i haven't paid much attention to this camera. has anyone tried it? how does it compare for general 35mm photography? cheers,

-- pat (modlabs@yahoo.com), May 09, 2002

Answers

SCANNER NOTE Note to the X-pan other wide strip 35mm cameras; the epson 2450 scanners 35 mm film strip adapter allows one to scan in many standard 24x36 35mm frames as one long image. Here is a film strip scan of 4 standard 35mm 24x36 frames; scanned at 900 dpi.. The scanner can scan these at 2400dpi optical..These images were all shot at f1.0 and 1/50 second.Kelly

-- Kelly Flanigan (zorki3c@netscape.net), May 09, 2002.

pat, try photo.net mf forum for info. from what i read, if you like tripod technique you'll get it there.

-- steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), May 09, 2002.

-- Kelly Flanigan (zorki3c@netscape.net), May 09, 2002.

FULL 900 dpi 4 frame strip

-- Kelly Flanigan (zorki3c@netscape.net), May 09, 2002.

Pat,

Michael Reichmann has some fairly detailed reviews of the X-Pan at his Luminous Landscape site (www.luminous-landscape). The discussion forum at his site also contains quite a lot of chatter on the X-Pan as well.

Happy hunting.

-Nick

-- Nicholas Wybolt (nwybolt@earthlink.net), May 09, 2002.

It is a nice well made camera that I own and use occasionally. The panoramic mode takes a while to get used to. The viewfinder is not as bright as my M6 but it is still easy to focus and very easy to use . I reccomend it!!

-- stuart babcock (stubab@camcomp.com), May 09, 2002.

Check out my review (and initial question) here.

Basically, nice camera, like a Hexar RF, but damnit, it only has a f/4 lens, insensitive light meter, exposure indicators in viewfinder wash out in strong light, and the 30mm lens is $$$$.

I sold mine for a Leica (I was trying to get a Leica and a Widelux in one package). Someday I'll buy a Widelux, as I like the swing lens look better than the flat perspective the x-pan offers.

However, if you like that perspective, and you love panos, then you'll love that camera. Kirkphoto.com makes a really nice plate that meshes with the Arca-swiss QR system.

If you want to email me, remove the NOSPAM in my email address. I'm trying to stop those frickin' spam robots that troll this site.

Cheers,

-- David Carson (dave@davidcarsonNOSPAM.com), May 09, 2002.

I use the Fuji TX-1, which is the titanium-colored version of the Xpan sold in Japan. Good Things: The lenses are wonderful. - the combination of Fuji's EBC coating and good lens hoods makes them resistant to flare. The camera is well-made. It's fairly compact (camera and lenses) considering what it is. The meter works well, though as another person noted, it is not very sensitive at low levels. The finder actually changes magnification for the 45mm and 90mm lenses. Leica still can't do that, you have to buy a different camera. Vibration and noise are low. The multi-format system works without any problems. Before I got it, I thought this might be a problem. No. Frame spacing is perfect, changing between regular and panorama can be done at any time.

Bad Things: No shutter speed display in the finder. You have to look at the LCD panel on the back of the camera when in auto mode. Slow lenses (30mm f5.6 center filter almost mandatory with that lens], 45mm f4, 90mmf4) Some falloff at the edges with the 45mm lens at large apertures. There is a really expensive center filter to combat this, or stopping down helps. Either way, if the falloff bothers you, the lens is effectively even slower than f4, more like 5.6 or 8. Rangefinder alignment - I haven't abused mine, but it's needed service twice (bought used, so it wasn't under warranty).

In use, I find it a specialized tool mostly for landscapes, and it gets less use than it ought to for what it cost me. A bubble level is useful, and I use it on a tripod most of the time. If Fuji made a 45mm f2 or f1.7 lens that covered only the regular format, it might be more useful as a general purpose camera. I am able to scan film from it with my regular 35mm scanner in two halves, then stitch them together easily in Photoshop Elements (the Photomerge feature makes this easy), but other than that it is an oddball size if you are looking for a lab or trying to project images.

I highly recommend it if you can live with the limitations and really think that you will take that many pictures in the format. I thought I might, but I don't. Still, it's a fine camera system.

-- Masatoshi Yamamoto (masa@nifty.co.jp), May 10, 2002.

