Adam Monk Photo Tours

Continuing on from the Previous Post…   Around about the same time I was struggling up mountains in the Icelandic Highlands with my crazy heavy camera bag full of the Phase One XF camera, IQ3-100 digital back, lenses, tripods and other ancillary items, Phase One released their third firmware upgrade for the XF camera and IQ3 series backs.  Which amongst other features included the activation of a full electronic shutter in the IQ3 digital backs.  Meaning the Digital Back could be used on a technical camera without the limitations of the clockwork mechanical shutters in technical camera lenses (shutter speeds of just 1 sec – 1/500 sec in full stop intervals).

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UPDATE: the Linhof Technorama is sold!

The time has come for me to sell my Linhof Technorama 617s III panoramic camera.  I have often compared it to a piece of agricultural machinery, mostly because of the over-engineered way its built, but it is a an agricultural machine that does its job extremely well.  The Linhof Technorama 617s III really is built like a tank and designed to perform in all conditions.  It has no batteries, full manual wind on, mechanical shutters and manual focus.  It shoots 4 exposures on a roll of 120 film (or 8 on a roll of 220), thats 4 exposures of 6cm wide by 17cm long, thats 11 times the area of a 35mm negative, imagine the potential of that!   Read more about Large Format Cameras.

My Linhof Technorama 617s III and lenses. 90mm attached, 72mm in front, 180mm at rear

Linhof Technorama 617s III

The Linhof Technorama 617s III is the benchmark of all panoramic cameras, it’s the one all others are compared to, usually something like… “This camera is nearly as good as the Linhof Technorama 617s III”.  Well this camera isn’t nearly as good, its every bit as good, it’s the real thing.  For more information about it you can download the Linhof Technorama 617s III pdf from HERE>

So why sell it?  because I’m moving onto a Hasselblad  medium format digital, more on this later. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy New Year,  I’m back at work and it all begins anew.  At the end of my photographic tour to the Bungle Bungles in 2011 we took the group on a cruise on Lake Argyle.  It was a perfectly still afternoon without a breath of wind, a perfect day for cruising on a beautiful lake with the Carr Boyd ranges for a backdrop.

Islands hanging in space

Still waters of Lake Argyle

At one point somewhere near he middle of Lake Argyle, just as the setting sun was making the Kimberley Sandstone come alive and the reflections were rippling on the water, this image presented itself.  It seems to me that the water continued on and on up into the sky with no horizon visible, while the islands in the distance seemed to just hang in space.

The image only remained for a few seconds, and the Linhof Technorama is not the easiest camera to hand hold… and keeping the horizon straight with the 72mm Schneider Kreuznach lens was a challenge (35mm equivalent of about 17mm), but i think its worked and so did the AIPP as they gave me a silver award for it in last years APPAs.

For all the latest Photographic Tours and Photographic workshops with Adam Monk click HERE>

It’s half way through January and i still have my gallery Christmas opening hours up as my last blog post… so much for new years resolutions!  Oh well, i can only move on from here and hope i can do better.  With that in mind i have this great image from Ivanhoe Crossing just out of Kununurra, in the East Kimberley Region, that i took back in July of last year.

Road Closed…!

The water is still raging after the huge wet season, and as you can see, the road is still closed…  I just love the irony of this actually being a road.  I think its something only someone who has been to the North of Australia would fully appreciate.  I’ve driven my car across this crossing before (not this trip!) and i have fished for Barramundi out in the middle of it (unsuccessfully unfortunately), but i don’t think i’d be wading out there now. Read the rest of this entry »

Fuji GX617 Panoramic Camera

The time has come for me to sell the faithful Fuji GX617 Professional Panoramic camera kit.  It is one of the best cameras i’ve used and i can’t say a bad thing about it… well that would be stupid, as i’m trying to sell it!

Fuji GX617 Complete Kit

• Fuji GX617 body, with 2 Fujinon lenses.

• The Fujinon 90mm f5.6 lens.

• The Fujinon 180mm f6.7 lens with UV filter.

• Centre Graduated Neutral density filter for 90mm (original Fuji).

• Dedicated removable viewfinders.

• Lens sun shades for each lens.

Fugi GX617 & Ground Glass

• Ground glass attachment for through the lens viewing (original Fuji).

• B&W Extra wide stepped Circular Polariser (fits both lenses).

• Original Fuji GX617 bag.

The Complete kit is in perfect condition with no dents or damage, all lens glass is pristine.

The Fuji has been sold

So why am i selling it?  Have i bought a Phase One, a Hasselblad H4?  No, i’ve bought a Linhof Technorama 617…  The same thing, but different.

Fuji GX617 Panoramic camera top view

I’ve used the Linhof Technorama before and  they certainly produce lovely images, but no better than the Fuji GX617, and the Fuji is a much much nicer camera to use… Much much nicer!  The Linhof Technorama is a primitive bit of agricultural machinery compared to the Fuji GX617, it’s clunky, heavy and clumsy, built like a piece of farm machinery really. Whereas the Fuji is ergonomically designed to fit well in your hand and it functions like a large SLR, complete with film wind-on lever.  You can read a review of the Fuji GX617 here.

So why would i sell the lovely to use Fuji GX617 if it creates images of the same  quality as the Linhof Technorama?  I want a 72mm lens (about the 35mm equivalent of a 17mm lens), and while they are available for the Fuji GX617, they as rare as rocking horse poo.  So I want a wider angle lens and the easiest way is to buy a different camera system.

*All images used here were shot by Bob Halligan and are used with his permission

Hasselblad Vs Phase One.

The Fuji GX617 was sold long ago, but you may be interested to read about my experiences with the Hasselblad H4D-60 and why I chose it over the Phase One DF+… READ MORE>>