Following the previous report on the trip back to the manufacturer for the CONTAX TVS (T Vario-Sonnar), this time, I would like to share its 'Panoramic photography' function.
In the mid-1990s, 35mm film cameras sparked a small trend in 'Panoramic photography'. Cameras ranging from compact point-and-shoots like the Pentax Espio Mini to full-sized SLR cameras like the Pentax Z1-P introduced this feature. How could you capture a wide field of view like 16:9 or even wider on a 3:2 film frame? To put it simply, there wasn't any extraordinary optical technology involved. It essentially required adding movable masks within the film frame to create a smaller frame of 36mm x 16mm within the standard 36mm x 24mm frame. On the CONTAX TVS, there's a 'P' switch next to the rear viewfinder, which allows you to switch between these two modes. However, with the TVS II, due to changes in market trends and cost-saving considerations, this particular feature was no longer included.
繼上次跟各位報告CONTAX TVS (T Vario-Sonnar)的回娘家行程後，這次來分享一下她的「寬景攝影」功能。
在90年代中旬，135底片相機掀起了一股「寬景攝影」的小風潮，小如傻瓜相機(Pentax espio mini)，大如單眼相機(Pentax Z1-P)都加入這個功能。那要如何在3:2的底片上呈現如16:9或更寬的視野呢？說穿了，沒什麼高超的光學技術可言，指示在底片是內加上上下兩塊可活動的隔板，將36mm x 24mm的底片阻隔成36mm x 16mm的大小就成了。CONTAX TVS 背面觀景窗旁就有一個「P」的開關，可用來切換上述2種模式。TVSII則因為這股風潮不再與節省成本的考量下取消這項特一功能。
Panoramic Mode 寬景模式
Panoramic Mode 寬景模式
Normal Mode 一般模式
When using the 'Wide-Angle Photography' feature, the captured area only occupies about 50% of the film frame. As a result, the 28mm wide-angle lens, which is the original focal length, feels more like a 50mm standard lens when shooting, making it a bit restrictive. Since I used RVP100 film, I mostly shot with the maximum aperture of f/3.5, leading to noticeable vignetting in the images. Stopping down to around f/5.6 helped alleviate most of the issue.
使用「寬景攝影」功能攝影時，拍攝面積約僅佔底片面積的50%，因此原本的28mm廣角鏡頭使用起來的感覺比較像是50mm標準鏡頭，拍起來有些綁手綁腳。由於底片使用的是RVP100，因此幾乎都是用最大光圈f3.5來拍攝，成像有明顯的失光現象，約f5.6可減輕大部分。
Photo 1: 自來水博物館 (CONTAX TVS, Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3.5-6.5/28-56mm T*)
Photo 2: 台北101百貨 (CONTAX TVS, Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3.5-6.5/28-56mm T*)
Photo 3: 大溪 (CONTAX TVS, Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3.5-6.5/28-56mm T*)
其他照片請參閱 相簿-寬景攝影測試。