Odd looking accessory

**Baard-Einar** · 08-22-2021, 12:29 PM

This odd accessory came from Japan last week. It is called Pentax Panorama adapter-F.

Google does not come up with any information, I did not find any info in the user manual for the Z-1. According to the seller it was made for the Pentax Z-1 and MZ-5. As you all know, the later model, Z-1P actually has a panorama alternative buildt in.

Well, this thing came in a small plastic case, similar to the focusing screen cases, but a little thicker. Inside there is a special jig that facilitates the mounting and removal of the panorama accessory.

Does anyone in the forum have this or maybe used one? I'd also like to see if there is a user manual somewhere out there.

Thanks.

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Last edited by Baard-Einar; 08-22-2021 at 12:30 PM. Reason: added some info

garywakeling · 08-22-2021, 12:56 PM - **1 Like**

Wow,panoramas were all the rage back then, even Kodak and Fuji had disposable panorama cameras for $10 including a film, I have also never heard of this rather cool accessory. I never could understand the logic of the panorama negatives in the Z1P until I worked at a minilab, the machine would automatically print a long format print rather than the normal size. Does it have some sort of blind system or focusing screen with etched lines to show you the crop in the viewfinder? Great find of this quirky adapter

**Bob 256** · 08-22-2021, 01:06 PM - **1 Like**

This is a really neat discovery. I have two PZ-1p cameras and was familiar with the "panoramic" format, having shot some with one of my cameras back then (and receiving "panoramic" prints back when the 35mm film was developed. I'm sure you realize how this device works - it's simply a mask which is located near the film plane and prevents exposure except for a strip across the horizontal direction of the film frame thus producing a "panoramic" shot. Jee Whiz, you can do that with cropping too

, but for those who didn't do their own printing, this device allowed the processor to deliver "wide" prints when the automated printer detected the unexposed areas above and below the central image. (Instructions: mount adapter, take pictures, send in for developing, get panoramas back - remove adapter for normal pictures. Turn camera 90 degrees with adapter in place for vertical panoramas.)

Now you've got me thinking - I'm going to have to pull out my PZ-1p and see how it accomplished a similar feat or if it just had viewfinder markings for the panoramic field of view. Anyway, really interesting find you have there!

cmohr · 08-22-2021, 01:54 PM

My MZ-5 and MZ-5n had a little switch that closed a set of blinds in the viewfinder so as you could frame your shot, it also set the shutter curtains to open and close so as only the pano image was exposed on the film, that way the lab would know it was a pano, and would print it like that. I loved it. I would have liked "Pano" as one of the format options in the K-1 menu.

AfterPentax Mark II · 08-23-2021, 12:46 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by cmohr

My MZ-5 and MZ-5n had a little switch that closed a set of blinds in the viewfinder so as you could frame your shot, it also set the shutter curtains to open and close so as only the pano image was exposed on the film, that way the lab would know it was a pano, and would print it like that. I loved it. I would have liked "Pano" as one of the format options in the K-1 menu.

I had the MZ-5 as well and I liked the Panorama setting. Some laboratories did not print the Pano at Pano size: They made a large print and cut off the black top and bottom of the picture. As it was not a real Pano film some automated printers did not recognize it as a Pano and they were handprinted and the sides cut off. Nice way to make pictures of towers and spires.

**TwoUptons** · 08-23-2021, 05:43 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by AfterPentax Mark II

I had the MZ-5 as well and I liked the Panorama setting. Some laboratories did not print the Pano at Pano size: They made a large print and cut off the black top and bottom of the picture. As it was not a real Pano film some automated printers did not recognize it as a Pano and they were handprinted and the sides cut off. Nice way to make pictures of towers and spires.

It depends on the printing machine. The masked-off panos were "real Panos" back then. For a minilab machine a multi-frame pano would have been tricky... I don't think the one I used could have done it...
The fancier machines would switch lenses and print as long as they could depending on the paper mask.
The less-fancy machines needed a manual lens swap, just like you would do for printing an 8*10 or 5*7 print, or anything from 110 film.
The one I used was less-fancy, but with the right lens would print I think 3*10 inches or something like that, on 6 inch wide paper, limited by the mask.
We still had to chop off the top and bottom of the image, but it was a lot bigger than 2*6 or whatever it would have been on a regular print.
Since I was the one running the machine, I would just arbitrarily print panos from regular negatives if I wanted one for myself (not often). Then I could chop the top and bottom anywhere I wanted and still have something that fit the frames... so I never really used the pano setting...

