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New mechanical panoramic film camera from Jeff Bridges

wideluxx.com

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Re: New mechanical panoramic film camera from Jeff Bridges

#71

Post by ygra »

agos wrote: post #61
bravura wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you buy something in Germany and the EU, you typically can return it. That does not apply to custom buildouts, like this camear.

5200 € of camera and you don’t even get a guarantee? That’s bold

This concerns Widerrufsrecht, i.e. the right to cancel an order or contract shortly after signing it. For certain services you also waive this when you get to use it immediately (cellphone service, for example), and for custom-made items it also does not apply, as in this case.

This is independent of warranty (which is something the manufacturer may or may not offer), or Gewährleistung (which concerns the vendor and is typically the easiest way of dealing with damaged or defective goods).

Re: New mechanical panoramic film camera from Jeff Bridges

#72

Post by peteforde »

michrassena wrote: post #40

It's neat that this exists, and I'm happy that people are still funding these kinds of projects. But 6x17 panoramic cameras exist at a price point with money left over for film and processing, a much larger negative, instant shutter, flash sync, wireless, more space than a nomad, etc.

I have a Fujifilm G617 in a hard shell case a few feet away, and it's a beast. There's nothing whimsical or convenient about it. It's a tool but it's not a fun camera to use. In fact, it's one of the only cameras I've ever used that penalizes spontaneity.

I've never used a Widelux but having used the Pano mode on my iPhone, I kind of get the concept so I can say that nothing about shooting Widelux is like shooting an actual 6x17, and that's almost certainly a good thing.

When you're evaluating high end cameras, ultimately the most meaningful data point is how they make you feel when you're shooting them. A Hasselblad feels like what I picture driving a Lincoln Continental feels like. I suspect that the Widelux-X would make the user feel things, too.

Re: New mechanical panoramic film camera from Jeff Bridges

#73

Post by peteforde »

ajkjk wrote: post #54

the copy on this page is so grating. not uncommon but man can't anything just be sincere instead of fake marketing bullshit?

I'm genuinely curious what a site designed to sell a niche, enthusiast camera could say that wouldn't be "fake marketing bullshit". Could you take a stab at how you would approach designing a sincere sales site for a product like this.

What qualifies as sincere? Who decides?

Re: New mechanical panoramic film camera from Jeff Bridges

#74

Post by peteforde »

freetime2 wrote: post #21

I'm glad that this exists. I hope Wideluxx is able to make a profit and remain in operation. But for me, while I think film is cool, that's one rabbit hole that I have no interest in going down personally. And if I did, I would probably buy used vintage gear rather than spending $4,400 on a new (and extremely niche) film camera. Digitial photography and retro film simulations/filters are good enough for me if I want…

There's a pretty significant misunderstanding here of why people shoot with film or use any high-end camera; it's got very little to do with the end result. After all, very few people evaluate an image based on what camera it was captured on.

No, it's much closer to the reason car people still have manual transmissions. Shooting a rangefinder or TLR are completely different experiences than an SLR. Shooting a Hasselblad feels like sexy magic. It's as far removed from shooting with a phone and applying a filter as driving driving a Civic is from driving a fancy European sportscar around a track while wearing leather gloves.

Still, clearly not for everyone!

Re: New mechanical panoramic film camera from Jeff Bridges

#75

Post by freetime2 »

peteforde wrote: post #74
freetime2 wrote: post #21

I'm glad that this exists. I hope Wideluxx is able to make a profit and remain in operation. But for me, while I think film is cool, that's one rabbit hole that I have no interest in going down personally. And if I did, I would probably buy used vintage gear rather than spending $4,400 on a new (and extremely niche) film camera. Digitial photography and retro film simulations/filters are good enough for me if I want…

There's a pretty significant misunderstanding here of why people shoot with film or use any high-end camera; it's got very little to do with the end result. After all, very few people evaluate an image based on what camera it was captured on. No, it's much closer to the reason car people still have manual transmissions. Shooting a rangefinder or TLR are completely different experiences than an SLR. Shooting a Hasselb…

I thought I covered that when I said "I get that lots of people derive inspiration from the process and the medium". I.e. people enjoy the act of shooting film.

But there's also a lot of people who covet the "film look" and the "character" of vintage lenses, even if that's not something you personally care about.

I personally love the look of movies that are shot on film, though I have no desire to ever try it myself (way too expensive).

Re: New mechanical panoramic film camera from Jeff Bridges

#76

Post by fallinditch »

peteforde wrote: post #2

I've been patiently waiting for this to drop for ~5 years, and I was hoping that it would somehow be under $1000. Oh my god. $4400 is... a lot of money. $175 shipping had better include a Jeff Bridges Cameo video. Don't get me wrong: I suspect that he's spent millions of dollars getting the project to this point, and that it's a mechanically perfect instrument. Huge respect for caring this much and seeing the project…

You can get a new panoramic film camera for $69 - the Sprocket Rocket [1]. It makes images with grungy lomography charm - edges are soft but center is surprisingly sharp for a plastic lens. I really like the look of the images it produces. It has a hot shoe and a bulb setting.

[1] https://shop.lomography.com/us/sprocket-rocket-35-mm-film-pa...

Re: New mechanical panoramic film camera from Jeff Bridges

#80

Post by moron4hire »

bhickey wrote: post #78

The "single exposure" brag is a bit silly. Since it's a swinging lens one side of the frame will be older than the other.

This is being pedantic. Actually, I'm not even sure it's pedantic so much as just wrong. Such is also the case for rolling shutter cameras, the top of the frame is older than the bottom. That's why you get strange artifacts when recording video of fast rotating objects on your smartphone. But we still call it a single exposure.
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