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360° PANOPTIC PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIMENTS
Michel DUSARIEZ, Ludovic PIERROUX & Lars R. LARSEN.

New technical approaches to panoptic photography and the three inventors have been sporting enough to present their findings to the public. Not only do they fairly divide the merits, but they also reveal their invention totally unselfishly, not covering up any of the details. They even add the instructions which enable skilfull amateurs to construct their own panoptic materials, using elements which are simple and inexpensive.
    The English version 138 pages is now again available. It examines in details different 360° panoptic system which are easy to built, with diagrams and advice. Additional article,about stereo 3D panoptic photography on 360° and panoptic 360° underwater experiments, as well as Polaroid 360° camera. English version price : 900 BF (about U.S.$ 26.00), package and airmail postage include everywhere. Only credit cards VISA, MASTERCARD, AM. EXPRESS accepted. Bank cheque can not be accepted. ISBN 2-9600048-1-7.

PANOPTIC PHOTOGRAPHY
Michel DUSARIEZ
14, avenue Capitaine PIRET
1150 Brussels - BELGIUM FAX 32 2 512 68 29

About the exhibition of LARSCAN CAMERAS with pictures made with, from Lars
and me, at the MUSEE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE in Charleroi -Belgium - Exibition
from February 14 to April 20, 1997. Michel DUSARIEZ - Brussel - Belgium
March 1997.

Panoramic Conversation or 25 years of turning around.
    Michel Dusariez: Since 1986, I have been interested in photographs taken
with Cirkut cameras, which are large format panoramic cameras dating back to the beginning of the century, of which many are still in service, especially in the United States. I started my own exploits in panoptic photography with a transformed Rollei 35 ( April 1987) the reasonable results of which encouraged me to persevere. The way the technical inventor's mind works, means that he is in constant need of efficient tools and materials and has to do with the available means and the constant doubt as to whether he will succeed often means that he reluctant to invest - an cruel dilemma.
    A trip to Japan in 1989 with a view to demonstrate the advantages in the use of kites for aerial photography, (1979) and the fact that I met Hideaki Sato, amateur builder of panoramic cameras confirmed me in my intentions. The first results gave me negatives of 250 mm x 24 mm which I thought were far too long, and I decided to go on to build a prototype based on a single use Fuji with a 25 mm lens which gives me negatives of 157 mm x 24 mm. The length/height ratio was improved, but still too long for my taste. This camera was named "Rubbish" (1989) because it was made from scrap parts only and it works quite well. I then came upon the ides of a non-definitive transformation of a modern SLR camera. Cameras with an interchangeable back make it possible to construct a panoptical interchangeable back system with two interchangeable motors for two different speeds. The focal length chosen, was deliberately very short with a view to reducing the negative length. This gives a negative of 106 mm x 24 mm. We reduce the length/height ratio. The camera body itself undergoes no changes and can still be used normally.
    At this point in time, I meet the Dane Lars R. Larsen who had already been exploring panoptical photography ( 1970). Lars R Larsen: I had built my first almost panoptical camera (350°) in 1970 with the intention to make panoramas of buildings and interiors. The prototype was built from an alarm clock casing with an internal diameter of 90 mm (2 x the focal length of the lens 45 mm) which gave me negatives of the very unhandy length of abt 270 mm with a height of 24 mm. after a few successful takes, I abandoned the project, but luckily, I kept the camera.
    When twenty years later, I met Michel, his system appealed to me, but at the time, I had neither a camera with interchangeable back, nor did I have a 17 mm lens. I wanted to use a 21 mm which I have, and I came upon the idea to let the camera turn around a fixed rubber disc the diameter of which is twice the focal length of the lens. I built the system around a 6x6 Zeiss Ikon Nettar body, so that I could benefit from the #120 format with a film of 60 mm.
    Four points are worth mentioning here: 1: a lens for a 24x36 SLR, the focal length of which is shorter than the depth of the camera body is constructed as a retrofocus lens. - the distance between the lens and film is longer than the focal length - which in our case gives us room enough for the abovementionned rubber disc. 2: that the picture circle covered by 24x36 lenses is at least equal to the diagonal of that format, i.e.43 mm. Often it is more and may thus attain twice the height of the 24 mm of a 35 mm film. 3: that the use of a 17 mm lens gives negatives of 106 mm ( 2 x 17 x pi) when covering 360°. With a negative height of 48 mm the vertical angle covered exceeds 100°. 4: that this length of negative makes it possible to use enlargers for the 9 x 12 cm or 4 x 5".
    In the spring of 1991, I built a prototype which I first called "Rundhorisontkamera" and later renamed "Larscan" (1991) which after a few improvements gave results that were so convincing that Michel decided to do at least as well. Using the same system, he very quickly built a very
pretty camera with a 17 mm lens.
    Michel Dusariez: Since 1979, I had been doing aerial photography by kite, so I came upon the idea to make an aerial photography by kite (1992 ) covering 360°. The French seaside town of Toquet was chosen for this "World's first" on the 25th April 1992. As the risk of a crash can never be totally excluded, and as the camera used could not easily have been replaced, nerves were strained during the experiment, but fortunately nothing untoward happened. As the camera for the 120 format takes up quite a lot of space, I got the idea of creating a smaller, pocket sized model. A further Rollei 35 meets the hacksaw and the vice and with a 12.5 mm lens (taken from a Kodak Disc) it gives negatives of 76 x 18 mm, an acceptable length/height ratio. (1994). This prototype comes with an accessory which makes it possible to change the rotation ratio (to compensate for the change in refraction index under water) and a submarine body which permits underwater takes of 360° at any depth. (1994).
    Lars R. Larsen: It was after having seen Michel's "pocket" prototype that I decided to make something neater in a Praktica point and shoot body using the motorised film advance system of the camera itself. This lightweight camera can easily be carried by kite and with radio remote control, it gives excellent aerial photographs. Michel Dusariez: I simply had to make a further conversion. This time of an Olympus Mµ. (1994) using the original motor drive of the camera. The outside dimensions corresponding to those of the original camera making it truly pocketable.
    The construction of a 360° camera which simultaneously takes the same scene from two different points (stereoscopic views) took place, first for the 35 mm format ( 1993) and finally format 120 (1994). The stereoscopic vision is reestablished with the View Magic viewer from Dimension Press of USA using the over/under system. The latest camera of the series, a camera using a Polaroid 4" x 5" film holder saw the light of the day towards the end of 1996. It makes it possible to take instantaneous 360° views with a re-useable negative.

Michel Dusariez