So cool, so so cool. I’ve been eyeballing one of these gems myself. Thank you for your review and wonderful video, I absolutely love your channel and content!
2:50 I have a screw in wooden grip that I can screw into the tripod mount, so I hold the camera securely that way without any fingers getting into the way.
These photos are great! I've been shooting on a Horizon 202 for a couple of years and I highly recommend it as a good alternative. It might not be as sturdy feeling, but it's significantly more affordable, has a lot more shutter speeds (I can comfortably hand hold it down to half a second... if I've not had too many coffees!) and the aperture goes from f/2.8 to f/22. There are also small drop in filters you can get for the lens too which is a nice bonus.
The fact that this wide photos have straight vertical lines totally sells it to me, besides it's design. Definitely a must try. I wrote a whole line asking if it was possible to adapt this lens to a digital or 16mm movie camera to see how the image reacts with panning and tracking sideways, but then I realized, it's not the lens, but the process of taking the photos that makes them panoramic.
@@femigod Hell yeah, a refreshing change from the regular aspect ratios indeed and you're right, one can feel safe when even not looking through the viewfinder to compose a shot, they are forgiving for sure
Nice photos and video! I've always been interested in the Widelux, but never bought one because it's so niche (and presumably, it's very prone to breaking). The strangest camera I've shot with has to be my homemade panoramic pinhole camera - no shutter, no viewfinder and no real way of knowing how far I had to advance the film. It was really just a fun experiment, but I've never shot more than one roll with it. Another quirky camera that's more readily available, is the Rollei 35. Mine is the SE model. It's really just a high end, compact viewfinder camera, but with a collapsible lens, controls on the front and an accessory shoe on the bottom of the camera. Those designers were thinking outside the box! If you've never shot with one, you should consider it. The lens is amazing!
A homemade panoramic pinhole camera!! That is SO cool. And that's awesome, I actually have a Rollei 35 too! I used it once or twice and then it broke haha but I enjoyed it while it worked. Maybe I'll have to pick it up again and try to see if it can be fixed!
Great video! One idea I had for you to not get blisters on your fingers for rewinding would be just to open the camera up in a dark changing bag and rewind the canister manually! I've had my fair share of blisters when I shot 120 film in a 620 Kodak camera which I DO NOT recommend. I had to literally use a wrench to advance the film cause it was so tight and I broke the metal 620 spool lol
They look (and work) like WW1 tanks. The viewfinder shows about 80% of the entire image, so when using it- get in closer and compose tighter. The slit that exposes the film is notorious for getting outta synch and giving uneven exposures- expensive repair! And the limited shutter speeds can drive ya bonkers. Sometimes the distortion works in your favor, sometimes not. But the lens and resulting images can be tack sharp from corner to corner! It can create great, unique pictures where you would have just had a more conventional snap with a regular camera, and present you with a weird and wonky picture that would have been truly fine with a conventional camera. It's a mixed bag, but one worth having and experiencing... And (again) it's just looks so freaking cool- the original steampunk!
you could probably have some kind of cap printed our of TPU (flexible filament) that u can put over the widelux knob while turning it. That way your hand is not making contact with the metal. However tpu is very strong for being fairly soft to the touch, so it will hold up better than your skin. I dont know if there is a pattern out there for it somewhere but it would be fairly easy to make. just need the outer dimensions of the knob, the depth of it, and the tooth size of the patterning around it.
I bought the 6mm lens from laowa for my m4/3 body and tried to use so much, but it was just too awkwardly wide for everyday use. I don't know how Jeff bridges makes it look so good.
Wow, I too just recently got into swing lens cameras with Horizon Perfekt after shooting with Kiev 88 (Salut) for a while. But for me it was Salut that gave me blisters on a thumb 😂 And regarding the flairs: I've yet to get those really ugly square ones because I try to hide the sun behind treetrunks or leave etc. Usually, even a little bit of shading from direct sunlight does the trick.
@femigod film rewinding is a real pain with that camera despite it being in very good condition. Isn't that the case with your copy? I thought it's just a universal experience with soviet cameras: joy through suffering :)
At the Star Trek convention in 1973 in NYC there was a photographer using a Widelux. I never saw the photos. 😥 My goodness, you have such a small microphone. Are you a giant person? 😉
And Jeff bridges is coming out with new ones next year. The Horizon is the cheaper version. You film photographers drive me nuts by not using a camera strap especially on expensive cameras. I love detail in my photos and I use flash indoors so no underexposure.
