Why everyone needs a Widelux! (or two)

[Keith]

It was great to pick up an F8 at such a bargain price and after a test roll it seems to be fine. I can't say there appears to be any differences between it and the F7 though ... if anything the F7 seems to be a bit smoother and a bit tighter build. The main attraction with the F8 was the filter set because they seem very hard to come by at a reasonable price and from memory the kit contains a two stop ND which means you can go out with fairly fast film in the camera and have a much wider latitude for various exposure situations.

When you photograph some thing square on and your slightly above the dominant horizontal straight line the swing lens really comes into play and bends the hell out of everything. This was a straight wall! 😱 😀

 

[KenR]

I rented them a couple of times from Lens and Repro in NYC. Banding problems were bad the first time so that I got money off the rental. The second time (a few years later) I was told that the camera had just been overhauled. Got some banding, but not as bad as the first time. Based on that experience I never pursued buying one. So, any banding problems?

 

[x-ray]

I'd love to see a good comparison between the pricy and sexy Widelux vs the cheaper (less sexy) alternatives like the 202 and Horizon Kompakt/Perfekt.

I know this is a Widelux thread but I am curious why the one is worth so much more and to see the differences.

Oh and some of you all should post some pictures from your Widelux here please and thanks. 😀

I don't have a comparison but owned an F7 for about fifteen years and had constant problems. It went to the shop multiple times. Cold days were impossible with banding. I also had one of the all metal soviet cameras and never had a problem. It was crude in comparison but always produced uniform exposures and never banded. I sold both a few years ago and bought the latest Russian model. Don't remember the model number but it has been a perfect performer. It's really a sleek camera and reminds me of a sculpted bar of soap. I find it easier to use with the rapid wind lever vs the knob on the Widelux. The VF is superb with bubble level easily visible. The optics are every bit as good as the Widelux and never a band or streak under any condition hot or cold. Also the Russian camera has a great range of speeds. Also it comes with a detachable grip that holds the filters.

I have friends that have never had an issue with their Widelux and others of us that have had nothing but problems. It wasn't that I abused it or didn't know how to use it. I followed the instructions to the letter on setting speeds and etc. The clock mechanism was replaced once and the camera cleaned and lubed several times. When it came back from service it would only work properly for a short period.

I really have no complaints with the new Russian cameras.

 

[jvan01]

Haven't used mine in a while, I need to take it out again!

 

[raid]

I thought this is modern art!

I thought this is modern art!

I love your images, but this distortion is not great, Keith. Very interesting, though.

It was great to pick up an F8 at such a bargain price and after a test roll it seems to be fine. I can't say there appears to be any differences between it and the F7 though ... if anything the F7 seems to be a bit smoother and a bit tighter build. The main attraction with the F8 was the filter set because they seem very hard to come by at a reasonable price and from memory the kit contains a two stop ND which means you can go out with fairly fast film in the camera and have a much wider latitude for various exposure situations.

When you photograph some thing square on and your slightly above the dominant horizontal straight line the swing lens really comes into play and bends the hell out of everything. This was a straight wall! 😱 😀

 

[angelog]

I would love to own and use a Widelux but they are way too expensive right now. I own a Noblex and it's one camera I will never sell. I really should use it more! Thank you Keith for making me feel good about having this kind of camera.

Angelo

 

[Monz]

drewbarb wrote:
>I'd be curious to see a direct comparison between a 35mm Widelux and an Xpan; I've used the later (and like it), but have no experience with the former.

Here are two pictures taken with the XPan and Widelux F7:



A Cluster of Clowns by *monz*, on Flickr

[Xpan, 45mm]



A Circus of Clowns by *monz*, on Flickr

[Widelux F7, 26mm swing lens]


Note the yellow line in the first picture is straight. In the second picture it is curved.


The way I see it is:

*Widelux: 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.

*XPan: flat film + 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.

 

[raid]

In this case, I like the image more from the XPan. If you had stepped a few steps forward, Monz, I may have preferred the image by the Widelux.

 

[Monz]

In this case, I like the image more from the XPan. If you had stepped a few steps forward, Monz, I may have preferred the image by the Widelux.

Both pictures were taken from the same spot.
The Widelux's 26mm swing lens gives a horizontal angle of coverage of 126 degrees (140 degrees diagonally). This is much more than the 71 degrees of the XPan's 45mm rectilinear lens.

 

[raid]

Horizont 202 (very poor scanning)

 

[raid]

Both pictures were taken from the same spot.
The Widelux's 26mm swing lens gives a horizontal angle of coverage of 126 degrees (140 degrees diagonally). This is much more than the 71 degrees of the XPan's 45mm rectilinear lens.

I understand, Monz. I meant that the Widelux may require the photographer to get closer when people are involved.

 

[Monz]

Nice shots with the Horizont 202 Raid. Do you know what the focus distance is for the Horizont? Is it infinity?

On the Widelux, it is about 11 feet (although opinions vary on this) which makes this an ideal street camera.

 

[raid]

aperture --- depth of field in meters
2.8 --- 5.5 to infinity
4 --- 3.9 to infinity
5.6 --- 2.9 to infinity
8 --- 2 to infinity
11 --- 1.5 to infinity
16 --- 1 to infinity

It seems that infinity is always in focus, making it a good landscape camera.

 

[Monz]

aperture --- depth of field in meters
2.8 --- 5.5 to infinity
4 --- 3.9 to infinity
5.6 --- 2.9 to infinity
8 --- 2 to infinity
11 --- 1.5 to infinity
16 --- 1 to infinity

I understand this DOF table but does the documentation that comes with the camera state the distance from the film plane at which the lens is focussed? Being an enclosed swing lens, it does not have a focussing ring and so must be permanently focussed at a certain distance. Looking at the DOF table, I suspect the lens is focussed at infinity.

 

[Monz]

A few street shots with the Widelux F7:


Morris Dancers [1] by *monz*, on Flickr



Central Library Steps by *monz*, on Flickr



Walking the Walk [5] by *monz*, on Flickr

 

[raid]

I went through the manual, but there is no direct information on the set focus distance. Maybe 5.5m? It would make sense.

 

[Texsport]

I enjoy panoramic images and environmental portraits primarily.

Between the 2 smaller format panoramic cameras mentioned, I find the XPan is more versatile, but the Widelux more dynamic, being particularly useful for action shots.

 

[kena]

widelux

widelux

I have had mine for about 5 years and love it. Craigs list steal for 300!
If you keep the camera level it always looks great.

 

[alienmeatsack]

I stumbled upon a Horizon 202 with handle and filters for a very good price and decided to try it. It was cheap enough that I could justify it over the Wideluxes I've been watching on eBay.

I hope to find a Widelux too at some point that is in my budget. I've got my camera flea market guy on it (along with others) so who knows. He might find one for me under budget!

 

[farlymac]

A super-wide is always on my list of cameras to look out for. This turned into a good discussion about the differences between swing-lens, and fixed-mount models. But they are still way out of reach on my budget, Keith, especially now that you've got me going after Oly gear.

That is one great shot of the grating.

PF