{"id":538795,"date":"2026-03-15T21:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T21:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538795\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T21:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T21:50:10","slug":"i-thought-cutting-medium-format-in-half-would-be-a-terrible-idea-until-i-saw-these-stunning-panoramic-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538795\/","title":{"rendered":"I thought cutting medium format in half would be a terrible idea…until I saw these stunning panoramic images"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story made my day. Kyle McDougall, a Canadian YouTuber based in the UK, has tested out a custom-modified Pentax<\/a> 645 that shoots 32 frames on medium format 120 film, instead of the standard 16 frames, producing dreamy panoramic stills.<\/p>\n

McDougall<\/a> received the camera from one of his followers, who must be a genius, because, along with creativity, modifying the Pentax camera required some serious engineering skills. The Pentax 645 is a medium-format film camera launched in the mid-1980s.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To make the Pentax half frame<\/a>, Pencine120<\/a> masked film gate and adjusted the prism. He also tweaked the gearing so it only advanced halfway, along with making changes to the electronics so that the camera could correctly read out the frames.<\/p>\n

Article continues below <\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

A Custom Panoramic Pentax 645 (Half-Frame Medium Format) – YouTube
\n\"A<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Watch: YouTuber test out a custom-modified half frame Pentax 645 medium format camera<\/p>\n

While Pencine120 made some serious changes to the Pentax, cutting the frames in half creates iconic panoramic shots. In fact, the wide shots look brilliant and only bolster the Pentax 645\u2019s reputation of being an affordable medium format film camera<\/a> capable of producing image quality comparable to large format.<\/p>\n

McDougall was able to snap some beautiful shots along the Hastings coastline in England, which really suited the modified, panoramic field of view. Although, in post-production, he ran into some issues as scanning these images proved tricky due to the unique, modified frame size.<\/p>\n

That said, to Pencine120\u2019s credit, the frame size was practically the same as XPan, a film produced for the TX-1 and Hasselblad XPan cameras \u2013 systems that could switch between standard and panoramic modes.<\/p>\n

The best camera deals, reviews, product advice, and unmissable photography news, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n

Half-frame film cameras<\/a> like the Pentax 17<\/a> are sliced in half to create vertical images, so it’s interesting to see a film camera go the other way in order to create panoramas.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll never catch me taking apart a camera and messing about with its insides, but this video certainly has me more interested in experimenting with film, or at least finding novel ways of using my mirrorless Sony A7 III<\/a> to create more immersive photos.<\/p>\n

You might also like\u2026<\/p>\n

Discover our top picks of the best film cameras<\/a> and our expert review of the best Fujifilm cameras<\/a>.<\/p>\n