- Jeff Bridges is a longtime fan of the original Widelux camera series, released in the 1950s
- Silverbridges, the actor’s company, plans to relaunch commercial production of the panoramic camera
- WideluxX uses a unique rotating lens to capture images with a cinematic panoramic format
What do you get when you combine a successful, A-list actor and a love of photography and classic cameras? No, it’s not a trick question or the precursor to a joke punchline; it’s just Jeff Bridges lifting the lid on his passionate revival of the Widelux, the extraordinary mechanical swing-lens panorama camera from the late 1950s.
There was an understandable buzz in 2024 when Bridges announced its intention to bring back one of the most unusual and collectable cameras of all time, but for the first time we’ve caught a glimpse of a working model.
In a new video posted on the website of Bridges’ company, SilverBridges, we see him excitedly accepting a package. As a camera reviewer, I’m used to feeling that sense of building anticipation whenever I see a Peli Case-shaped box that I know contains something special, so I could immediately relate to the actor’s clear enthusiasm. For him, this is the culmination of years of planning and development as he strived to bring one of his favorite cameras back to life.
He then opens the case to reveal two cameras bearing the serial numbers 0001 and 0002, indicating that these are the first pair of cameras to roll off the production line. He continues to fill room two with film, carefully guiding the leader into the factory-fresh assembly before replacing the back plate and making a photo of his wife, Susan Bridges née Geston.
The video beautifully illustrates the unique mechanism of the Widelux (now designated WideluxX, the extra X added to tell the members of the new line apart from the classic series), as well as Bridge’s clear passion for the camera and its understated brand of photography.
What is WideluxX and why now?
Released in 1958, the Widelux used an original rotating lens design to capture panoramic images. As Jeff Bridges himself explains in another video on SilverBridge’s WideluxX website, this worked using an optic that moved in an arc behind which was a slit that panned across the film area, revealing it in a long, wide aspect.
While the camera was able to capture good levels of sharpness across the frame, it was the quirks and flaws that Bridges claims to have fallen in love with. He says he always enjoyed how the Widelux delivered images with a mix of sharp and blurry areas, creating a special atmosphere that he enhanced by using fast ISO3200 film, often push-processed to ISO6400.
It was Widelux that got Bridges into photography, largely because of how the widescreen format replicated the cinematic framework he was used to in his work as a screen actor.
“I didn’t start photography until I got a Widelux camera,” he explains. “It was like the missing link between still photography and film photography.”
Bridges also explains some of the practical benefits of using such a broad framework. “It’s possible to hand-hold it in 1/15th of a second, it’s very forgiving that way”.
“That’s about the only camera I use, my Widelux.”
The actor was therefore understandably upset when the original series of cameras were killed off in the early 2000s. Pann Camera Shokai, the Tokyo-based manufacturer, rolled the last unit off the production line in 2000. Since then, Bridges’ company, co-owned by his wife Susan, has been working to relaunch commercial production. While no official date has yet been revealed, meaning it could still be a while before we get our hands on a sample, the latest video is yet another sign that the bridges mean business. To get updates about WideluxX, there is a sign-up form on the SilverBridge website
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