An Essay by Alain Briot

My main reason for acquiring a Fuji 6x17 camera was to be able to see differently. Prior to acquiring this camera I became convinced that the extreme format -almost 3 times longer than high- would allow me to re-think how I had composed my landscape photographs so far.

I was right. The 6x17 format is unlike any other format I had used (6x4,5, 6x6, 4x5, 35mm) and I effectively had to re-think how to compose an image. At first I found few compositions which would inspire me to take a panoramic photograph. It took me some time to learn to see in panoramic mode and to start to visualize panoramic images in locations where, so far, I had composed square or rectangular images.

One thing which helped me greatly in this endeavor were the removable viewfinders which come with each interchangeable lens for the Fuji 6x17 camera. These viewfinders are made of plastic, which makes them light, and come with a protective bag which both protects them and makes them...