LOMO Holga 120Pan, Trying To Get It Right II

Panoramas: Getting it right with the Holga 120Pan, a lightweight, plastic medium-format panoramic film camera, on a roll of expired Fujifilm Pro 160-S.

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Well, here I am, back again with the Holga 120-Pan at the park right near where I live, and as per my previous visit, I had the camera loaded with a roll of expired Fujifilm Pro 160-S.

The Holga 120-Pan is a medium-format 6x12 panoramic camera released around 2010. Its form factor is based on the Holga 120-WPC pinhole camera body, as can be seen by the same field of view lines on top of the body.

The camera comes with an attached viewfinder, two hot shoes, and a level bubble, features that make the Holga almost a complete contraption, all set and ready for tilt and yaw adjustments.

Holga 120-Pan

The 90mm optical lens has the same four focusing distance positions as seen on other Holgas as well - 1M,  2M, 6M, and 10M-Infinity. Same as other Holga cameras, it has a single (N) 1/100 second shutter with a B(ulb) setting. The film back has a fixed film counter window.

Holga 120-Pan

To get the correct frame count, the film must be advanced to the next odd-numbered exposure number; otherwise, the film will not be properly forwarded to cover the panoramic film frame, and overlapping exposure will occur. An optional 35mm film kit is also available, which can expose 24 x 108mm images.

LOMO Holga 120Pan, Trying To Get It Right I

Panoramas: Getting it right with the Holga 120Pan, a lightweight, plastic medium-format panoramic film camera, on a roll of expired Fujifilm Pro 160-S.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

The Holga 120-Pan, similar to its sibling Holga 120-GN, is a very lightweight, simplistic camera that comes in a plastic body that is susceptible to light leaks, a 90mm optical lens, a single shutter speed of 1/100th second, and two aperture settings, f/8 and f/11.

The Holga 120 Pan, however, takes 60x120mm panoramic images on 120 format color or B&W film, which is twice as wide as the square 6x6 format.

Focusing is adjustable to 4 zones - portrait, small group, big group, and infinity. Interestingly, the camera is fitted with a clear-line viewfinder fixed to the top plate and a spirit level embedded within the top plate towards the left of the top plate.

Holga 120-Pan

The film back, with the red film frame count window set for 12 and 16 (glued fixed) frames, is clearly from the GN model; the 120-Pan can only take up to 6 shots per 120 film roll. In use, with nothing much by manual control or other adjustments, all you have to do is set the camera level and steadiness before pressing the shutter.