Why Would Anybody Buy This Camera - Did I Make A Mistake? 

Personally I think the third image is the best. I understand why you think otherwise. With the light only on the left but with the pano crop and that water line in the foreground leading your eye 👁 to the massive negative space on the right side make it a perfect image. Anyone else think this? Awesome photos TOM 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

I have had so many different digital cameras over the years. Never have I ever been more happy about shooting images than I am now, and now I only shoot film. To me its more than just the images, I love how an old camera makes me rethink the way I shoot, and as an added bonus I get better images. Keep doing what you love, the second you start to do what you think the audience wants thats when it will all fall apart, and people lose interest. Be youself and It will all be good for many years to come 👌🏼

Probably the only photographer who is coming out of his comfort zone. Happy to be one of your loyal followers Tom

My Hasselblad Xpan 2 and FUJI GX 617 were my go to camera everywhere I travel. Though result were not great as digital, I felt honest and pure in my photography. I mostly use on Velvia 50.

6:55 - What's not to like? I love the texture and swirly patterns in the water/eddy of the moving estuary current; it almost reminds me of the multi-color patterns you see in soap bubbles or a bit of oil in a puddle. Add to that the perfect, subtle ombré across the frame from pink to blue-violet paired with the leading line of the current and sandbar (not to mention that blip of the castle perfectly centered in the distance). I think it's a very strong image overall, helped a lot by the abundance of minute and intriguing little textures in the water. That you chose a film stock like Provia that lends itself so well to the color palette is all the better.

I love the minimalism of these images. We live in a world that seems to shout at us constantly; images like these offer serenity and tranquility. Good work :-)

Thomas don't ever regret it. You have the right frame of mind and the great skill to capture the beauty of the landscape. Without the light metering it would have been far more harder to capture the scenery. It beautifully captured the film really did it's justistice. Cheers and keep calm and keep clicking.

I know landscape photography kind of includes travel for all of us, but im not sure how i feel about a landscape photography conference on an icebreaker. Concerning pollution that seems like a step to far for me. Not to be too negative, i really enjoy your videos and work!

You're right, film photography is a blast. I shoot 35mm, 120 MF, and 4x5 LF. I can't sing the praises of the experience of film enough. It's awesome!

You don't always need to speak. I enjoy watching with a background of sounds from the location mixed with mood music. We are photographers after all . . . we thrive on the visual. Simply watching you work often leaves a stronger impact than spoken words.

I have shot Pentax 67 for years. You are right! It's about the experience! My love for film (I have full frame digital also) goes back 50 years... Yes, I'm old!, but, I love both mediums! Great vid!!

I’m glad you still created a video out of the footage you had. I love that you don’t talk to the camera in front of people ☺️ I also returned to the same location two days in a row this week to get the perfect light. It was well worth it. Antarctica sounds amazing!!

Some of my favorite videos have no narration. When it is about the experience, no explanation in necessary. I sense that photography for you is mostly about the experience anyway. It is why you are drawn to cameras like this. Loved the “B” roll. I also love the second image. It’s about the light.

Antarctica - I've been lucky to have been on expedition ships down there twice. My photo related advice is to have policies in place about position on zodiacs. I found people can get aggressive about prime spots (front/back corners), which affects how quickly you can get people off the ship (an issue when people are melting inside wearing all their cold gear waiting to get on the zodiac). Also enforce policies against standing up in the zodiac (or worse, forcing themselves between people on the other side of the zodiac). Folks pay a lot to be there and seem to feel entitled to get every possible shot, so aggressive photographers push the boundaries as much as they can. People also have drastically different perceptions of value on their gear. I've watched some, presumably well off, allow full bodies and L lenses to be submerged in salt water. When they sit next to people who covet their hard earned L lens, it can lead to conflict when one isn't as careful around the other. Finally, outside photography, try and get to South Georgia one day. It's amazing. Cheers.

Great video. Loved your first image on the second day. Great to see you push your own boundaries.

Hey Thomas, don't stuck in making videos which should appeal to all you viewers every time. I love the way how you make your photography to yours. The video without voice is NOT bad. It is a different style. Did you ever reflect to make a video only with atmosphere sound and the klick of the shutter? Just a video how grateful it is, to be in the nature and love doing what you really love? Respects from Hamburg!

