The Sasquatch 617 is a Tank-Like, Steel, Panoramic Film Camera

Sep 03, 2025

Jaron Schneider

A close-up of a SASQ-617 panoramic film camera mounted on a tripod, with a wide-angle lens facing forward against a clear blue sky.

The Sasquatch 617 is a large, robust, panoramic film camera that can capture four, 6×17 photos per roll of 120 film. Created by photographer Derek Chiang and industrial designer Ellie Kim, the Sasquatch 617 promises to be a panoramic camera unlike any other on the market.

Designed for cityscapes, landscapes, and environments, the ultra-wide camera captures a field of view that is rare in the film world and only exists as a central crop of a medium format sensor in the digital space (both the Hasselblad X2D II 100C and the Fujifilm GFX100RF, for example, capture a similar “look” but do so via a crop). Chiang and Kim say that cameras that shoot in 6×17 are not common because those that were manufactured for film photographers haven’t been made for decades, turning them into collectors’ items and driving their prices up well above what most people can afford.

A person wearing brown pants stands outdoors, holding a large camera labeled "SASO" in red letters, with a scenic, blurred landscape in the background.

“However, this unusual aspect ratio has been slowly gaining interest among those in the analog community looking to explore a new way to shoot cityscapes and landscapes. The Sasquatch 617 is designed to fill this niche with a great build at a great price,” the company says.

When shooting in the 6×17 format, one roll of 120 film provides a photographer with a scant four frames, which means every photo must be shot with intention.

A hand holding a unique, modern camera with a wide lens and "SASO-012" written in red on the side, against a plain light background.

“You spend more time observing and thinking about a composition, and waiting for the right moment before triggering the shutter. This experience is less about taking a dozen snapshots of something but rather slowing down with four shots to capture moments in one expansive image,” Sasquatch Camera says.

Photographers have created similar 3D-printed cameras to the Sasquatch before, but they tend to be fiddly and fragile. Sasquatch Camera says it has addressed this by using a 304 stainless steel frame around the 3D-printed plastic body. For those who want an even more rugged camera, the Summit Edition adds a stainless steel front lens cover and a stainless steel back panel to improve the rear door’s rigidity.

Both are cameras that the company says are unlike any other, even those that capture the same aspect ratio, because they are built to be tough enough to handle treks up mountains and into the wild.

A panoramic view of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park at sunset, with dramatic clouds, rugged granite cliffs, and distant mountain ridges bathed in soft, glowing light.

A tranquil garden scene featuring a pond with reflections, a white stone bridge, lush trees, and a traditional pavilion surrounded by greenery under a partly cloudy sky.

A wide view of Yosemite’s Half Dome mountain at dusk, with tall pine trees silhouetted in the foreground and a clear, deep blue sky overhead.

“My passion for photography started on a trip to Yosemite National Park several years ago; it wasn’t my first trip there, but it was the first time I packed a dedicated digital camera in my backpack. The urge to capture vast mountain ranges and towering cliffs inspired me to pursue a new medium of art, separate from my professional work as an industrial designer. Panoramic photos have always intrigued me; to see beyond the traditional frame, and to capture the landscape as a wide uninterrupted image. I initially used a panning tripod head to digitally stitch several photos into one landscape shot, but I always felt that the image was more like a reconstruction of the scene, rather than an actual photograph. Moreover, this technique would not be possible with moving subjects, windy trees, or waves crashing onto a beach,” Derek Chiang says.

“That’s when I teamed up with Ellie Kim, an industrial and graphic designer to refine this side project into a production ready product. The Sasquatch 617 is designed with a 304 stainless steel exterior frame and durable 3D-printed polycarbonate components, weighing in at one kilogram with the lens attached. The camera features a focusing ring, a full access rear door panel, film advance knobs, as well as optional accessories like a magnetically attached viewfinder, a magnetically attached shutter release cable, and a protective lens cover.”

A close-up of a SASQID panoramic film camera mounted on a tripod, with a large lens and cable release attached, set against a plain light gray background.

The Sasquatch doesn’t come with a lens and requires large-format optics. The company suggests lenses like the Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon 90mm f/8 or the Nikon SW 90mm f/8, both of which have an integrated shutter and can cover the giant imaging area.

Close-up of a modern, black and metallic camera mounted on a tripod, featuring the word "SASQ" in red capital letters on its side. The camera has a sleek, angular design.

A close-up of a camera with a 3D-printed rectangular viewfinder attachment mounted on top, with the lens and part of the camera body in focus against a blurred background.

“Bringing the Sasquatch 617 to Yosemite years later, I can confidently say that capturing panoramic landscape photos on medium format is an experience unlike any other. And now, I hope to share that experience with others who find joy in photographing the vast landscapes of our world,” Chiang says.

The Sasquatch 617 is available to back on Kickstarter for $499 for the base kit and $599 for the Summit Edition; the latter is limited to 25 units. The company intends to begin shipping finished cameras to backers starting in December and will launch the camera broadly starting in January 2026.

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