Fujica Panorama G617 Professional
Fuji Photo Film · Fixed lens · 6×17 cm on 120 or 220 roll film; the negative is 17 cm wide (Andrew Whitehurst, Emulsive) · 1983
Also known as: Fujica Panorama G617 Professional · Fuji Panorama G617 Professional · Fujica G617 · Fuji G617 · Fuji G617 Panorama 6x17 · Fuji G617 Professional 105mm f/8 · Fujica G617 6×17 · フジカ パノラマ G617 · フジ パノラマ G617 プロフェッショナル · フジ G617
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fujica Panorama G617 Professional (1983–85) | Fuji fixed | 1983–1985 | — | — |
| Fuji Panorama G617 Professional (1985–93) | Fuji fixed | 1985–1993 | — | — |
- Weight and dimensions are from Andrew Whitehurst's specification block on Emulsive; Jonas Rask says only that the camera weighs above 2 kg. No maker's figure has been found.
- The centre filter: an ND2 (2×, one stop) centre-graduated filter in the 77 mm thread corrects the 105mm's edge fall-off (Whitehurst; Rask gives the same 2×, one-stop figure). A Luminous Landscape review seen in search calls for a two-stop centre filter; the two-stop figure may describe a different filter or be loose usage. Whitehurst took three years to find one.
- Accessories named by Whitehurst: lens hood, shoulder strap, carrying case. Rask paid $179 for a hood.
How to tell them apart
- A 6×17 box with a bar-type lens protector in front of the 105mm lens, a spirit level on top of the protector and strap lugs at either end of it (camera-wiki)
- Two shutter releases, on the front of the body and on top of the four-stroke advance lever; two accessory shoes (camera-wiki)
- Fujica or Fuji nameplate, the only recorded difference between the 1983 and 1985 cameras (camera-wiki)
- Fixed lens and fixed finder: the GX617 of 1993 has a removable lens unit with its own finder and runs on two CR123A cells; the G617 has no battery at all (Andrew Whitehurst; Japanese Wikipedia)
Fujica Panorama G617 Professional (1983–85):
- Fujica nameplate (camera-wiki)
Fuji Panorama G617 Professional (1985–93):
- Fuji nameplate in place of Fujica; no mechanical change is recorded (camera-wiki)
- Fujica Panorama G617 Professional (1983–85): The launch camera of March 1983: four-stroke advance lever, two shutter releases (one on the front of the body, one on top of the advance lever), two accessory shoes, a spirit level on top of the lens protector, and strap lugs on either side of the protector so the camera can hang horizontally or vertically (camera-wiki).
- Fuji Panorama G617 Professional (1985–93): The same camera renamed in 1985 after Fuji dropped the Fujica brand (camera-wiki). Andrew Whitehurst's specification dates the model 1983–93; the interchangeable-lens GX617 replaced it in December 1993.
Specifications
- Format
- 6×17 cm on 120 or 220 roll film; the negative is 17 cm wide (Andrew Whitehurst, Emulsive) · 4 on 120, 8 on 220 (camera-wiki; Japanese Wikipedia) exposures
- Finder
- Direct optical viewfinder, not parallax-corrected, with a cut-out showing the spirit level (Jonas Rask; Andrew Whitehurst) · none — no close-focus correction (Andrew Whitehurst) parallax correction · no rangefinder image
- Shutter
- Seiko No. 0 leaf shutter in the lens, cocked by hand before each exposure (camera-wiki; Andrew Whitehurst) · B, 1 s – 1/500 (camera-wiki) · flash sync X at all speeds through a PC socket; M bulbs at 1/30 (camera-wiki)
- Film advance
- Four-stroke lever with double-exposure prevention; automatic-reset frame counter and a roll counter in which one unit stands for ten rolls (camera-wiki; Andrew Whitehurst)
- Meter
- None
- Motor drive
- Not compatible
- Weight
- 2130 g
- Dimensions
- approx. 273 × 147 × 201 (W × D × H, Andrew Whitehurst) mm
- Country
- Japan
- Accessories
- Centre-graduated ND2 filter, 77 mm thread (Andrew Whitehurst; Jonas Rask) · Lens hood (Whitehurst; Rask paid $179 for one) · Shoulder strap and carrying case (Whitehurst)
Whitehurst's specification gives 94% vertical and 90% horizontal coverage at infinity, 100% vertical and 93% horizontal at 3 m. Rask finds it decently accurate but not an exact match for the lens's coverage. Focus is by the distance scale on the lens; there is no rangefinder.
Where sources disagree
- Accessories (centre filter strength)
- ND2, 2× or one stop — Andrew Whitehurst (Emulsive); Jonas Rask
- two stops — a Luminous Landscape review seen in search
Better supported: one stop (ND2)
What reviewers say
- Jonas Rask (jonasraskphotography.com) (blog) — "Not for everyone": cumbersome, slow and expensive to shoot, four frames a roll and no meter — but for those with the patience a rewarding, timeless tool that "encourages you to truly see", with a sharp, contrasty lens and depth of field from 1.5 m at f/45.
- Andrew Whitehurst (Emulsive) (blog) — "A great starting point in medium format panoramic photography", but too cumbersome for regular travel and dependent on a tripod, a hand meter and a rangefinder; he sold his for a Horseman SW612 he found more robust and compact.
- John Aldred (DIYPhotography) (blog) — At f/8 or f/11 the lens shows minimal distortion and edge-to-edge clarity, with about a stop of fall-off towards the edges; close focus is 3 m, though stopped down to f/45 everything from 1.5 m is sharp.
History
Fuji’s Panorama G617 Professional appeared in March 1983 as a Fujica and became a Fuji in 1985 when the brand name was retired; nothing else is recorded as changing, and the camera stayed in the catalogue until the interchangeable-lens GX617 replaced it at the end of 1993. It takes four 6×17 cm frames on a roll of 120, eight on 220, through a fixed EBC Fujinon SW 105mm f/8 in a Seiko No. 0 shutter that is cocked by hand before each exposure. There is no meter, no rangefinder and no battery: focus is by the distance scale, framing by a direct finder with a cut-out for the spirit level on the lens protector, and the four-stroke lever advances the film and resets the counters, with a roll counter that ticks once every ten rolls.
The body is the size of its negative. Andrew Whitehurst measures it at about 273 × 147 × 201 mm and 2.13 kg; the lens protector carries strap lugs at either end so the camera can hang horizontally or vertically, and there are two releases, on the front and on the lever, and two accessory shoes. The 105mm gives a 77° horizontal field, about what a 26 mm lens gives on 35 mm film, and its edges fall off by about a stop, which a 77 mm centre-graduated ND2 filter corrects; Whitehurst took three years to find one. Closest focus is 3 m, but at f/45 everything from 1.5 m is sharp.
Reviewers agree on what it is. Jonas Rask calls it not for everyone, cumbersome and slow and expensive to shoot, and a rewarding tool for anyone with the patience, one that makes the photographer see. Whitehurst found it a great starting point in panoramic work and too cumbersome for regular travel, and traded his for a Horseman SW612. John Aldred reports minimal distortion and edge-to-edge clarity at f/8 and f/11. It needs a tripod, a hand meter and, as Whitehurst notes, a rangefinder of some kind for anything close.
This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.
Example photos
Sample photo wanted — shot with a Fujica Panorama G617 Professional? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
Listings updated 2026-11-02. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.