The Cirkut Camera
Cirkut cameras rotate while making a photo up to 360° of view (or even more). The usual Cirkut photograph is more on the order of 140 to 180°. Cirkut Cameras were made in two styles and 6 sizes. They were originally offered by the Rochester Panoramic Company in 1904 and soon thereafter by a series of operations of the Eastman Kodak Company.
"Cirkut Outfit" means that this camera could make regular cut film photos as well as panoramics, although most were just used for panoramics. "Cirkut Camera" indicates models that worked only for panoramic photography. Both types can generically be called Cirkut Cameras.
At various times the Cirkut Cameras were offered in #5, #6, #10, and #16 sizes, taking film with a maximum width of 5, 6, 10, and 16" respectively.
Cirkut Outfits came as #6 and #8, taking 6.5" and 8" film.
Film is pulled through a Cirkut camera in sync with the rotation of the camera. The photographer selects the correct ratio by using different pinion gears for the various lenses and shooting distances.
To download a pdf file of the #10 Cirkut Camera manual click here.
Contact: crabtree@cirkut.org
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This page last updated 2/4/04.