Panoramic Formats
Panoramic formats have become very popular in the past few years. Many 35mm cameras now include a panoramic inserts as well as some range finder and medium format cameras. These inserts only cover the top and the bottom of the frame but don't give very good results. True panoramic shots can be taken with panoramic cameras. These cameras take roll films and give broad and sweeping views. They produce frames that are at least twice as long as they are high. Landscapes are the most popular subjects, but any subject can be photographed. Composition is easier than you think. Your concern will be balancing the horizon with the foreground, and placing your main subject inside a long frame. With wider panoramas, placing your main subject 1/3 to the left or right of the frame is a good starting point. The viewer can scan the wide view from one side, and rest on the main subject. Some subjects can be placed in the center if both sides of it include objects that can add interest to the photograph. Make sure different objects can relate to each other and not too separated. This can divide the frame into several different scenes. 6X12 and 6X17 formats produce from moderate to extreme panoramic images. Panoramic cameras use super wide angle lenses which sometimes can cause vigenetting. The cost of these cameras are high. They are not going to be used as your main format and unless you shoot a lot of panoramas, you should rent or purchase a used one. Some models such as Widelux use motorized rotation designs. Unlike fixed wide-angle designs such as Fuji and Linhof models, the rotation designs, rotate either the lens or the whole camera depending on the model. The lens can be rotated to fill the frame. With some models the camera body rotates on its own axis as the film wounds on. This allows variable angle of view depending on the angle of rotation. On continues rotation, you can fill a whole roll of film. Panoramic cameras can produce unique shots and unusual prints. They are excellent for wide landscape shots and should be used when you want to include a wide view of a scene.
Recommended reading: Panoramic Photography
The author covers composition; non-rotation and rotation cameras; film, exposure, and filters; alternative methods; and processing and printing. The text is illustrated with many color photographs, including three 33-inch fold-out panoramas. Also provides a directory of panoramic cameras and panorami