You know, I actually like the last one best. I've always felt that, as a photographer, the goal is to get the viewer to look "through" the image. Not "at" the image. (If that makes sense) I think the imbalance works in it's favor. You're automatically drawn off the bat to the left side because of the vibrant colors. Then as you pan right, you notice the castle and the mellower blues. You take a journey. Better put that one in the calendar next year, my friend. I think you'll like it better the more you look at it. Look forward to the antarctica videos.

Last week you probably put yourself down a little too much because well it's face it we all have low days even I but your photography is absolutely phenomenal even on your low days thank you for sharing your honesty

"Photography Is Always About The Experience" -Thomas Heaton, 2020

For the money, it can't be beat. I've used one for 20 years, and have enjoyed every minute. It has some limitations, but the images one can get out of it are amazing. You made a good choice. Now to a scanner!

Some beautiful photos there... I have the older version - G617 - and love the sense of theatre as you set up to take a photo. Taking each image becomes a wholly immersive experience; it is an occasion - and this helps to make you focus on the basics of photography. Much as I love the convenience of digital work, I get more satisfaction from a good photo taken with a 6x9, 6x8 or 6x7 stills camera. The only downside for me is, not having personal transport any more, lugging around a tripod, light-meter, rolls of film and the camera is a real pain.

Hey Tom, I was a huge fan of the Fuji 617 and used one on a number of commercial shoots in the 90's. Even for a seasoned photographer brought up on 5x4 & 10x8 Film cameras, shooting with the 617 was always a challenge especially when shooting outdoors on location. I would have loved to own one back then and still look back on using it with fond memories. It is good to be challenged now and again and to step outside our comfort zone, in this digital age where we can check results on screen instantly it makes us slow down and think about what we are shooting, especially when you get 4 frames to a roll ! keep on pushing yourself my friend and keep on loading that 120 film !! By the way, image 3 is my fav, love the intensity of colour, Symmetry isn't always best !

You know what you are doing is successful when you've inspired someone, who may not even get a chance to meet you. Thanks Tom. Your videos make many people want to follow your footsteps. Including me, of course 🙂💯

I think you are wrong about the crop. I would prefer the castle off centre, but that’s where we are all different photographers. I recently bought a Nikon FM. Totally back to basics. No battery, just me, the camera and a hand held light meter. You’re right, it’s is about the experience of shooting, not just the final image. My landscapes are so different to yours, but I can still appreciate your work even if I don’t shoot in the same way as you. If we all shot in the same way, saw things the same life would be dull. Film just allows me the indulgence in my own past as a landscape photographer who used to shoot film and now does again. Of course I love digital, but film photography is a precious thing to me and I’m glad to see you are traveling the film path too. I think you and I both follow the photographer Nick Carver who is a joy to watch. He too makes a few mistakes as we all do. Remember, we all have doubts about the images shot on film. I do too. The worst was watching and waiting for my wedding films to hopefully go through the film processor in the lab correctly and praying my films weren’t too thin. Luckily they never were, but I always held my breath back then.

Ahh, Lindisfarne, the name brings good memories of fun times. Every video you do is teaching me to love photography. Please feel good about it, even when it feels bad.

You buy it with your heart, I enjoy it vicariously!

I wish I had a lotto ticket right now that I could cash in for this trip, as it sounds absolutely brilliant! Sending all my best wishes that it comes through for all of you . Kudos for setting something like this up in the first place:) Cheers

The one big advantage of a pano camera is that you can take long exposures with moving water, leaves and clouds. I saw one of your videos where you waited ages for the wind to die down in order to get a multi-frame pano without blurred leaves. JoAnne

As I’ve said previously, I used this camera a lot throughout the '90s. Shooting complex hotel interiors in very mixed, low light situations, using either Kodak EPP or EPT. Both these films were ideal, but desperately slow when it came to the 617, particularly when “hampered’ by the two stop centralised ND filter. My exposures on some of my images were grotesque!! Shooting at say f32, the shooting times would just pile up, with exposures regularly extending past 2 minutes. Then allowing for reciprocity, plus the bracketing to ensure that the correct exposure was achieved with the tenuous nature of transparency film, meant that the actual shooting process could take well over 30 mins. Challenging, but a nightmare, bearing in mind that firstly my assistants and I would have to gel every rouge light source to the correct colour temperature! A simple restaurant interior could well take up to 6 hours to complete. Good quality colour negative film was only just arriving and Fuji NPS would prove a viable substitute, but with the huge advantage of having such a great colour temperature tolerance. Sadly, this particular client of mine was very “old school” and insisted that I continued shooting on transparency film. Using the 617 for the job it was intended for, as a landscape camera, should be pretty easy with today's technology. Modern colour neg. film has such great tolerances that I suspect one could actually shoot without using the pesky ND filter, with any discrepancies taken care of in scanning and image manipulation.

