I am (still) buying a panoramic camera, mainly shoot landscapes. My style is 'setup and wait for the light', not 'point and shoot'. I like the idea of GG for precise composing and ability to tilt for getting more DOF.

So I intended to buy 617 view camera (Ebony / Shen Hao 617 type), not the rangefinder type (Linhof, Fotoman, ...). But - if I am buying a panoramic view camera, why not 4x10'' format?

1. What's the difference between 6x17 cm an 4x10 inch on big prints (40'' = 1m wide and bigger)?

2. Large format lenses have best sharpness at f16-f22. That's where 617 format works OK. But for 4x10, apertures of f32 - f90 must be used, that's where diffraction occurs, I believe. Isn't better then to use sharp 617 transparencies than 4x10?

3. Is groundglass on 617 camera big enough to see, if both foreground and background are sharp?

Ambroz