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Seitz 6x17 Digital

awolf

Member
Has anyone ever used this thing?
Just came back from Lisbon, trying to deal with the unfortunate pit-falls of panoramas... :(
 

Mitch

Member
Has anyone ever used this thing?
Just came back from Lisbon, trying to deal with the unfortunate pit-falls of panoramas... :(
This appears to be a scanning back camera. I had a Betterlight back a few years ago that took stunning pictures under the optimal conditions. If anything moved during the scan, like leaves in breeze, the picture was unusable. The time they quoted for the scan (20 seconds, as I remember it), was in bright light, seldom the case at sunrise/sunset which could be 3 minutes. This looks to be much more useable in the field than the Betterlight/view camera/laptop set-up.

Mitch
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I've been tempted but never tempted enough ... As Miitch says its a scanning back camera although a lot faster than the Betterlights. You still need to shoot tethered though which introduces logistical challenges for travel and getting around.

You also need a very large camera bag :grin:
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
You know, Graham, it's almost like a set of dishes--- you need to have that Seitz to make your Alpa set complete. :thumbs:
:ROTFL:
 

stngoldberg

Well-known member
I've used their (seitz) roundshot which is remarkable. Peter Lorber is the guru for this line of equipment. If you take Panoramas, this is the way to go.
Stanley
 

awolf

Member
I've used their (seitz) roundshot which is remarkable. Peter Lorber is the guru for this line of equipment. If you take Panoramas, this is the way to go.
Stanley
But I am wondering, if you use a long lens, which I suppose you must due to the large image circle needed, how much advantage do you really have in comparison to 2 or 3 shifted, stitched images with a 280 back on a technical camera.
 

Dogs857

New member
The Seitz is a scanning back, and not that fast really.

They advertise a 1sec scan time, however this is at 1/2000sec exposure. For more realistic landscape type photography it would be as follows;
1/250 = 8 secs
1/30 = 1 minute
1sec = 32 minutes

It looks like an interesting camera, but only in good light.
 

jagsiva

Active member
I was back and forth on scanning backs, but decided that nothing (currently) can beat a 60/80MP back and the newer generation of tech lenses. The scanning backs still use the older SK lenses as far as I know.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
With the price of that thing, I believe film must still be an alternative for this kind of photography, like a Fuji GX617. Unless of course panorama photos of stationary subjects is one's main line of business. One can get rather a lot of film for 40,000 dollars, or so I've been told...
 
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GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I agree with Jorgen, if you really really want to shoot 617 then print film in a real 617 camera is the way to go. I pay $7 for processing for 4 images and then scan at home. Even factoring in the scanner cost, that's a LOT of rolls of film for $40k.

It was interesting to note that the UK Panoramics shooter used in Seitz's gallery sold his Seitz 617 over at LuLa a while back ...
 

thrice

Active member
Heck you could get a 4x10 ebony with a full compliment of state-of-the-art lenses and enough ektar to last a lifetime for less.
 
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