Fat Shot 617 - Medium format 6x17 modular panoramic film camera

This is a film camera with modular design - cassette (film back), focusing screen, lens unit and misc accessories are detachable from the main body for customization, adjustments, movements and portability. It shoots panoramic photos on medium format (120 type) film with an image size of about 56x170 mm. Markings for 6x4.5 frames on the backing paper are used to count frames with exposures made on frames 3, 7, 11 and 15. Design inspired by the Horseman SW617.

Project is more or less finished. No updates are planned in the near future.

Later I've designed a remake of this camera - Fat Shot X . It has many improvements over this project, ability to shoot multiple formats other than 6x17 and not many compromises. Check it out too.

Features

I've tried to include every convinience into this design that seemed important for me while keeping everything exceptionally easy to print without supports. So here’s the list of features I've managed to include in this design:

- Easily detachable film back (I call it the “Cassette”) with a dark slide built in.

- Easily detachable ground glass focusing screen.

- Presice focusing with the help of the off-the-shelf M65 17-31mm helicoid adapter (focusing scale included).

- Lens cones that are swappable without any tools. Use the parametric cones and generate your own .

- Rise (13.5 mm) and fall (3 mm) movements of the lens cone for perspective corrections.

- Spring loaded plungers under both spools that keep them securely in place.

- Ratcheting mechanism on the winding knob that keep the tension on the film.

- Spring loaded pressure plate that firmly presses the film around the frame and keeps it very flat (a couple of first photos show a different story with slightly curved vertical lines - these were made on previous versions of the camera and in the most recent version the problem is fixed).

- Spring loaded film retainers on both sides that keep both feed and take-up rolls from unwinding.

- Lens guard.

- Optional cold shoe mounting points.

- Optional mechanical frame counter on the top .

- Optional handle for comfortable handling and handheld shooting.

What also makes it different from other similar cameras is that both spools are located behind the frame. This makes the film back much less wide and more compact overall, but of course this design makes for a FAT camera :).

Note: viewfinder pictured in some of the images is a one-off made from a door peephole. Later I've made a couple of much more accessible open source designs that you can find here: version 1 , version 2 .

Compatible lenses

Current design is made for a Super Angulon 90 mm f/8 in a Copal No. 0 shutter with FFD = 98.8 mm. Corresponding lens cone can be found along the rest of the files.

Other lenses with FFD between ( probably ) 72 mm and ( also probably ) 150 mm can be used but the lens cone will need to be different in length. To create custom lens cones for your lens use this project , or message me the FFD of your lens so I can generate the lens cone and upload the STLs for you.

Recent updates

2025-12-14:

- Uploaded the Fusion 360 project that allows to create parametric lens cones. See the "Compatible lenses" section for more info.

2025-12-04:

- Added a list of (theoretically) compatible lenses in the corresponding section above.

2025-11-30:

- Added pdf-s along with all svg files in case there are problems with fonts and also made small corrections to the images themselves.

2025-11-29:

- Added a ridge around the opening on the dark slide frame and a corresponding slot on the cassette to make the interface more light-proof. If you have already finished printing the previous version, these parts will need to be reprinted:

- Cassette Bottom

- Cassette Top

- Spool Flanges Left and Right

- Dark Slide Frame

- Added a sloped top to the round holes in the cassette bottom where the pressure plate slots in. This should eliminate any postprocessing needed for the pressure plate to move smoothly.

- Made the holes longer for all the screws that are used to mount the cassette top to the cassette bottom in an attempt to eliminate the need of some screw types.

- Added an optional variant of the main body that has a flat top with no holes for cold shoe mounts. Use it if you want to modify the model yourself to add your own mounts.

- Added an optional two part plug that covers the hole for a cold shoe mount. Print these if you are not planning on using all three mounts to cover the rest. Use M3x10 screw to secure each one in place.