| Photo: WideluxX |
Jeff Bridges and his SilverBridges team have been hard at work reviving his beloved panoramic, panning-lens film camera, the Widelux. Last month, they shared a video of Bridges and his wife unboxing two prototypes (which was pure joy), and now, they have announced that the WideluxX is officially available for pre-order.
The SilverBridges team is developing the WideluxX from the ground up, with manufacturing and hand-assembly taking place in Germany. The website states that this initial run of pre-orders is limited to 350 cameras. In case the camera alone isn’t special enough as-is, each camera will also be personalized with two or three letters, which you can enter when ordering.
With pre-orders now open, SilverBridges has also shared more details about the camera itself. It features a 26mm lens with an aperture range of F2.8 to F11, and it produces 24×58mm images, with approximately 21 images per 36-image roll of 35mm film. It offers only three shutter speeds: 1/15, 1/125 and 1/250 sec. Focus is fixed from 1.5m (5 ft) to infinity, and the camera weighs 880g (1.9 lb).
The first pre-orders are expected to ship six to eight months after orders open, and the entire production run is expected to be completed in a year. For added peace of mind, the website also states that pre-order customers will receive a full refund if their camera isn’t shipped within 12 months.
As you may have guessed from the above details, the price is steep. If you want one of the first WideluxX cameras, it will cost you $4400. Don’t wait if you are interested, though. At the time of writing, there were only 244 remaining.