Ever since I learned about it, it became my dream camera. The Hasselblad X-pan. This 35mm rangefinder shoots panoramic photographs by stitching two(?) frames together. The results are frame ratio reminiscent of cinema. Being a huge filmmaking enthusiast, this anamorphic look resonated right away with me. The only problem is, that camera is kind of out of my price range.

Later on, I came by the news that the Mamiya 6 & 7 had a model that would shoot 35mm if you got an accessory kit specially made for that purpose. Alas, this was once again out my budget.

Then I remembered the Holga I bought a few years ago (actually my first medium format camera). It came with a booklet with a bunch of hacks and techniques to use along the camera. So, last week I put my DIY skills to the test and strapped a roll of 35mm along with some Styrofoam, gaffed taped the holga shut and went out for a stroll. Well, I ended up under exposing the roll rendering it completely useless.

Two nights ago, I was struck with the perfect combination of keywords to type into google. Mamiya RZ 35mm. Sure enough, a YouTube video came out where some guy was explaining how to rig a roll of 35mm into the film insert of a mamiya RB67. If it work with the RB, surely the RZ will also be able to pull it off? Here’s the result:

Wow. I am super happy with the results. Now, the composition is a little off. I think this is due to my rigging of the roll being off centered and me wrongfully assuming the framing. I have an extra ground glass laying around. I’ll tape some guidelines on it for this purpose. The ghosting is a result mistakenly opening the film canister while rigging the roll to the film insert (I started bulk loading my own film this week). Once I get reliable results with the process, I’ll do a little tutorial\ photoshoot video for it. I leave you with the video that explained how to do it.