Tag: wideluxx

WideluxX pre-order

I mentioned the WideluxX a few times already. The WideluxX is a revival of the Widelux rotating lens panoramic camera, by SilverBridges, a venture between SilvergrainClassics and Jeff Bridges. Yes, that dude.

It is now available for pre-orders, and the price is CA$6020 (+ taxes) or €5200 (incl. VAT). At the time of this writing, there is only 60 left of the initial production run of 350.

For those who think it’s overpriced, I think I have to disagree. It is made in Germany. It is a complete redesign of the Japanese made Widelux with the aim of being of solid quality. A Leica M6 new cost more, without lens. It’s also a unique camera: while there were in the past a few different manufacturers of rotating lens panoramic cameras, but this is currently the only one making them.

April 2026 Links

Fujifilm

Is Fujifilm finally ready to upgrade the brand’s most iconic feature? ­— DPreview talked to Fujifilm at CP+ in Yokohama, Japan, about the X-Half, GFX100RF and more.

Film

Eastman Kodak is distributing all its films again. What happens next? — Stephen Dowling from Kosmofoto gives us a redux on the situation.

Photographers Are Testing the New WideluxX F10 Panoramic Camera Now — WideluxX posted some updates and Petapixel tells us. The previously revealed prototype are now being put into use.

Photographers

Rare Collection of Elliott Erwitt Color Photos Show He Didn’t Just Use Black and White — I’m always game for colour work from the black ans white era. This usually mean Kodachrome as the medium.

Artemis II

Flying to the Moon.

Artemis II: Nikon and GoPro Are Winning Where Canon And Sony Fail — What cameras are on board of Artemis II? Nikon is the de-facto choice, along with GoPro.

Artemis II Astronauts Will Bring 10-Year-Old DSLRs With Them to the Moon — Old doesn’t mean obsolete. This was in February after the delayed launch.

A Nikon Z9 Made it Aboard the Artemis II Moon Mission at the Last Minute — In addition to the D5, the crew insisted to bring also a Z9. These are already in use on the ISS. The Z9 is also the basis of the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC) that will be used on the Moon, like the Hasselblad 500EL were over 50 years ago. Note the article is incorrect on the mission. Unlike stated, the Moon landing mission will be Artemis IV, and not before 2028, as per the schedule change 27 February.

The Incredible Photos and Videos From NASA’s Artemis II Rocket Launch — The historic launch on April 1st photographed from multiples cameras. Stunning images.

Space program

Kodak’s BIMAT System — From the wayback machine since the blog has disappeared. A summary of the BIMAT Kodak film processing system that was used in the Lunar Orbiter Program in 1996 and 1967 to take pictures and develop them in space. The system was classified until the 2000s as it was also used for spying. The program was designed to identify landing site for the Apollo mission and its landings.

Lunar Orbiter — A more detailed article on the orbiter program.

DIY

IDENTIDEM.design Cameras — Not exactly DIY but not industrially produced but 3d printed medium format cameras, with a LIDAR, using Mamiya Press lenses. CA$1612 bring your own lens.

This New Medium Format Film Camera Can Change its Frame Size on the Fly — maybe more than DIY this medium format camera looks very interesting.

The Widelux Revival Project

From 2023, The Widelux Revival Project on SilvergrainClassics.

It is about a new venture started by two members of SilvergrainClassic and Susan and Jeff Bridges (yes that Jeff Brigdes) to recreate the Widelux. Jeff Bridges started using it in 1984, bringing on set a Widelux F8 camera to shoot behind the scenes, portraits and others. And like any vintage camera, they are getting old and will fail, if they are not outright temperamental, with little options to get spare parts.

A camera viewed from the front with a lens inside a slit. On the top of the camera, various knobs and a viewfinder in the right.
Widelux F7 panoramic camera – by Kenneth C. Zirkel – CC BY-SA 4.0

The design of the Widelux is rather unusual, and its Japanese manufacturer ended production in 2000. It’s a camera with a swinging lens to shoot 126 degrees wide on 135 film, or on 120 film. Jeff Bridge’s use of it was unusual as it’s a camera aimed at landscape photography to be used on a tripod as the shot take a couple of seconds at 1/15 shutter speed. This is unlike the Fujifilm TX-1 / Hasselblad X-Pan.

The Widelux F7, using 135 film, did cost US$750 in 1988, while the Widelux 1500, using 120 film, cost US$4,500.

The German Noblex and Russian Horizon were similar in function.

Time will tell if the revival happens. This require a great deal of re-engineering and the result will probably be quite expensive, both as it is niche and likely costly to make.