Gorgeous work once more ! That is a totally different video from the previous one (which I love really for its pure honesty), and I can't wait to see how that GX617 beast is going to perform with you behind it !

+1 bonus points for naming emulsive.

It is nice when you talk, but don't worry about having to. That clip you had with just silence was beautiful. Very tasteful. Quiet with the music and beautiful light. A splendid intermezzo to the rest of your video :)

I want to plug Thomas’s book. I have an autographed copy of his book and I love it. First I want you to think about the cost of photography equipment he had to carry to the different locations around the world. Next think about the cost to travel to the locations. Next is the cost of food and lodging. Then there is the clothing needed for the different locations. If you appreciate his pictures and want to help out his business I recommend purchasing his book, and while you’re at it his calendar too. With the COVID virus cutting into his workshop business he would appreciate the help. Just think if you traveled to these locations and bought a postcard from each you could just about cover the cost of the book. The layout of the book works well with the pictures. Thomas put a lot of time and effort into this book. I am ready to preorder his second book.

All images are good but the last is my favourite, I think it works well even if “unbalanced “ 😊

I came back tp film photography in 2017 after many years away from it. I bought a Pentax SP500 and a Helios 44m-4 off ebay and raided poundland for their supply of Agfa Vista 200. Photography is very therapeutic whatever the format, I have spent 2020 learning about black and white film and how to develop it and loved every minute of it. Some days are diamonds where everything falls into place and you get wall hangers, others are just so bad you question your sanity, but the lure of film is incredibly strong. I thank all the people who never gave up on film in the face of the Digital Revolution for us still being able to buy, shoot and develop film today. Film Photography has risen again and it definitely has a place in the 21st century.

I used to own this camera, and would have a checklist to make sure that I had covered everything before triggering the shutter. I made plenty of mistakes, but still, loved the process.Have fun! :)

I really loved image 1 and 2. 1 because of the muted colours and swirls in the water and 2 because of the serenity, colour and minimalist aesthetic. I felt the choppy clumps of water in number 3 were the biggest issues - the lopsided light wasn't ideal either as you pointed out.

I have a number of old 35mm cameras that I shoot B&W with. Do my own developing. Film makes you think and study the scene more. I think in the long term, it would improve your digital photography.

Great video Thomas! I liked the image that you thought wasn’t balanced, with the lighter left side. Really liked the contrast of light and dark.

I still have my 5x4" field camera with a 6x12 Horseman back. Been meaning to blow the dust off that for a while now.

Tthomas, symmetry is a concept that is more highly valued in the western world. Eastern artists purposely avoid symmetry. Think of your unbalanced image as an example of the yin and yang icon The light is balanced by dark. The image is gorgeous! Subconsciously, your know this because you love the image, but are a little uneasy because it violates a principle you learned or absorbed somewhere.

I'd recommend a Nodal camera head to use with one of your digital bodies if you haven't tried one - massive very hi-res panoramas are staggering. Back when these Fuji's were current bodies, they were something I so wanted but were way out of my reach back then. These days they're hard to come by, magnificent piece of kit.

Great pictures! I don't think the castle has to be in the centre. A stage director once told me: the centre is the most uninteresting position of the stage. Having something out of centre creates tension. I know that was not your intention, but it can be attractive.

Another great video Tom. This camera intrigues me but unfortunately out of reach for now. I recently watched a RU-vid video by Photography Online where one of the photographers used it to shoot a Skye sunset, and like your shots the panoramic images are breathtaking. I am taking your advice and getting an old OM4 out from the back of the cupboard and carrying it with me when out and about. Keep up the great work, thank you for showing us how it should be done!

