Those of you who are familiar with the Hasselblad XPan or Fujifilm TX-1 will know it was a joint venture with Hasselbald and Fujifilm to produce a dual-format 35mm film camera that was capable of capturing single 35mm stills and full panoramic images of 24mm x 65mm while still using the same roll of film.
It was first produced in 1998 and soon became a must have camera for 35mm fans, butdue to its panoramic images being 65mm in width, it is actually classed as a medium format camera in 35mm format - still the only camera to this day to hold the title. From 1998 to 2002 a total of 16,800 XPan cameras were produced. Fast forward to 2003 and the second iteration was developed, XPan II and TX-2, now in 2022 these cameras have become incredibly popular with the resurgence of film and due to their relatively low number of production compared to today's standards, and the fact everyone wants to shoot one, you will be lucky to find one in good working condition for under $5,000 / £4,000 / AU $8,000.
So, you can imagine there has been a genuine want from Hasselblad and Fujifilm users wanting either company to produce another 35mm panoramic camera, many have even tired to build their own, some succeeding by transforming or modifying a X-Pro1 for example with a 3D printed insert that sits between the lens and the sensor to produce in effect panoramic images, which look great!
Well, now another member of the photographic community has been waiting a new panoramic camera so much that they have even produced a stunning render of his thoughts of what a new Fujifilm TX-3 digital panoramic camera would look like, including the possibility of a Monochrome version that shoots just black and white.
This visual interoperation from SuperSuperka features a TX body which features a GFX sensor cut in half, we must say that these render images look fantastic and it is certainly something to think about, and we’re sure will get talked about for some time - just look at that panoramic screen!
The Digital XPan is already here - kinda
However, If you are really wanting to shoot high-megapixel panoramas on today's digital cameras then we would suggest your best bet is to pick up either the Fujifilm GFX 50R or GFX 100S, which both feature 65:24 crop modes within the image menus, that’s right you can shoot panoramic image now!
If you are looking at the GFX 50R you and apply the 65:24 crop, this will give you 25 megapixel images 8256x3048 out of your 50 megapixel sensor, or with you want even higher resolution then why not opt for the GFX 100S, which will give you 50MP panoramas sized 11648x4304.
Yes, a true digital panoramic camera that features a dedicated panoramic sensor would certainly be a thing of pure joy to those longing for a true 65:24 experience, and there is no dispute the renders from Pavel are outstanding.
But, if you're willing to explore the current Fujifilm line-up of GFX cameras and don’t mind cropping in on your sensor then there is really no excuse - get out there and start shooting digital panoramas on your “dual-format” GFX cameras.
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