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 through.
But damn.
[1] https://shop.lomography.com/us/sprocket-rocket-35-mm-film-pa...
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.
You get none of the Hasselblad glass and distortion (which I guess is what people go for with this?) for more than 100% the price of an xpan?
Yes I do admit that the xpan isn’t made anymore but imo it’s still king even if you have to buy another one.
Personally, I prefer less distortion and XPan is the better choice for that (and of course interchangeable lens support). Too bad it's bloody expensive nowadays and since the shutter is battery-dependant, you just have to accept one day it may become a paper weight.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8ok-AQAAMAAJ&newbks=1&ne...
It doesn't look like a photo, because at that time, the only way to mass produce an image was for an artisan to reproduce it as a wood engraving. I don't know if the ILN (which still exists! In Shoreditch high street lol) still has the original.
The camera used was by the London Pantoscopic company, like this one: https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp132843...
https://archive.nytimes.com/lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/3...
https://www.reddit.com/r/lebowski/comments/1rjcrfj/behindthe...
Interesting checkbox on the purchase page. I wonder what the implications are.
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 to add some "character" to my photos. And ideally most of the character would come from the subject rather than the medium. But I get that lots of people derive inspiration from the process and the medium - and that's why I'm glad things like this exist.
What Has Changed
- Modern precision
- Serviceable parts
- Modern glass
- Improved rewind
- Custom finishes
Which is a bit too vague for my taste.The good part that could come out from it I would hope for would be new parts for old cameras. I managed to snag a Widelux F6 for about $800 last year that would need some servicing - sometimes it suffers from the infamous banding...
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.
The Xpan is electronic so when it dies, there's a very low chance it can be fixed.
This one is fully mechanical so has a better chance over longer periods.
People must really like that swing-lens effect. It's not for me, but I imagine that this camera must seem much more compelling if it's what you're after.
> Huge respect for caring this much and seeing the project through.
Second that: product development is hard, and manufacturing is really expensive in small quantities.
That said, too much for me right now. Maybe someday.
That does not apply to custom buildouts, like this camear.
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!
What qualifies as sincere? Who decides?
It's my biggest peeve with artificial scarcity markets, speculators or collectors buy everything and people who actually want to use the item can't afford it.
but when i looked in Firefox Page Info there were some I had not seen on the page. I just grabbed these sorry for dupes or whatever, can't be bothered to clean up. I tried to skip maketing pictures, pictures of the camera
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/unbroken-tim...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/no-stich-art...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/unbroken-tim...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/widexluxx-je...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/widexluxx-je...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wlx-bending-...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wlx-street-p...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wlx-architec...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wlx-unique-l...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wlx-portrait...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wlx-landscap...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/widelux-to-w...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wolfgang-in-...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/widelux-f8-c...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/wlx-preprodu...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/final-widelu...
https://wideluxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/film-strip-s...
now this layout is the real UI layout! UX sux and don't download the photo till I click on it, I'm on a modem!
But I do think it's cool and look forward to seeing reviews when people start getting their hands on them.
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).
That ain't legal either.
I sense some resentment for people with money.
Personally, I don't find it hard to imagine at all that there's 350 photographers who whom $4000 is not a big deal (many of them on this site), who are looking for something interesting and new.
The craziest thing is seeing companies closing because of saturation, and prices of discontinued products shooting up immediately.
completely different camera but it's a straight up camera and not strange format. for people who are serious/professional about photography multiple thousands is stiff but that's what they cost.
Worth noting that some of the photos appear to be ones from Jeff Bridges' personal collection taken with his original Widelux F8, rather than photos taken with the prototype of the WideluxX product they are selling here - some of these are on set photos from when he was shooting The Big Lebowski.
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).
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/2019/12/04/did-yo...
Discover the worlds hidden in every moment with WideluxX™.
A moving lens. Sweeping analog panoramas.
[
PREORDER NOW
](https://shop.wideluxx.com/products/widelux-x-panoramic-camera)
Only 350 in the first release.

The WideluxX™ is not a nostalgic return to the past. It exists alongside contemporary tools, offering a different way to create.
[
WHAT MAKES WIDELUXX UNIQUE
](#)


WideluxX™ reveals a scene in motion that conventional frames just can’t contain. As the lens sweeps, the photograph expands across space-time. These panoramas show environments as they are experienced, with people living their moments, architecture extending across the horizon, and time passing across the frame.
A WideluxX photograph is created physically on analog film. Light passing through the lens is captured gradually during the sweep, forming the panorama through a continuous exposure. The frame isn’t assembled afterward — it forms through motion, light, and time.

