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Horseman SW612 / SW612 Pro

The Horseman SW612 is a compact, medium format panoramic camera made by the Japanese company, Komamura. The camera is designed to be hand-held, as well as used from a tripod. It features a nice lineup of interchangeable lenses, including: Rodenstock Apo-Grandagon 35mm f/4.5, Apo-Grandagon 45mm f/4.5, Apo-Grandagon 55mm f/4.5, Grandagon N 65mm f/4.5, Grandagon N 90mm f/6.8, and an Apo-Sironar-N 135mm f/5.6. Additionally, the camera also has interchangeable film backs that can be swapped mid-roll and allow for the changing of the format between 6x12cm to 6x9cm or 6x7cm. Focusing is done via a distance scale on the lens, while composition is framed via an accessory viewfinder atop the camera.

Komamura went on to produce a Professional model of the SW612 that has 17mm of up/down rise, as well as 15mm of left/right shift.

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Previsualizing with the Horseman SW612

Sometimes one of the trickiest parts in photography is making that mental leap between what your eyes see and what your camera/film will see. The more out-of-the-ordinary your tools, the more difficult this leap becomes. ⁠

Here, we have a Horseman SW612 - a panoramic 6x12cm medium format camera - loaded with Lomochrome Purple film.⁠

⁠There is definitely some adjustment necessary when shooting panoramic. There is just so much real estate running both left and right that needs to be accounted for, waiting to be filled with relevant subject matter. So much image for your visual narrative. This is the challenge that comes along withe the allure of wide angle lenses and panoramic cameras. In some ways, shooting wide angle panoramic is more difficult just for that large amount of frame to keep in mind.⁠

While the panoramic format is quite distinct, you might find that the aspect ratio actually fits your field of vision better even than a standard-framed SLR with a 50mm lens. This is because a panoramic camera, like this Horseman, better approximates the field of view that we have by including our peripheral vision. ⁠

⁠Of course, Lomochrome Purple is a truly wild film emulsion. Concocted in such a way that it swaps colors, particularly greens with purples, it does present a normal world in very surreal fashion. This certainly takes some getting used to and is a film that works better the greater your familiarity with it. As a creative ingredient, it is definitely a fun one to throw in the mix. ⁠

⁠Even with that familiarity, it remains a tough film to previsualize. This makes the anticipation of seeing the resulting images a lot of fun... though, when standing in front of a scene, it can be difficult to accurately predict just how this film will render it.⁠

⁠All these thoughts were playing through our heads on a recent outing to the Columbia River Gorge. So we decided to make this documentary image of the camera in its environment, just prior to exposure, as well as that resulting image for comparison.⁠ Enjoy!