Important News…

Here it comes…the first new film camera for many years!

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No we’re not being rude nor are we belittling the entry level plastic cameras recently and so successfully introduced by Kodak and Agfa etc but this one we view as a major step forwards for the film photography industry…

Those little things have been responsible for introducing so many people to film photography and perhaps will one day lead some of them onto the Widelux?

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A brave undertaking

Before we move on to the official Press Release which will formally tell you more about this project, Nik & Trick just want to say a few words of our own…

To undertake a project like this takes balls…big ones. Few will realise the time, effort, investment and the legalities with patents etc that have had to be overcome.

It’s been a lot of work for our dear friends at SilvergrainClassics, we’ve know and supported them from day one nearly and have over the past year or so felt their pain in bringing this iconic camera to market.

Before anyone asks by the way..at this point in time we have no indication of pricing…but who cares? This is brilliant news isn’t it!

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The wider view…

There are a few great panoramic cameras out there, like our Fuji TX-1 which we love dearly…it’s a format that requires a whole new way of thinking though so may not be for everybody, nor will the budget be, those and the new Widelux are a pinnacle of engineering that is quite frankly stunning the latter being made with the third entity in this equation, Wetzlar.

Now we all know how good they are!

So, here’s a few stolen Jeff Bridges photographs from issue eight (sorry Marwan! 😀 ) after that the official news release.

Newsflash!

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“New Panoramic Film Camera by Bridges & SilvergrainClassics“

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The camera was last produced in 2000, and Jeff has been thinking about reviving “his axe” ever since

It is a unique camera; the panning slit lens sweeps across a strip of film instead of using a traditional shutter. This process captures a span of time in one image, giving the photographer a variety of possibilities which can’t be duplicated with other cameras. Jeff uses it creatively in his Tragedy/Comedy series.

“The Widelux [panoramic ratio] is like how your eye sees, with peripheral vision. And the swing lens! Between the time when the slit starts moving and when it’s done, the world has changed.” – Jeff Bridges

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Susan Bridges, Jeff’s wife, studied photography and had started a career in the field before giving it up to raise the Bridges’ three daughters. She recently had her first solo photography exhibition, which received rave reviews.

“[The Widelux] is a fabulous format. I think it’s one of the most artistic ways to use a camera, and I like film because, to me, it’s the soul of photography.” -Susan Bridges (well said Susan! N&T)

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Although the Bridges have had the idea to revive the camera for decades, it was only two years ago, during an interview with SilvergrainClassics magazine, that they found the right partners to help them realise the project.

Charys Schuler and Marwan El Mozayen of course, are based near traditional camera manufacturing centres in Germany and are well-connected in the film photography community and industry…

We shall share more information via our newsletter (click ME to sign up!) and on social media as and when it becomes available and you can of course follow the official progress on the SilvergrainClassics website and by having a look at their overview right HERE

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So now you know, and yes, we may well become a Widelux dealer!

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The footnote to this…Pentax take note!

We know you have been studying the feasibility of bringing new film cameras to market…you can get the jump on the other manufacturers by hearing us film lovers and giving us what we want!

So there!