The long anticipated Widelux remake by SilverBridges has been spotted in the wild! Known as the WideluxX™ The camera is the brainchild of WideluxX™ company owners Jeff and Susan Bridges, Charys Schuler, and Marwan El Mozayen, the publishers of the wonderful analogue photography magazine Silvergrain Classics. Let’s see what they have been up to.
SilverBridges unveils the first prototype of the new WideluxX™ panoramic film camera
Handscrafted WideluxX™ prototype 0001, ©SilverBridges GmbH
Minneapolis, MN, USA — SilverBridges, the company behind the new WideluxX™ panoramic film camera, premiered its first prototype in a video released at the annual convention of the International Association of Panoramic Photographers (IAPP).
In the video, company owners Jeff and Susan Bridges, Charys Schuler, and Marwan El Mozayen introduce themselves, the project, and their prototype No. 0001.**
Charys Schuler and Marwan El Mozayen with WideluxX™ prototype 0001 and Widelux F8, ©SilverBridges GmbH
Jeff and Susan explain:
“Twenty years ago, the Widelux factory burned down, so we decided that rather than letting our favorite camera die, we’d bring her back to life. We’re keeping it old school—it’s a film camera handmade in Germany, built to last generations.”
Jeff and Susan Bridges ©SilverBridges
Charys and Marwan add:
“There will be many small improvements, but its DNA is still the [Panon Widelux] F8. We see ourselves as a bridge between the history and the future of analog photography—it’s about the art and craft of camera manufacturing, and about giving a new generation of film photographers the tools to create with.”
SilverBridges is based near Wetzlar, the historic center of German camera manufacturing for over a century.
More information can be found at wideluxx.com, where the full video will soon be available and visitors can subscribe to the newsletter for updates on the project.
Handcrafted WideluxX™ prototype 0001, ©SilverBridges GmbH
Widelux
The WideluxX™ is based on the famed Widelux F8, a curious camera made by Panon in Japan, famed for it’s swinging lens. The camera has risen to prominence in recent years thanks to its most famous user, none other than WideluxX™ founder, actor and artist, Jeff Bridges.
WideluxX™ prototype 0001, presented by Charys Schuler, ©SilverBridges GmbH
I had the opportunity to speak to Marwan and Charys a little while back about the project and it was wonderful to hear how faithful they are being to the original camera.
The Widelux has been reverse engineered and each part is being painstakingly recreated. There is nothing coming from a shelf as there is no shelf to take them from. Everything for this camera is being made from scratch, which is a massive undertaking.
Each new WideluxX™ prototype knob is handcrafted, ©SilverBridges GmbH
Reverse engineering one of many parts, WideluxX™, ©SilverBridges GmbH
Kudos to the team as I know this is a really difficult project to tackle, but they are handling it well and we are starting to see concrete results. I am very excited to see this camera when it is released. Go and check out the project at the wideluxx.com website.
JCH
*All images ©SilverBridges GmbH. Captions are included in the metadata.
** The prototype shown does not reflect the final design of the production model.
