BeerPAN is a new 3D-printed panoramic SLR with a top-down viewfinder.
The desire to shoot panoramic images is ever-present for photographers — regardless of the niche — but achieving that goal is usually quite challenging or fraught with issues. “…The epitome of this format is the Hasselblad XPan,” says Robin Beerman, the creator of the new 3D-printed 35mm panoramic SLR with an unusually wide ground glass top-down viewfinder that uses the Bronica ETR lenses and metal gear for film advance.
According to Robin’s Kickstarter page (kickstarter.com/projects/b…), this is the first project of its kind that does not rely on zone focusing — instead, offering the precision and through-the-lens finder of an SLR format.
I think this is particularly exciting for the future potential of this format. An SLR system can work with long and macro lenses much better than a rangefinder or a zone-focus system ever could.
The excitement over this potential is evident. The Kickstarter project is now fully funded with 21 days still to go.
There are two options: the BeerPAN (€660) and the BeerPAN Premium (€840) — the latter uses metal top and bottom plates.
(I’ve asked the creator if the film advance lever and the knobs will be made of metal for the premium model, and will update this post once he replies.)
As always, ask your questions before committing to any crowdfunding campaign, and ensure you understand the risks of such projects (including how 3D-printed cameras compare to typical plastic or metal cameras).
Dmitri
Dmitri