The images look beautiful to me. Agree as you point out the third image is unbalanced but well done and thanks for sharing

Nice minimal images indeed. I much prefer your reduced white border as it frames the images quite crisply. The prior width was far more intrusive and distracting.

Colour casts on those first three images, Provia and Velvia are known for this especially with longer exposures, very difficult to get consistency, digital gives more consistent results in my experience. If you're happy then that's what it's all about I guess, your passion for the camera and film certainly comes across in the film. cheers

Yep, I totally get being distracted when other people are nearby, I am the same! For some reason, people feel the need to talk to you or set up close by.🤷‍♂️ Nice peaceful images there.👌

A good craftsman never blames his tools.

the photographs are spectacular . . . couldn't ask for more

Great video, love the images that Fugifim takes! I remember the old Kodak camera's you used to take photo's and get real exited on how your images would turn out. You kinda miss those moments with digital camera's now days. I love landscape photography it's just something about it you can find a boring spot but you can make it look very interesting from it. Keep up the good work!

I love all of the shots in this video, bud.

Damn this is the first of your videos I watch and at each new picture you showed my jaw dropped more :) I really should try harder with my compositions thank you very much for that unsolicited lesson

Really great camera and glad it suits your your style. Now that you're shooting 6x17 and medium format, there should be no reason not to bring out the 4x5, right? 😉

I purchased one of these and used it a lot, Although that was before digital. :) I found it took a lot of careful work using filters.

Hey there Thomas! I've been into photography since I was a wee lad, back in Canada (I'm in Michigan, USA now... how the hell did that happen!). I had a full colour darkroom back in the day and I have to say that SOMEWHERE in between the shooting of film and digital feels the way to go... WHEN I'M NOT LAZY! But I'm ALWAYS lazy! ;-) I had an old Mamiya press camera, way back when. Fun stuff. Thanks for your video's, bro. Between you and Sean Tucker, I get my fix. Cheers!

Fantastic images Thomas, i would love to get images like this. One day i will succeed but I am my biggest critique ... Keep up the great work mate.

That chair is dope.

"Why not speak"? Sometimes Tom, less is more. Loved to music that accompanied your images and the images too! ;-) I also have an oldeee Olympus OM10 sitting on a shelf just waiting for some film :-) Keep up the good work.

I used to sit and thumb through the paper B&H catalog(pre-internet) and dream about this camera and lenses, but there were too many digits in those prices for me to acquire one back then.

I'm a bit surprised to see you using f32 try some at f22 I think you will find them sharper and as much depth of field. another thing I found it was better with Velvia, strangely rated at 32 asa rather than 50 asa

13:29 "It's almost a photograph of nothing, but it also has so much to it." And that's why it's a great image.

Oooh..... I see a 2022 pano calendar coming! I’ll be the first to order!

I think the one you're not sure about would come alive printed huge like Nick Carver did with his favorite picture. It would be easier to see the subtle details that aren't visible on the computer screen.

if you call images from day 2 as failure, You are one hell of demanding photographer, what would be great then? actually the tide is not missing at all, it makes these pictures very nice, tidy and calm!

Great video. Suggestion for an upcoming video, shoot the same scene with film and a Fuji digital set at the same film simulation, curious how different they'd look.

Fabulous work, as usual. I love those film panoramas, and hadn’t known about that camera. Thanks again.

Honestly, I’d be ecstatic 🤩 with any of those images. I like the last one the best. Great video.

I really want the xpan to get a more creative look on some scenes. I'd consider this camera but its so large and I would burn through too much film. The negatives must have a lot of detail tho!

I prefer the last image. It shows the reality of life, not everything is balanced at every moment. I guess I'm more of a purest type and get depressed when I see some landscape images so manipulated in post that they might as well be from Pixar or Lucasfilm.

Can anyone tell me 1. How do you, or who develops the negative 2. Is the Digital Image made then from a scanner 3. Where do you buy film for that thing ?

Seeng the GX617 sitting on your desk, I began to realise just how big it was! It must be like operating an anti-tank gun after using the modern digitals :) I've seen different opinions here on which of the last two shots works better, but like you, I prefer the first one. Yes, it's a "photograph of nothing" - but that huge expanse of nothing is exactly what was attractive about the location.