Yes true! I’m excited to see it. And I have heard about the Horizon, have you used it? Not using a strap is my toxic trait unfortunately. Lol. And flash photography is really cool!
I would love to have that camera, but with its price tag and no place to repair it when it breaks I think I will just stick to my iPhone pan/scan and my anamorphic lens. I can apply film LUT afterward.
What is the strangest camera you’ve shot with? Let me know in the comments below!
Beer can with Ilford paper in it, 6 month exp time 😫
@@chestnutleaf damn. iconic
Not too strange but i love half frame cameras. It was really interesting shooting the Fujica half camera
@@femigod I built a instax square back for my mamiya rb67 out of a broken Fuji sq1. It looks real interesting
McDonald’s fry camera! 🍟 📸
awesome video. just fueled my desire for a widelux even further.
Haha glad to hear it, hope you can snag one eventually!
So cool, so so cool. I’ve been eyeballing one of these gems myself. Thank you for your review and wonderful video, I absolutely love your channel and content!
Awww thank you so much, I’m glad you do!!
2:50 I have a screw in wooden grip that I can screw into the tripod mount, so I hold the camera securely that way without any fingers getting into the way.
Oh that’s awesome!
Loving your videos Laura!! Thanks for introducing this camera, I never thought to shoot any wider than 24mm. 🙏🙂
Awww thank you so much, I’m so glad you could discover it!
These photos are great! I've been shooting on a Horizon 202 for a couple of years and I highly recommend it as a good alternative. It might not be as sturdy feeling, but it's significantly more affordable, has a lot more shutter speeds (I can comfortably hand hold it down to half a second... if I've not had too many coffees!) and the aperture goes from f/2.8 to f/22. There are also small drop in filters you can get for the lens too which is a nice bonus.
Aww that’s so awesome, I will definitely have to try that one out!! I’ve been hearing some good things about it. Thank you for the rec!
The fact that this wide photos have straight vertical lines totally sells it to me, besides it's design. Definitely a must try.
I wrote a whole line asking if it was possible to adapt this lens to a digital or 16mm movie camera to see how the image reacts with panning and tracking sideways, but then I realized, it's not the lens, but the process of taking the photos that makes them panoramic.
Isn’t it so cool? It really sets the widelux images apart- because fisheye and ultra wide distortion can get so tiresome to look at. And true!!
@@femigod Hell yeah, a refreshing change from the regular aspect ratios indeed and you're right, one can feel safe when even not looking through the viewfinder to compose a shot, they are forgiving for sure
Nice photos and video! I've always been interested in the Widelux, but never bought one because it's so niche (and presumably, it's very prone to breaking).
The strangest camera I've shot with has to be my homemade panoramic pinhole camera - no shutter, no viewfinder and no real way of knowing how far I had to advance the film. It was really just a fun experiment, but I've never shot more than one roll with it. Another quirky camera that's more readily available, is the Rollei 35. Mine is the SE model. It's really just a high end, compact viewfinder camera, but with a collapsible lens, controls on the front and an accessory shoe on the bottom of the camera. Those designers were thinking outside the box! If you've never shot with one, you should consider it. The lens is amazing!
A homemade panoramic pinhole camera!! That is SO cool. And that's awesome, I actually have a Rollei 35 too! I used it once or twice and then it broke haha but I enjoyed it while it worked. Maybe I'll have to pick it up again and try to see if it can be fixed!
so cool!! enjoy congrats on the widelux
Awww thank you so much- it truly is a beautiful camera!
As a broke fomo photographer I'll stick to the wide lenses and change the aspect ratio on my digital. Thanks for sharing some cool and unique panos
I totally feel that- thank you for watching!!
👍👍📷📷🎞🎞génial cet appareil photo et très cool les prises de vues.
Thank you so much!!
@@femigod 📷📷👍👍🎞🎞
It looks a really interesting camera, the images look great. I really enjoyed your last video in New York.
It truly is-and thank you I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
its beautiful
Isn’t it!
Great video 😊
Thanks for watching!!
For finger-friendly rewinding, I've had some success putting a small rubber band around the wheel 👍
Great idea, I’ll have to try that!