-Eric

08-22-2021, 01:06 PM - 1 Like	#3
Bob 256 Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	This is a really neat discovery. I have two PZ-1p cameras and was familiar with the "panoramic" format, having shot some with one of my cameras back then (and receiving "panoramic" prints back when the 35mm film was developed. I'm sure you realize how this device works - it's simply a mask which is located near the film plane and prevents exposure except for a strip across the horizontal direction of the film frame thus producing a "panoramic" shot. Jee Whiz, you can do that with cropping too, but for those who didn't do their own printing, this device allowed the processor to deliver "wide" prints when the automated printer detected the unexposed areas above and below the central image. (Instructions: mount adapter, take pictures, send in for developing, get panoramas back - remove adapter for normal pictures. Turn camera 90 degrees with adapter in place for vertical panoramas.) Now you've got me thinking - I'm going to have to pull out my PZ-1p and see how it accomplished a similar feat or if it just had viewfinder markings for the panoramic field of view. Anyway, really interesting find you have there! Last edited by Bob 256; 08-22-2021 at 01:13 PM.

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08-22-2021, 12:56 PM - 1 Like	#2
garywakeling Moderator Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,759	Wow,panoramas were all the rage back then, even Kodak and Fuji had disposable panorama cameras for $10 including a film, I have also never heard of this rather cool accessory. I never could understand the logic of the panorama negatives in the Z1P until I worked at a minilab, the machine would automatically print a long format print rather than the normal size. Does it have some sort of blind system or focusing screen with etched lines to show you the crop in the viewfinder? Great find of this quirky adapter

08-22-2021, 01:54 PM	#4
cmohr Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Brisbane. Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,824	My MZ-5 and MZ-5n had a little switch that closed a set of blinds in the viewfinder so as you could frame your shot, it also set the shutter curtains to open and close so as only the pano image was exposed on the film, that way the lab would know it was a pano, and would print it like that. I loved it. I would have liked "Pano" as one of the format options in the K-1 menu.

08-23-2021, 12:46 AM - 1 Like	#5
AfterPentax Mark II Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2021 Posts: 1,462	Originally posted by cmohr My MZ-5 and MZ-5n had a little switch that closed a set of blinds in the viewfinder so as you could frame your shot, it also set the shutter curtains to open and close so as only the pano image was exposed on the film, that way the lab would know it was a pano, and would print it like that. I loved it. I would have liked "Pano" as one of the format options in the K-1 menu. I had the MZ-5 as well and I liked the Panorama setting. Some laboratories did not print the Pano at Pano size: They made a large print and cut off the black top and bottom of the picture. As it was not a real Pano film some automated printers did not recognize it as a Pano and they were handprinted and the sides cut off. Nice way to make pictures of towers and spires.

08-23-2021, 05:43 PM - 1 Like	#6
TwoUptons Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,215	Originally posted by AfterPentax Mark II I had the MZ-5 as well and I liked the Panorama setting. Some laboratories did not print the Pano at Pano size: They made a large print and cut off the black top and bottom of the picture. As it was not a real Pano film some automated printers did not recognize it as a Pano and they were handprinted and the sides cut off. Nice way to make pictures of towers and spires. It depends on the printing machine. The masked-off panos were "real Panos" back then. For a minilab machine a multi-frame pano would have been tricky... I don't think the one I used could have done it... The fancier machines would switch lenses and print as long as they could depending on the paper mask. The less-fancy machines needed a manual lens swap, just like you would do for printing an 810 or 57 print, or anything from 110 film. The one I used was less-fancy, but with the right lens would print I think 310 inches or something like that, on 6 inch wide paper, limited by the mask. We still had to chop off the top and bottom of the image, but it was a lot bigger than 26 or whatever it would have been on a regular print. Since I was the one running the machine, I would just arbitrarily print panos from regular negatives if I wanted one for myself (not often). Then I could chop the top and bottom anywhere I wanted and still have something that fit the frames... so I never really used the pano setting... -Eric