The way I see it is:
*Swing lens camera (Widelux, Horizon): curved film plane + rotating turret + wide angle lens -> curvilinear "distortion"; small foreground (and background) objects such as people are correctly proportioned and not stretched even if on edge of frame but large objects such as walls, roads and straight lines such as horizons are severely distorted especially if camera is not perfectly level.
*"Normal" camera (Hasselblad SW, XPan etc) : flat film/sensor + fixed wide angle lens -> rectilinear "distortion" : straight lines will tend to remain straight but objects on the edge of the frame will be stretched giving egg-head deformity with people.
Hi Raid, I think Monz meant "Hasselblad SWC".
Hi Raid, I think Monz meant "Hasselblad SWC".
Hello Monz,
I rarely use my Horizon, but after this thread, I may exercise it more often. It was cheap. so it is good for travel. The Hasselblad SW is new to me, but your warning about egghead deformity makes me worry. I will have to practice with it.
Congratulations on the Widelux Keith. For sunny Oz, you may need the filter set (which includes a 2 stop ND filter). I find that attaching a small handle to the tripod thread and holdingthe camera with the left hand whilst tripping the shutter with the right prevents accidental inclusion of fingers in the frame.
I think I have the solution to this Monz because the limitations of three shutter speeds and smallest aperture of f11 are apparent in our conditions.
Two Wideluxes ... one loaded with 100 ISO and the other with 400 ISO. 😀
If I stumbled over another really cheap one I would actually consider that option ... though I have to say I've noticed that the HP5+ I've been shooting lately doesn't suffer too dramataically from a two stop over exosure. Where it gets a little tricky is shooting in full shadow areas well away from a light source with 100 ISO film ... a shutter speed (or two) between 1/125 and 1/15 would have been nice. 😛
Yeah, these cameras are really addictive. I'm also considering getting a second one. They are great for street photography. You don't even have to look through the viewfinder: just use the spirit level to keep the camera horizontal and the two arrows etched on the turret to compose.
The banding on mine seems to be a non issue now as the camera settles in with more use. I've been searching the net for info today and discovered a page that tells you how to strip and rebuild an F7 and where the common problems are ... man these things are simple and you only need a few basic tools! widelux_over
I also hadn't realised how few of these things have been made ... Panon only made a total of twenty thousand cameras over a forty year period ending with the F8 of course!
They are addictive and just so much fun to use. 🙂
Not as simple as you think. I bought a Widelux in March that needed an overhaul due to banding and years of not being used. I sent it to one of the best here in the US, but have not seen it since. I got an email saying it should be done soon, but I was also told the same thing 8 weeks ago. Still no camera. :bang: