I do like to have the capability of taking panoramic images on 35mm film. I'd like to have this in the same camera body that I can use for more 'normal' purposes. At present I use an EOS and also a decent compact that does panoramics, but combining the two functions would be wonderful.

There was a mention somewhere in the messages on here of a model of EOS that did actually do what I want, although it might only ever have been marketed in Asia. If anyone can tell me a model number- some rough idea of spec, and where to look for this, I'd be very grateful!

Cheers JIM

P.S. Yes, i have heard of the X-Pan and don't want one, and yes i do know that 35mm panoramics in 'normal' cameras use only a little area of film and that is a limitation. I know I'm after a compromise, but it is a compromise that i would like to have! ;-)

-- Jim Cross (iamacamera@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001

Answers

The Rebel 2000 in Japan has a panoramic switch I'm told. In fact I believe the early reviews (in particular Popular Photography) of that camera boasted a few bells and whistles (including panorama and wireless remote -- it's even in the manual) that never made it into the US versions.

-- Tim Fisher (tfisher@beachin.net), August 14, 2001.

Jim,

You are aware that any 35mm negative frame can be printed in "panoramic" format? Just specify your desire to the photofinisher, and the center horizontal 1/3rd of the frame will be printed. The trick is then to make sure that you shoot your subjects so they fall in that area. You could design your own framing guides with some trial and error. Alternately, I've seen commercially sold framing mats that are placed in the camera back to mask off the negative -- but frankly the idea of puting my fingers so close to the shutter blades scare me. ;)

If you are wanting to have a body compatible with EOS lenses, why don't you just pick up an EOS IX or IX Lite? Then you could just swap bodies depending on the type of shooting you want to do? Sorry, I don't have any recollection of a Canon 35mm panoramic EOS.

-- Hung James Wasson (HJWasson@aol.com), August 14, 2001.

I often visit Asia and have seen the quasi-panoramic mode on many SLR and point 'n shoot cameras, even on single use cameras. I recall the Japanese EOS Kiss III and the EOS 50 having a panoramic mast and the date imprint as standard. Apparently Canon market research determined that these features aren't desired in the USA and Canada and deleted them. Short of going to Japan, you might search around in used camera shops. I've seen Japanese market EOS cameras many times here in Honolulu.

However, like the above poster said, the quasi-panoramic is merely the middle third of the frame masked off. A grid screen will help with composition if you plan to ask your lab to print only the middle third of the image.

When I want a long skinny picture (looks great above doorways), I scan my chromes in a Nikon film scanner, crop off 2/3 of the image in Photoshop, rez up in Genuine Fractals, and print on 8.3 x 23.4" Panoramic photo paper on an Epson Photo 1200 printer. I even found the right sized frames at Ross. This method has the advantage of selectively cropping the image.

Good Luck

My Website: http://alaike.lcc.hawaii.edu/frary/

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), August 14, 2001.

As noted above, a) Canon only seems to market EOS 35mm cameras with panorama masks in Asia for some reason and b) I dunno if there's really any point. Why not just shoot your regular photos and then crop them later?

But hey. You say you want this feature, so. :) One option might be to shop used. For example, keh.com has in the past had EOS 55 (the Japanese version of the Elan IIE with an additional panorama mask) cameras for sale.

Someone on the EOS list has mentioned they like the panorama mask because of the horizontal lines etched into the finder screen - they help with levelling horizon shots, etc.

-- NK Guy (tela@tela.bc.ca), August 14, 2001.

You also might try e-Bay! :)

-- Hung James Wasson (HJWasson@aol.com), August 15, 2001.

I'll add a brainstorming-type comment here: if you scan your 35 mm frame in and do a digital print yourself you can crop for panoramic as desired. Quite a few reasonably inexpensive printers though limited in width will handle longer stock than 11" for panoramic prints.

If you want to get really fancy you can seamlessly stitch several full frames together to get nearly full-frame panoramic digital output.

And add a tiger chasing a moose across the scene, too!

-- Rod Nygaard (rod.nygaard@boeing.com), August 15, 2001.

I'm grateful to some of the above posters for the information about panoramic models and where they might possibly be found.

Some of them miss the point though, when they indicate how I might achieve panoramic results in other ways; on that basis you could throw away most exposure modes on all EOS cameras, as the same setting could be achieved in other ways....

Further, post-exposure creation of panoramics only works if you have fortuitously achieved a good photographic image in a narrow strip of the film exposed. I, on the other hand, like to look for, frame, and expose for the panoramic results I am seeking. This requires a camera that will show me accurately the panoramic image I'm seeking to capture.

The suggestion of the EOS IX or X cameras that use APS film did give me pause for thought, especially with the lens commonality, but I think I would rather go for film stock compatibility also, and the chance of using the EOS as a 'normal' camera when panoramic imperatives are not present. I would never choose APS over 35mm, and the EOS 'X' cameras aren't cheap over here (UK)!

So far, then, it appears to be the EOS 55? And only models with panoramic are those intended for Japan? If anyone knows different I'd love to hear further!

Thanks to all- JIM

P.S. Do APS cameras achieve panoramic results by differential masking, or using more of the length of the film?

-- Jim Cross (iamacamera@hotmail.com), August 15, 2001.

"P.S. Do APS cameras achieve panoramic results by differential masking, or using more of the length of the film? "

All APS camera exposure each image full frame. On the EOS IX and IX Lite, when the user chooses the frame mask in the viewfinder, the crop choice is magnetically encoded on the frame (along with ambient light and other exposure info) and the processing machine prints accordingly. However, because the negative is full frame, you could later choose to print the image in "classic" or full frame. It's a nice system. Too bad they didn't adapt it for 35 mm.

I bought the EOS IX on close out sale here in the States for only $200 2 years ago. I only use it as a snapshot cam. However, it sure is cute with its petite stainless body and rear mount LCD. The normal 4 x 7 prints look great, but the panoramic prints are very grainly with 400 ISO film (100 ISO is better).

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), August 15, 2001.

Speaking of masking, does anyone know if the 35mm EOS cameras actually mask off the 35mm negative, or if they just have guide markers in the viewfinder? If they do mask, is there a selector switch to move back & forth between panoramic & full frame modes -- or do you have to shoot the entire roll in one mode, open the back and add/remove the mask?

-- Hung James Wasson (HJWasson@aol.com), August 16, 2001.

I recently went on a family vacation and opted to take along my Canon D30 and my EOS IX (APS) leaving the my EOS3 at home. The EOS IX is a great snapshot camera and gave me a lot of flexibility for vacation shots. The 4x6 and 4x7 prints are of excellent quality using ISO400 film. However, it is amazing how quickly the quality deteriorates when you go to panorama mode. That slight enlargement of the small APS format film increases the grain significantly.

Using ISO 100 film and a tripod I have made some very nice panorama shots with the EOS IX. In the final analysis, however, I feel that the EOS IX has to be limited to use as a snapshot camera. I like to use it with a Canon EF 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 USM zoom lens. The result is a wonderfully light and easy to use point and shoot camera.

-- Richard Snyder (rsnyder@lc.cc.il.us), August 19, 2001.