Panoramic fim camera
The image to the left is of the Roundshot "3Sixty" panoramic camera. It takes panoramic images on 120 or 220 size film. The top section of the camera rotates as the picture is taken and even multiple rotations are possible. It uses a Nikon 28mm shift lens. Because it is designed as a shift lens it is capable of filling the 120 vertical size. Only a vertical slit is imaged at any one time, so the corners of the image do not need to be sharp.
The top value in the above display is the inverse of the exposure time; in this case 1/125 th of a second. Next down is the number of degrees in the panorama, and finally the remaining number of units of 45 degrees rotation left on the film. The speed of rotation of the camera depends on the exposure time. Slow exposures allow the photographer to get out of the way. Fast exposures require the photographer to duck under the tripod! The camera has a very large battery. It rarely needs charging.
Below shows the way the camera is loaded. The film moves from left to right. There is a pressure plate shown in the closed position on the left image. This makes sure that the film is held against the imaging slit shown in the central image. Note that the film is held in a cylindrical shape during exposure. The right image shows the film loaded.As an exposure occurs the whole top of the camera rotates at the same time as the film is wound past the slit. The camera is designed to use just this lens. The geometry of the camera would be slightly different for different lenses.
