This is my first ever post here and it's going to be a long one. Having been lurking around here for years, mostly directed from google searches for all sorts of photographic help but never posted before. Need help from the experienced members here. Sorry if this has already been asked but I couldn't find any authentic and detailed information on the subject anywhere especially for the film noobs like me. I am a landscape photographer here in Pakistan and over the years my focus and interest has inclined towards panoramic landscape photography. Been doing panoramas for at least last 8-9 years but I find the whole digital pano making process very frustrating, fatiguing and disappointing in the end. I have made some very good panoramas with my Nikon D700 but shooting a decent multi-row pano is a hit-and-miss affair and some details always get missed out and you only get to know about it when you return home from that perilous mountain expedition. I have tried it handheld and on a steady Gitzo tripod but it's always a chance game, plus, if the light is changing, the whole thing gets even more complicated and error-prone.
For some time now, I have been thinking of getting myself a dedicated film panorama camera and after some online research, I have finalized going with the 6x24 format since after having seen a lot of pictures online (there aren't a lot of 624 pictures online btw), this is the format that suits my mental vision well. But before actually jumping in and spending thousands of dollars blindly, I need some solid advice on the pros and cons of this decision. I ask that because in my country there's no availability and information on any LF or MF cameras, lenses, films, labs (developing/scanning etc.) so each and everything will have to be imported and it will be a nightmare for me in terms of cost and logistics so the margin of error is zero here and there's zero possibility of returns. Plus, Ebay/Paypal don't operate here as well. Developing, I plan to do on my own, will look into what stuff I need to get, but scanning is something I am still totally clueless about. I need the absolute best resolution out of those long film strips but can't afford those outrageously expensive Imacon scanners. I heard Epson scanners wouldn't be able to yield the very best for printing large.
Folks here who have used a Fotoman 624 camera, could you please shed some light on this situation ? Is this decision really worth it or can the digital process be improved to the point of perfect consistency and accuracy ? I reckon there are dedicated panorama rigs which might improve one's accuracy but those seem to very heavy and cumbersome. On the other hand, the complications of using a film camera, the cost involved, availability, import etc. of film also seems daunting.
I asked Fotoman China (
http://www.fotoman.cc) for a quote on email and they replied to me asking which of the lenses I would be needing exactly. Considering the fact that I love taking normal to long distance panoramas with my D700 with focal lengths ranging from 50mm to 100mm and sometimes 135mm, I am wondering which lenses would be most suitable for my style of panoramic shooting on 624 format. I never go for very wide angle panoramas like 24mm. My subjects are mostly distant landscapes and I try to avoid any foreground distractions from getting into the frame as much as possible. From internet reading and researching, I am getting inclined towards two lenses, a 300mm and a 180mm. Some of my work can be seen at my flickr profile (
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aqs-theconcept/) to get an idea of what kind of field of view I like for my panoramas. I might not have any 624 dimension pano on my profile but you will get the idea. Will 300mm be too long ? Should I consider 150mm and 180mm only ? I am trying to get a comparison with my 135 format field of view. But whichever focal lengths I finally choose, I want the absolute best in terms of resolution, sharpness, contrast, tonality etc.
I have read that focusing can be done via a helical mount or a ground glass, both of which are new for me and since I cannot get my hands on either of them to practice, I will have to learn about them from reading and watching over the internet. How to accurately focus between the shots ? I don't want to come back only to find that I missed focus on every shot. Is a Fotoman Rangefinder also available for this purpose ? How good is that ?
What other accessories would I be needing ? No real LF movements but I read it has something called a shift adapter. If not for extending the DoF, what is a shift movement used for on a panoramic camera ?
Are these Chinese Fotoman cameras on Ebay and elsewhere original Fotoman ? Went through a few ads and prices are in the range of $750-800. There's one from Canada asking $2000! Not sure what's the difference. All say Fotoman 624. Reading a number of old threads here mostly from 2009 and 2011, I came to know that Fotoman had closed its business in the USA. There were probably some representatives from Fotoman on this forum and I saw some detailed replies from them. If they are still here and read this, I would appreciate if you too chime in and guide me through all this.
There's a table of lenses on their website (
http://www.fotoman.cc/showPro.asp?id=34) that can be mounted on this camera and they say that if you want to have some other lenses other than these then the flange focal distances should be between 97mm and 296mm. And there's something called "Copal #" which I don't know about and I think all lenses in this table are Copal #0 & 1 (not sure). What if I want to mount a Copal #3 lens on this camera such as a Schneider 300mm f/5.6 Apo-Symmar L (read it's very good but bulky) ? Is this doable ?
Sorry for such a long essay, tried to be as much detailed as possible to explain my situation. I know there are points in my post that belong in a separate thread but they are directly related to my queries, plus I don't have any other way of knowing and clearing my confusions up. Want to avoid any potential pitfalls. I might have missed some important details that I don't have an idea about but would definitely want to get enlightened on.
Thanks,
Faisal` .