p.1 #1 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
I just finalized the purchase off of the Fuji GSW690III from a fellow Fred Miranda user, and extremely interested in modifying it for panoramic shooting. I've done enough research to find panoramic modification sets out there on the Internet, but does anyone have any real world, advice or links to their products that they purchased?
I know I'm supposed to flip around the pressure plate to the 220 and also flip the switch to 220 as well, but how many exposures do you actually get when shooting with 35mm film? Additionally, what is the number of strokes on the film advanced lab you're supposed to do after each exposure?
p.1 #2 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
It takes two winds of the advance lever for each exposure. I attached a screen shot from the manual for my GSW690II, below. The manual for the III-series says the same. You can get your own copy of the III manual from:
I'm not sure what you gain by converting to 135 film. It does not take long to swap out a 120 roll. Generally, I was much more deliberate and took fewer but more well-thought-out images when using my 67 and 69 Fujicas, than with 35mm film cameras, or digital. Tripod or not (but mostly tripod and incident light meter).
p.1 #3 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
jcolwell wrote:
It takes two winds of the advance lever for each exposure. I attached a screen shot from the manual for my GSW690II, below. The manual for the III-series says the same. You can get your own copy of the III manual from:
I'm not sure what you gain by converting to 135 film. It does not take long to swap out a 120 roll. Generally, I was much more deliberate and took fewer but more well-thought-out images when using my 67 and 69 Fujicas, than with 35mm film cameras, or digital. Tripod or not (but mostly tripod and incident light meter).
Thanks for the reply. Is that also 2 winds for 35mm film to advance?
p.1 #4 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
The film advance is determined by the width of the film gate. Switching to 35 mm film will not change it. Even if it did, I don't see how you could modify the GSW to change the amount of film advance between frames as the advance stops automatically. There is nothing you can do to advance it further once it stops, nor will the camera allow you to fire the shutter if you do not advance the lever all the way.
You'll get the same width for each image with 135 film, as you will with 120 film. The 120 film also provides the extra 50% (or so) that the 135 mask removed from the top and bottom of the 6x9 image. You're trading off using a few more rolls of 120 vs. losing a lot of image (which could have allowed you to move the 135-mask up or down in the image during post-processing, if it had been taken with 120 film).
p.1 #6 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
jcolwell wrote:
Yes. As @theHUN@ said, the film advance is fixed.
You'll get the same width for each image with 135 film, as you will with 120 film. The 120 film also provides the extra 50% (or so) that the 135 mask removed from the top and bottom of the 6x9 image. You're trading off using a few more rolls of 120 vs. losing a lot of image (which could have allowed you to move the 135-mask up or down in the image during post-processing, if it had been taken with 120 film).
That’s a great point. It’s the same if I just crop in post. Thanks!
p.1 #7 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
If your favorite film is available in 120, and if you don't mind 8 frames per roll of 120, and if you don't care about sprockets, and if scanning 120 presents no challenges, then using 120 will indeed be much easier. Another benefit is that those same rolls of 120 can be used for regular 6:9 frames.
p.1 #8 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
ross.thomas wrote:
I've done enough research to find panoramic modification sets out there on the Internet, but does anyone have any real world, advice or links to their products that they purchased?
I've purchased these adapters from an Etsy seller and they work great. Nick Carver has also used them with success. You could try them and they are not that expensive.
I liked them because they keep the film centered on the spool and are easy to load.
I also bought this non-adhesive silicone tape to put around the roller. It only sticks to itself and has no adhesive. It is easy to remove when needed. I'm going to try and leave it in place on my next 120 roll and see if it screws anything up.
p.1 #9 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
geekcop wrote:
I also bought this non-adhesive silicone tape to put around the roller. It only sticks to itself and has no adhesive. It is easy to remove when needed. I'm going to try and leave it in place on my next 120 roll and see if it screws anything up. https://a.co/d/4kOztLc
Unfortunately, that link doesn’t work for the Silicone tape. What is the reason that you are using it?
p.1 #11 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
ross.thomas wrote:
I just finalized the purchase off of the Fuji GSW690III from a fellow Fred Miranda user, and extremely interested in modifying it for panoramic shooting. I've done enough research to find panoramic modification sets out there on the Internet, but does anyone have any real world, advice or links to their products that they purchased?
I know I'm supposed to flip around the pressure plate to the 220 and also flip the switch to 220 as well, but how many exposures do you actually get when shooting with 35mm film? Additionally, what is the number of strokes on the film advanced lab you're supposed to do after each exposure?...Show more →
p.1 #12 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
35mm frame size is 36mm wide, if you ignore the gap between frames, 36exp basically is 36x36=1296mm, or 130cm, and if you count the gaps and the wasted frames at the beginning, the length of the film is about 160cm. When you shoot it on 690, each exposure will take 9cm, which is the distance film traveled when you strike your lever twice matter what film you use. So 130/9=14.4, that’s the maximum 9cm frames you can shoot on 36exp roll. Considering the way 135 film loaded on 690, you’ll waste maybe 2-3 shots, so I guess you can shoot 9-10 shots of 9cm frame.
p.1 #13 · Fuji GSW690III Panoramic Modification Help
ross.thomas wrote:
Thanks for the reply. Is that also 2 winds for 35mm film to advance?
IIRC the first wind is a full stroke and the second stroke gets shorter each frame as you get farther into the roll since the diameter of the film at the takeup spool increases. I never used my GSW690 III with 135 though. Worst case the extreme ends may slightly overlap or have extra space.
