So, I’ve also bought a Noblex 135 panoramic camera. I’ve bought a few cameras recently but the cost of them all are still well within the price of the digital camera I was looking at before I started with this whole panoramic camera thing. Sounds like a lame justification when I write it!
Anyway… So, I bought this camera off a very nice guy on Ebay, and the camera works great! Very pleased with the results so far.
The Camera
It is a beast of a camera! Much bigger than the Horizon panoramic cameras and a real weight to carry around.
It has a wider aspect than the Horizon cameras (the negative is 24*66mm compared to the Horizons 24*58mm) and I think it makes a difference. Both in the shooting and in the final image. All of the images feel more like panoramas than just wider photos, like some of the other panoramic cameras I’ve been using.
From a shooting point of view, it is very hard for me to see the image as a whole when I look through the viewfinder. I need to look through then peer into the corners of the viewfinder to check what is there. I think it might be easier if I don’t wear glasses, since they get in the way of seeing into the viewfinder so may have to experiment. Other than this problem, the viewfinder is awesome and I feel like it makes everything look better when I look through it. It is really huge and you can totally see what you are shooting.
The camera is battery driven, unlike the other panoramic cameras I’ve used but this is less of a deal for me that I initially thought.
A strange quirk of the camera is setting the aperture on the front drum where the lens is housed. I need to remember that it is there and what it is set to, all the time.
The Photos
The camera is manual everything, so I’m happy with the images below in terms of exposure. I was using the Sunny 16 rule and, in general, it worked out in most of the shots.
I still find it hard to previsualise my frame with the camera perspective so wide, so that is something I need to work on.
There seems to be situations where the curved horizon works well and others where it is distracting. It definitely helps if the horizon is not higher on one side of the frame than the other. Sometimes it works to make a feature out of it but don’t want to turn it into a gimmick. Going to have to learn what works and what doesn’t.
Overall, so far, I’ve loved shooting with this camera. It is unusual, quirky, tricky and a lot of fun!
Shooting at the festival
The festival was really fun, everyone was friendly and I felt really relaxed shooting there. The sheer amount of chaos around me made it hard to find compositions that would work, and I think that shows in some of the photos. But overall I’m pleased with what I got from the place.
First Roll
I WOULD RECOMMEND TO CLICK ON THE PHOTOS BELOW TO SEE THEM AS LARGE AS POSSIBLE
Missed the start of this image again! Still not 100% on loading a pano camera. Image is a bit empty but its my first shot with the camera, so i’ll let myself off. The rest of the image is pretty sharp though which I’m very pleased about.
I think the bars dissappearing into the stones works well here. I wish I could have framed the lifeguards better but the two girls stood up and I would have had an empty space if I wasn’t quick. I’m hot and cold on the curved horizon, depending on the photo, but I think it works in this one. Seems to work ok as long as it is balanced.
This is at the Brunswick festival in brighton, near the stage. I like the tidy houses along the back in contrast to the mess of the festival. Too much foreground space and the railing on the right doesn’t need to be there.
I like the drummer guy in this pic but I should have shot it lower, to get more of the people on the ground in it. It is just a quick snap really.
I like to see chess played in a park! This is an unusual photo if you really look at it since the crowd in the background really curves around about 45 degrees. Got my finger well into the frame on the left. I like the young and older guy in this shot looking serious at the game. I think this shot works quite well even though it goes against the instructions of levelling the horizon with this type of camera.
A more conventional framing a little bit later in the day. No real focal point in this photo but I’m not sure it needs one. There is a lot going on in this photo and its nice to look through the background crowd too.
I suppose this is more of a portrait than any of the rest of the photos in this film. I asked him if I could take his photo and he just gave me a tiny nod. I’m not too sure about the girls on the right but I like how this photo really shows the guy here along with his vast array of stuff for sale. Worth thinking about taking more photos of people in their environment in the future.
I think the composition here works well with the legs of the woman on the grass leading the eye into the shot. Should have got rid of the person on the right of the frame and more of the guy on the left. The shadows are a bit muddy in this one but I don’t mind it too much.
More fingers in the frame! Nice colourful space for the wee ones. Should have waited around for a more interesting composition I think.
Whenever I took this photo I realised I should have used a longer exposure. Muddy shadows but I like the spacing of the people in the frame. Not a focal point any where to be seen…
Headed off from Brunswick Square. I think I could have got lower to use the railings in the shot more. I like the curve on the railing on the right.
More fingers….
Was windy. Loads of birds hovering over the pier. Trying to get an unusual shot of the pier but should have got more of the sign in the shot and again, should have got closer in to everything.
Feels like I’m holding this photo with fingers from both sides! Think it could have been a nice shot if I had less space on the left of the frame and more of the pier on the right. I like the swell of the sea in this shot.
Trying out more railing compositions. What works and what doesn’t work with this camera is really going to be interesting to find out.
I like the seagull on the phonebox. Nice colour palette with the red and the green. I’m very pleased in general with the color of these shots. The Lomography Colour negative film really created a nice feel to them, almost like photos from old postcards.
Similar shot to the previous one. Wanted to blast through the roll to test the camera.
I really like this one. Got a nice moment in the middle of the frame which creates a good focal point. They are nicely positioned in the light with the dark clothes rails surrounding them. Need to think about focal points for these panos more after seeing this one.
Wanted to capture the crowd here in all its busyness. Also managed to capture my knuckles! Think this works because of all the layers of people in it, but you need to view it large.
This was me trying to shoot at 30th of a second without realising how long I need to hold the camera in the same place. Well, at least it started ok…
So, I’ve just been away to Crete for a couple of weeks, so hopefully will get those photos up in the near future!