Good advice, pick the smallest possible ship for Antarctica.

The Antarctica trip would be amazing sadly not in the budget

I like the 2nd photograph.

image at 10:55 is beautiful, no need to say a thing!

07:20 the shot was so epic! Well done.

Hey Thomas. You said having the castle off centre was a no-no.. Why so? To my eye by recomposing to the left and then using the sand bars to lead the viewer to the castle on the last 3rd would have rebalanced the image and filled the sky with more setting sunlight, reducing dead space to the right. Not a criticism, just curious. Really enjoying the GX617 episodes btw.

Regarding the shot you feel is not symmetrical or balanced: In my humble opinion, symmetry and balance in a photo can not trump the story the photo tells. These shots are beautifully minimalistic, but even so, the story isn't the light. Rather it is at its heart a photo of a sunset (or was it a sunrise?), and as such I can't help but feel the crux of the story is in the changing of the light, or darkness overtaking light. Your image works (again in my humble opinion) perfectly when viewed in this context. Symmetry and balance have their value, to be sure, but they can't be more than the sum of the implied story the image tells. I'd hang that shot on my wall in a heartbeat.

Careful Thomas - this camera was the reason i eventually bought a true 6x17 view camera, which in turn was the reason I now own an 8x10 ;)

Has a higher "ice rating"? So it's less likely to go Titanic? Well that's comforting....

Good Afternoon Sir :) I completley understand how you feel when people suddenly appear. I often loose my inspiration, or that magical moment. It's as if the moment has been taken away, and becomes just photography. I struggle with Pugalistica Dementia. Those constant doubts sometimes completley destroys my luster for photography. Your content has constantly inspired me to keep going, and hold onto what truly makes me feel joy inside. Thank You Very Much Sir ! Love From Iowa :)

I'm the same way with shooting video if people come up to me. I'm completely changing my RU-vid style because of it. I hope it works. Great video, great images.

I just picked up the earlier G617 with the 105mm f/8. Now comes how to best scan the image

Next video.......... you got a Linhof Technorama 617 :D.

Colin Prior’s camera of choice.

I loved the first image because of the hurly swirly patterns in the foreground...could it be time to have an assistant (like some US and Canadian RU-vidrs) to ward off humans who would unintentionally disrupt your videos!?

I can NEVER afford even close to that camera, so dreams dashed, hopes washed and back to simple, thanks Tom for the ride but I can not afford your luxury, so thanks for all the fish and goodbye, Xxx

Nice video, Tom, as always. How are you scanning your films and editing the images? I think would be nice a video about it. Cheers

Good looking Camera indeed. Also 3 very nice pano, with beautiful colours.

Can I ask what light meter you use ? @Thomas , great video btw , keep up good work , so inspiring

Very nice video and images!

Hi Thomas. You’re a brave man going out with a camera like that. I own a hassleblad standard body with 5 lenses, and a SWC which I used for a good 25 years with film. You have inspired me to maybe get it out again, but the hassle (please excuse the pun) of getting the film developed etc etc is what is stopping me. I have gotten the digital bug but then I suppose you have not had the opportunity to play around with film like I have! A friend of mine got his old film cameras out to shoot every now and again. Initially I think it was to get people to stop and ask him questions about his gear, a conversation starter, as they had never seen such cameras (I think he was hoping to use these cameras as a chick magnet 😉🙂 but his success rate was virtually nil) but now I think they are doomed to the personal museum. Good luck with the film battle 🙂. Cheers 👍. Derek. Sydney.

Just love the experiment to analog.... Love your videos, keep up the good work! Just curious, how do you get the digital files?

I shot regularly with a Fuji GL690 Pro and consider it a medium format gem, provided you keep a close eye on the film advance mechanism. The GX617 has appealed to me for a couple decades, but the price remains prohibitive. Thomas, how do you scan 6x17 transparencies?

great pictures, i like sodding about with the K temp to change the skies in camera so i don't have to edit in post, if i left it to post i'd never get around to it, that one where you said the image was out of balance because all the intrastate was on the left, a mirror flip through the farm building might make a nice image, mirroring the intrastate on the left to the right side

Love your work man. You inspire me.

Nice work, great images, would the last one crop to 6x12?

I love your every landscape photography

You will be visiting my country...great! Cheers