This New Medium Format Film Camera Can Change its Frame Size on the Fly

Apr 14, 2026

Jeremy Gray

A black, rectangular panoramic film camera with a wide-angle lens and a metal frame mounted on the front, shown against a plain white background.

“One of the best things about medium-format photography is the variety of frame sizes available,” says a new Kickstarter campaign for the VZ-6617 variable frame medium-format film camera. The camera aims to take full advantage of this aspect of medium format, enabling photographers to swap between different framing and aspect ratios at any time, even within the same roll of film.

The VZ-6617 has a stepless “Variable Zone Film Gate” mechanism that lets photographers switch between formats ranging from 6×6 all the way up to 6×17 on the same roll of 120-format film. This eliminates the need to carry multiple medium-format camera systems and lets photographers adhere each shot to their desired format, the creator, Francis Garing of Exposing Engineering.

“Most medium-format film cameras lock photographers into a single aspect ratio for an entire roll of film,” Exposing Engineering explains. “If a photographer loads a 6×6 camera, every frame must be square. If they choose a panoramic camera, every frame must be panoramic. If they want both, they must carry multiple camera bodies with them.”

A close-up of a camera mounted on a tripod in an outdoor setting, with a smartphone attached on top. Desert vegetation and a cloudy sky are visible in the blurred background.

Rear view of an open vintage film camera with its back cover removed, revealing the film chamber, pressure plate, and internal mechanics.

A close-up of a matte box for a camera, featuring a rectangular frame with filter slots, adjustment knobs on the sides, and mounting hardware attached to a camera lens.

The VZ-6617’s 3D-printed, articulating Variable Zone Film Gate promises symmetric masking of the exposure area with a simple knob. Capturing frames up to 6×17 requires a lens with a very large image circle, so the VZ-6617 uses “widely available large-format lenses” and works with interchangeable lens cones that feature an integrated dark slide to support mid-roll lens swaps.

Exposing Engineering says that the VZ-6617 works with large-format lenses that have integrated shutter and aperture mechanisms, like those typically used alongside large-format view cameras. Each VZ-6617 ships with a lens cone that promises the correct spacing between the lens and the film plane.

Lenses mount using their standard thread and retaining ring, and users attach them to the integrated focusing helicoid. Focus is achieved through zone focusing or by estimating the distance to the subject and setting a matching distance mark on the helicoid. A comprehensive list of compatible lenses is available on the Kickstarter campaign page, including models from Schneider Kreuznach, Nikon, Rodenstock, and Fujifilm.

A top-down view of a black camera with a wide lens and two bubble spirit levels, set against a white background. The camera features dials, knobs, and a sturdy frame.

A compact black camera with a wide-angle lens and sturdy metal brackets around the lens, featuring the label “EZ VZ-6611” on the side, shown on a white surface.

A large-format film camera with a smartphone attached on top is mounted on a tripod on rocky terrain, showing a blend of modern and traditional photography equipment.

A panoramic camera on a tripod is set up on a sandy beach, capturing the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. The bridge and ocean appear on the camera's digital screen. Mountains and calm water are in the background.

The creators explain that they went through five generations of pre-production prototypes, each with dozens of iterations. The VZ-6617 has been rigorously tested in a wide range of environments, including European streets, Bay Area beaches, desert trails in the American Southwest, and the snowy Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Although the camera withstood these tests, the team has carefully designed the new camera to be user-repairable and serviceable.

“After the Kickstarter campaign, select components and instructional videos will be made available for repair and servicing on your own,” Exposing Engineering explains. “Everything was designed with this in mind, so much so that only a single type and size of screwdriver is necessary to take the entire camera body apart. While we haven’t experienced a component or mechanism failure with our pre-production prototypes yet, we want to make sure the camera is well designed for repairability to keep performing as it should.”

Sample Photos

A large mural of a white and gray crocodile stretches across the red brick wall of a city building, wrapping around windows and doors on an urban street. — Frame set to 6x17k Fujinon 90mm f/8, Kodak Portra 800

Tall pine trees stand closely together in a snowy forest. The ground is covered in snow, and the scene appears calm and quiet, with no people or animals visible. The image is black and white. — Frame set to 6×12, Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon 75mm f/8, Kodak TMax 400

A dimly lit bar with high ceilings, exposed brick walls, shelves of liquor bottles, a glowing "CURIO" sign, and a large menu board above the bar. A person sits at the bar near large windows. — Frame set to 6×12, Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon 75mm f/8, Kodak Portra 800

A snowcat vehicle pulls a small wooden cabin on a snowy landscape, with people and buildings visible in the background under a cloudy sky. — Frame set to 6×6, Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon 75mm f/8, Kodak TMax 400

Sunset over a desert landscape with cacti and dry shrubs on a rocky hillside, mountains in the distance, and warm golden light illuminating the scene. — Frame set to 6×17, Fujinon 90mm f/8, Kodak Portra 400

A panoramic view of a sandy beach at sunset with gentle waves, the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, and hills in the background under a clear sky. — Frame set to 6×17, Fujinon 90mm f/8, Kodak Portra 400

A modern, rectangular building stands on a hillside surrounded by dense trees and shrubbery under a cloudy sky, captured in black and white with a film photo border. — Photo by Carlos Lopez Medrano (@analogfilmphoto)

A large cement pump truck is parked on a street, with its long articulated boom extended high into the sky. Trees, power lines, and clouds are visible in the background. The image is in black and white. — Photo by Carlos Lopez Medrano (@analogfilmphoto)

A black-and-white photo of outdoor stairs leading up between two walls, with handrails on both sides. At the top, a signpost and a lamp are visible against a partly cloudy sky. — Photo by Carlos Lopez Medrano (@analogfilmphoto)

Pricing and Availability

The VZ-6617 starts at $549 for a starter bundle that includes the camera body and a 90mm focal length lens cone with M65 focusing helicoid. A lens is not included.

There is also an early release bundle for $649 that includes the camera, a 90mm focal length lens cone with helicoid, a magnetically attached cable release, and an optical viewfinder.

The $799 System Bundle includes the same items as the $649 bundle, plus a second lens cone of the buyer’s choice and a ground glass back.

In all cases, the buyer will need to supply their own lens.

Exposing Engineering says early release bundles are slated to ship in June, about a month after the Kickstarter campaign concludes. The project has already met its modest $7,500 funding goal and has 26 backers with nearly a month left to go.

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Image credits: Exposing Engineering