WideluxX is bringing the swing-lens panoramic camera back into production with an all-mechanical 35mm model built and assembled in Germany. Developed by SilverBridges, a team that includes Jeff and Susan Bridges alongside SilvergrainClassics publishers Marwan El Mozayen and Charys Schuler, the camera preserves the optical character of the original Widelux F8 while updating its materials, manufacturing, and serviceability.
At the center of the camera is a rotating 26mm f/2.8 lens that exposes the film sequentially through a narrow slit shutter. Each image is created in one continuous sweep rather than assembled from multiple frames, allowing movement, perspective, and time to affect the panorama as the lens travels across the scene.
The resulting frame measures 24 by 58mm and covers a 126-degree horizontal field of view, or 140 degrees diagonally. A standard 36-exposure roll produces approximately 21 panoramic images. The fixed-focus lens covers subjects from five feet to infinity, while manual apertures run from f/2.8 to f/11. Three shutter speeds—1/15, 1/125, and 1/250 second—keep the controls deliberately simple.
The slowest setting demonstrates the unusual behavior of the format. Although the full lens sweep takes approximately 2.5 seconds, each section of film is exposed only as the slit passes over it. This makes handheld photography possible while also allowing moving subjects to stretch, repeat, or blur across different portions of the frame.
Construction consists of a full-metal body and all-metal mechanical system, finished with a surface coating intended to improve scratch resistance. The camera weighs approximately 1.9 pounds. WideluxX has also updated the original concept with modern optical glass, a revised rewind mechanism, serviceable components, and replacement parts designed to support long-term repair rather than eventual replacement.
The WideluxX is priced at $4,400, with insured U.S. shipping listed at $172. The initial production run is limited to 350 cameras, and its first preorder allocation has sold out. Early deliveries are expected approximately six to eight months after orders opened, with the full run scheduled for completion within roughly 12 months. Each example can be personalized with engraved initials, while additional finish and rewind-knob options are selected before assembly.
The price places WideluxX firmly in specialist territory, but its significance is more mechanical than nostalgic. At a time when panoramic photography is usually created through software, the camera produces its wide frame physically, preserving the distortions, timing, and unpredictability that make the swing-lens format distinct.