Great video! One idea I had for you to not get blisters on your fingers for rewinding would be just to open the camera up in a dark changing bag and rewind the canister manually! I've had my fair share of blisters when I shot 120 film in a 620 Kodak camera which I DO NOT recommend. I had to literally use a wrench to advance the film cause it was so tight and I broke the metal 620 spool lol
Yes this is a great solution!!! Unloading is definitely my least favorite part of the process. And nooooo that’s so wild haha
Love this!!! So cool
Awww thank you my love!! 😍
They look (and work) like WW1 tanks. The viewfinder shows about 80% of the entire image, so when using it- get in closer and compose tighter. The slit that exposes the film is notorious for getting outta synch and giving uneven exposures- expensive repair! And the limited shutter speeds can drive ya bonkers. Sometimes the distortion works in your favor, sometimes not. But the lens and resulting images can be tack sharp from corner to corner! It can create great, unique pictures where you would have just had a more conventional snap with a regular camera, and present you with a weird and wonky picture that would have been truly fine with a conventional camera. It's a mixed bag, but one worth having and experiencing... And (again) it's just looks so freaking cool- the original steampunk!
Totally agreed, and so cool about the viewfinder- thank you for sharing!!
Oh, now I definitely will buy Horizont😅
Haha let me know how you like it!!
you could probably have some kind of cap printed our of TPU (flexible filament) that u can put over the widelux knob while turning it. That way your hand is not making contact with the metal. However tpu is very strong for being fairly soft to the touch, so it will hold up better than your skin. I dont know if there is a pattern out there for it somewhere but it would be fairly easy to make. just need the outer dimensions of the knob, the depth of it, and the tooth size of the patterning around it.
So smart!! I'll have to look into that. Thank you!
Love this
Aww thank you!!
You should check out Jens Olaf Lasthein's work with the Widelux, its incredible, he's a master at maximising its uniqueness
Yesss thank you for the rec, I will definitely look into him!!
I bought the 6mm lens from laowa for my m4/3 body and tried to use so much, but it was just too awkwardly wide for everyday use. I don't know how Jeff bridges makes it look so good.
Oh interesting, I haven’t tried that lens before. But right, his images are so beautiful!
Wow, I too just recently got into swing lens cameras with Horizon Perfekt after shooting with Kiev 88 (Salut) for a while. But for me it was Salut that gave me blisters on a thumb 😂
And regarding the flairs: I've yet to get those really ugly square ones because I try to hide the sun behind treetrunks or leave etc. Usually, even a little bit of shading from direct sunlight does the trick.
Wow so cool that you’ve shot with a Kiev 88 too!! Which part gave you blisters? And good point about the flare!
@femigod film rewinding is a real pain with that camera despite it being in very good condition. Isn't that the case with your copy? I thought it's just a universal experience with soviet cameras: joy through suffering :)
fire!!
Thank you so much!!
Hi Laura 😍😍
At the Star Trek convention in 1973 in NYC there was a photographer using a Widelux. I never saw the photos. 😥
My goodness, you have such a small microphone. Are you a giant person? 😉
It should be possible to 3d print a little crank that you could attach as needed on the film crank. Then you'd have mechanical advantage on your side.
Yesss I love this idea!! Definitely going to look into that
And Jeff bridges is coming out with new ones next year. The Horizon is the cheaper version. You film photographers drive me nuts by not using a camera strap especially on expensive cameras. I love detail in my photos and I use flash indoors so no underexposure.
Yes true! I’m excited to see it. And I have heard about the Horizon, have you used it? Not using a strap is my toxic trait unfortunately. Lol. And flash photography is really cool!
@@femigod I have not used it but it is cheaper than the wide lux and the view finder is above the lens.
neat
Thank you!
I would love to have that camera, but with its price tag and no place to repair it when it breaks I think I will just stick to my iPhone pan/scan and my anamorphic lens. I can apply film LUT afterward.
Totally feel you! Luckily there are a few repair shops that still specialize in Wideluxes though!
How many frames do you get from a roll of film ?
Good question! About 20 frames
@ that’s not bad I was expecting less , nice video 🙂
looked up ebay prices and omg 😭
I know- definitely a con unfortunately
I held an F7 in my hands last year at a camera show but I didn't want to pay $1000 for one in questionable condition.
Lol yes I don’t blame you
today i learned that the WIDELUX can be as expensive as a leica...
Lol I know- definitely a con…