1. You can simply crop a normal format image (usually with a 1 by 1.5 ratio) taken with a wide-angle lens. This method simply dicards unwanted information but results in a lower resolution image when printed.
2. You can use a dedicated panoramic camera. 6cm by 12cm, and 6cm by 17cm, on 120 and 220 roll films are common formats and give 1 by 2 and 1 by 3 ratios respectively. 35mm film holders used in medium format cameras yield a 1 by 2.4 ratio. Other 35mm film-based cameras dedicated to panoramic formats are also available on the second-hand market but few are still manufactured.
3. You can take multiple images and join them together to create a larger view. This is the method we use and is most commonly used with digital cameras. It can also be done with film cameras if the film is scanned into a digital form. This method provides a lot of flexibility but poses problems when the subject includes movement.
Panoramic images often appear to be distorted, with straight lines curving. However, they are producing a 'technically' correct represenatation of what the camera saw as it was rotated during the taking of the multiple images. We never see a broad view in one glance. Our eyes rapidly scan the scene and build the image in our memory. At the same time our brain, knowing that some of the lines are straight, tells us they are straight - but if we look at a long straight line (say the junction between a long wall and the ceiling) and scan rapidly back and forth along the line, like watching a high-speed tennis match, we can see the curvature.
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