WideluxX™ preserves the heritage of swing-lens photography, brought to life in Germany through modern precision manufacturing. Carefully engineered components make the camera a photographic instrument you can rely on. It’s a swing-lens camera for today’s photographers, preserving the character of the original system through modern craftsmanship.

Each WideluxX™ image is created in a single continuous exposure, capturing space and time as they unfold, right in front of your eyes.
[
WHY SINGLE EXPOSURE MATTERS
](#)
At the heart of the WideluxX™ is a rotating lens that sweeps across the scene, rendering time as a continuous panorama on 35mm film.
[
EXPLORE THE MECHANISM
](#)


A stitched panorama merges a series of separate instants into one frame. A single-exposure panorama records a continuous passage of time. Movement and perspective are defined by the mechanics of exposure rather than post-processing alignment.

Because the frame is formed in one exposure, there are no seam transitions, alignment shifts, or computational blending. The image reflects what occurred during the sweep, without reconstruction.

Motion is not frozen or corrected. Subjects moving through the frame contribute naturally to the final image as the lens rotates, producing results that reflect duration rather than a single static instant.

WideluxX™ Prototype 0003
The rotating lens exposes the film through a narrow slit. Each segment of the frame receives light sequentially as the lens sweeps across the scene, forming a continuous panoramic image.
Because the lens remains centered as it rotates, light reaches the film evenly across the entire frame. This produces consistent exposure from edge to edge.
At 1/15 second, the full sweep lasts approximately 2.5 seconds in real time. Each portion of the frame, however, is exposed only briefly as the slit passes, allowing sharp handheld images at speeds that would normally require a tripod.
Focus is fixed from 1.5 meters to infinity. Depth of field is controlled by aperture selection. At f/11 most scenes remain sharp from several feet to infinity, while wider apertures narrow the sharp range for selective emphasis.
WideluxX™ fits naturally into existing analog workflows, using standard 35mm film and familiar processing methods.


WideluxX™ Prototype 0002
Film Type
Standard 35mm
Image Format
24×58mm
Images per 36-image roll
Approx. 21
Lens
26mm f/2.8
Shutter Speeds
1/15, 1/125, 1/250 second
Viewing Angle
140° diagonal (126° horizontal)
Aperture
Manual, f/2.8–f/11
Focus
Fixed, from 1.5m (5 ft.) to infinity
Mechanism
Rotating slit shutter (swing lens)
Weight
Approx. 880g (1.9 lb.)


The film can be developed through any conventional lab or home darkroom process without requiring special chemicals.

Panoramic frames can be scanned using existing 35mm scanners. Digital files integrate easily into modern editing, printing, and archival workflows.

The camera emphasizes decisions made at exposure, but images can still be adjusted or refined using familiar digital tools when desired.

WideluxX™ is for photographers who enjoy shaping an image through timing, movement, and perspective — and for those drawn to finely made mechanical cameras.

WideluxX™ appeals to photographers who enjoy hands-on creation and to those drawn to finely made mechanical devices.



WideluxX shines in environments where space and motion contribute to the image. Landscapes, architecture, street scenes, and group portraits benefit from the extended field of view and the continuous sweep of the exposure.

Swing-lens photography rewards attention to motion, timing, and framing. The camera itself is mechanically straightforward, but the results become more interesting as photographers learn how movement and perspective shape the panorama.

WideluxX isn’t designed for rapid sequential shooting, close macro work, or automated exposure adjustments. It encourages a more deliberate way of photographing.
Working with WideluxX™ means allowing space for surprise—images shaped by light, movement, and the unfolding moment.
All photos in this gallery were taken on WideluxX prototypes.







Inspired by the original Widelux F8, the WideluxX™ preserves its character while updating materials and manufacturing to modern standards.
[
WHAT'S CHANGED AND WHAT HASN'T
](#)
Designed to endure, the WideluxX™ can be adjusted, repaired, and restored—much like a mechanical watch.
[
SERVICE & REPAIR SUPPORT
](#)


Inspired by the original Widelux F8, WideluxX™ preserves its character while updating materials and construction to modern standards.

The WideluxX™ is not a nostalgic return to the past.
It exists alongside contemporary tools, offering a different way to create.


WideluxX is supported directly by SilverBridges GmbH. Warranty service covers manufacturing defects under the applicable warranty terms.
Maintenance and repair are initially handled by the same team responsible for building the camera. Over time, service knowledge will be shared with authorized technicians so the camera can be maintained and repaired well beyond the factory.
Replacement parts are produced to consistent specifications so the camera can be adjusted, repaired, and restored for decades to come. WideluxX is designed as a mechanical instrument meant to remain in use across generations — a camera that can be maintained, cared for, and passed on rather than replaced.
A camera with a future, not just a heritage.