I bought the X-Pan with the 45&90mm just a couple of months after it was released, and are using it freqvently. The wiewfinder is very good and quite accurate, if you are using AE mode the shuttertine is only showed n the back of the camera (Only good if you use a tripod) In manual you have leds like in a M6TTL. The lenses are slow but very good at all appertures (the 45 mm vignettes a good deal until f8) The coating on the camera itselwes is soft so it scratches easy. Be aware that if you dont plan to proces the pictures yourselwes to theck the lab. I enlarge the black & white on a 6x7 enlarger without any problems, and scan with a HP S20 where I can scan the 24x65 in one scan (to scan two times and stich do take some of the whole idea of the camera away. I can fully recomend it. (Even more if FUJI decides to make a 645 rangefinder for the same lenses)

-- Kaj Froling (saluki@mail.tele.dk), May 10, 2002.

I have one that I very much like. In fact, I would probably use it as my only RF camera, IF they had made a fast normal lens (that didn't cover the pano format). But as it is, I hardly ever use it because I like to travel light and don't usually bring it along when I am out shooting with other cameras. So unless I specifically want to take pano shots, it usually sits at home on the shelf. I should probably sell it.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), May 10, 2002.

I like the X-pan and would have got one, perhaps even instead of an M6, but one is stuck with a maximum aperture of f4 which to me is appallingly limited. If they made a 45mm lens that was at least f2 for normal 35mm (not pano) then I would be tempted again. I could probably live with a 90/4 and even a 30/5.6 but to not have any fast lens for normal use is too much. I hope they continue to develop the camera and the system.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), May 10, 2002.

thanks for the contributions. yes, somehow the lens set up doesn't make sense to me, much too slow.

-- pat (modlabs@yahoo.com), May 10, 2002.

I agree with all of above above. Here are some additional comments based on my experience.

You kind of get two lenses for the price of one because of the format change. A 45 mm normal at 24x36 and a superwide at 24x65mm. And 45 really is a superwide, covering horizontally almost exactly as much as the 43mm on Mamiya 7 or the Hasselblad SWC on its narrower frame (56mm instead of 65mm). So you might not need that costly 30. I have been in a situation only a couple of times when I would have liked something wider than the 45 and that has not been enough to pay $2500 for the 30.

I think the centre filter is unfortunately quite essential for panoramic use of the 45 on slide film. It makes a big improvement, but loses another stop. At 24x36mm you would not need it but it is a hassle to remove it for occasional shots so I usually keep it on all the time.

The paint does not stick to the titanium. I got peel off after a couple of weeks of use and now my body looks very patchy. This would affect its resale value and may be a consideration for some.

I also had to get the rangefinder adjusted for vertical alignment and I saw a demo model in shop with pretty bad vertical misalignment so it seems like a common problem.

Otherwise it is an excellent camera. I use mine for two purposes, as a dedicated panoramic camera for landscapes when I carry another system, typically medium format, for the normal shots; and as a travel camera when I feel I might need the panoramic format. As travel camera, I take maybe 90%-95% of the pictures on 24x36mm and only occasionally switch to panoramic mode. It is a good and solid camera but the slowish lenses (f/4) do limit low light use.

-- Ilkka (ikuu65@hotmail.com), May 13, 2002.

The X-Pan is an excellent companion to a M Kit for many uses. I use it when traveling to shoot a wedding or other outdoor event. The M for B&W candids and low light work. The X-Pan for panoramic formals and scenics. The images it produces are very rich in saturated color. The 30mm is absolutely killer for special shots and in areas where there is literally no room to back up. Because it is a rangefinder, the wide lenses do not distort nearly as much as an SLR. I've shot an entire church interior, and at some weddings everyone who attended in one group shot. Sales from just a couple of those group shots paid for the 30. Now the rest is gravy. The finish is a little touchy, but otherwise it's a well made camera with a very nice feel. BUT it is not an "only camera". If forced to have only one system... it would be a Leica.

-- Marc Williams (mwilliams111313MI@comcast.net), May 13, 2002.

i want one so bad i'm willing to sell my mother-in-law to get one...

anyone here wants an extra mother-in-law? yeah, right...

-- Dexter Legaspi (dalegaspi@hotmail.com), May 13, 2002.