, the latter in particular was the sharpest lens I've ever owned. Yes I too lusted after the 30mm but once I'd realised it was for ever going to be out of my price range I was quite happy using what I had. BTW you don't need to use the centre filter when using B&W or colour neg, just transparencies.

In retrospect I wish I had never sold my XPan but I needed to fund something else at the time.

I also loved the film edge on the XPan, quite unique...



Paul

[Phil Bebbington]

Wish I'd known about the Mamiya going. I've been looking for a nice one for a while Of course, Mrs TK has no idea

Good luck with the XPan.

[Late Developer]

Sorry Phil.

To be honest, If I was in the market for another MF rangefinder, I would be much more inclined to go for a Mamiya 6 rather than the 7 / 7ii.  The lenses I had with the 7 were absolutely stellar but the size of bag needed to cart the body, 43mm, 65mm and 150mm lenses was, in my opnion, excessive.  I can carry my 500c/m, 50mm, 80mm and 120mm in the same size bag and that is, again in my opinion, a more enjoyable rig to use.

The Mamiya 6 is a lot more compact and, aside from fears regarding the collapsible mount suffering irrepairable damage in the hands of a clumsy oaf such as myself, I would probably have swapped my 7 for a 6. Howeverm, I am blessed with all the MF kit I "need" and a completely different perspective on the world was too tempting to pass by.

[gothamtomato]

"a photographic emporium of my acquaintance."



I love that turn of phrase!

The Xpan is on my list - but will likely have to stay on my list until i win the Powerball. Have you tried using it vertically?

[Late Developer]

"a photographic emporium of my acquaintance."



I love that turn of phrase!

The Xpan is on my list - but will likely have to stay on my list until i win the Powerball. Have you tried using it vertically?

Yes, my wife thinks I spend more time at that place than at home!! I don't, but given half a chance......

I always use it vertically as lying down tends to limit the foreground    Oh, I see what you mean...... Yes, I took a shot the other morning where I held it vertically.  I'm not sure whether it'll come out okay as it was very dark.  I was on my own on the platform waiting for my commuter train (06:40 to London). The meter was telling me "no way" but I hit the shutter.  We'll see.

I was looking for some info on the XPan on the internet and stumbled upon a comment that "there's a special place in hell reserved for those who use the XPan in that way" (referring to using it in traditional 35mm format rather than panoramic.  I had to laugh but that is actually part of the attraction as the optional formats mean it's a slightly oversized 35mm rangefinder as well as a great panoramic tool.

If you do go for an XPan, the only drawback I've found so far is that (on the XPan rather than XPan II) the shutter speed isn't shown in the viewfinder. It appears on the LCD screen on the camera back - which is great when using a tripod - but you have to be savvy of the ISO and light conditions if you don'twant to take your eye away from the shot to check the shutter speed, before re-focusing, re-composing and shooting.

[Alan]

Hey Paul,

Congratulations on the new light catcher! they look fantastic and "special"

I have always loved Panoramic photography as in the 3:1 and 2:1 formats
rather than the silly digital 360degree stuff that everyone tends to try . . . . in photoshop.

anyway during my digital days I regularly cropped my landscapes to the above formats.

the only panorama camera I own is the Holga 120pan kind of a 2:1 format but I like the results.

[Alan]

..... oh and I love the images!

the other Paul's image is lovely too.

I feel that while specifically shooting in a wide format
you have to think differently..... the subject is going to
be different than shooting square or standard format.

or there are certain scenes that lend themselves better to wide format . . .

i hope i'm making sense 

[Late Developer]

Have you tried using it vertically?

Hiya.

As promised, here's my one and only (so far) attempt at a vertical shot using the Xpan and 45mm lens + Ilford XP2 Super. This was taken about 06:15 one morning recently as this is where I pick up my train from on the commute to London each day.  I live a few hundred metres to the right or this shot.

The meter was telling me I was under-exposed but I hit the trigger anyway and I'm reasonably pleased with the end result. Limited DoF as I was shooting hand-held, wide open at f4.

Paul.

[limr]

Love that vertical shot!

[Andrej K]

Agree, a very nice shot..

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[gothamtomato]

Cool!

Is the 45 the equivalent of what it would be on a 35mm camera or on a medium format camera?

[Late Developer]

Cool!

Is the 45 the equivalent of what it would be on a 35mm camera or on a medium format camera?

I asked the very same question when I bought it. My understanding is that it's essentially a 35mm camera but with a gate that can be opened to 65mm x 24mm from the usual 35mm x 24mm. The lens doesn't move forward or backward, you're just getting more into the shot at the same angle of view.  I might have to shoot a comparison frame using a 50mm lens on a standard 35mm SLR (as I don't have a 45mm SLR lens) to see if there's any noticeable difference. I presume the lens must be set at a distance to allow this to fill the frame, so the non-panoramic is probably a cut down version of what the camera was intended for.

The one difference I have noticed is that the Hasselblad lenses (I don't know if they're Zeiss, Hasselblad or Fuji by original manufacturer) are damned sharp and have a noticeably reduced contrast compared to my SLR (Nikkor) lenses. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. The do seem to have a similar "look" to the ones I use on my 500c/m.