International Camera Museum : Blue Moon Camera and Machine

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Widelux F7

The penultimate model of the Widelux camera line, the F7, was produced by Panon Camera Shoko between 1979 and 1988. The F7 features a fixed 25mm lens set into a rotating barrel that spans a 140 degree field of view. Focus is also fixed with these cameras, featuring a range of about 5ft to infinity.

The camera has three shutter speeds: 1/15th, 1/125th and 1/250th of a second. It makes a negative that measures 24x56mm (a normal 35mm negative is 24x36mm so not quite twice as long). Due to the rotating barrel, Widelux cameras produce images with very even exposure from left to right edge and don't suffer the same exposure falloff seen in flat plane panoramic cameras. At the same time, the rotating barrel introduces distortion of horizontal lines. Horizontal lines below the center will bow down while horizontal lines above center bow up, giving images from this camera a distinct look.

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Widelux F7 and Timelessness

Stand in one place and slowly turn your head. During that span of time you may see the seasons slowly passing by, the Earth continuing its inexorably, tireless rotation. The scrolling of the future becoming the present becoming the past. It is a procession that happens seamlessly and without pause.⁠

If you wanted art to imitate life, you could hold a Widelux F7 in your hands. It's 26mm lens is mounted in a barrel capable of rotating through a 140 degree range. The sweep of its lens faithfully recording light onto a curved piece of film, millimeter by millimeter, moment by moment. ⁠

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Widelux F7 and a Brief History of Panon

The swing-lens Widelux cameras are nifty panoramic cameras produced by Panon Camera Shoko, beginning around 1952 with their Panon Wide Angle camera. This beast of a camera made six 2"x 4.5" exposures on 120 film, as the lens swung through a 140 degree arc. Around 1958, that early medium format camera was soon joined by the Widelux FI. Panon would go on to tweak the Widelux design by improving the lens, adding different shutter speeds, and refining the internal mechanics. The Widelux FI would eventually be succeeded by the FV and FVI, which itself was succeeded by the F6. In 1979, the F7 was introduced. This has proven to be the model we see most often, even though an F8 was manufactured for twelve years, from 1988 until the company ceased camera production in 2000.⁠

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While there are barely any external differences between the last three models of Widelux cameras, there are some noteworthy internal differences. The F6 used larger, straight-cut gear teeth in the gears that governed the drum rotation. These gears were (and still are) prone to wearing out, causing uneven rotation and therefore banding of uneven exposure in the negatives. The F7 replaced those gears with same-sized but helical-cut teeth that allowed for smoother operation. The F8 further improved the mechanics by replacing those gears with ones that had smaller, finer-cut teeth, improving smoothness and longevity even more. The tradeoff to the F8 is that one of the main turret gears was replaced with a plastic version that can strip easily if the camera is not properly used and cared for. ⁠

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Widelux F7

We got this Widelux in from a photographer who had clearly showed it a lot of love! It’s a bit rough around the edges, but the images from this swing-lens panoramic 35mm beauty are really incomparable. If you’re looking for samples, we’d recommend checking out Jeff Bridges’ work. He was a big fan of the Widelux and often made use of it on the sets of the movies he was working on.

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Widelux F7

Our collected camera experience frequently puts us in situations where we are asked to test customers' cameras. This Widelux F7 came in to us after its owner tore a roll of film in the camera and was concerned about the camera's overall operation. Now who wouldn't happily volunteer to take an F7 out for a test roll or three?

The Widelux F7 and a poem by Spencer Pond

To see the width of a wall,
and beyond that an end
but the start of a continuum may be
wherever you stand.

- Spencer Pond

Widelux F7

A little teaser of one of the two cameras we have been considering for our hypothetical rental program.

While the idea is, essentially, still in its infancy, we have considered this Widelux F7 and a Fuji G617 as the first contenders for this potential, future department... Of course, we will keep you all posted with further developments of this plan.

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Zero Image 2000, Nikon FM2, and a Widelux F7

These three cameras devoured that cinnamon roll.

Widelux F7

In September 2017, our very own national sales manager and general sweetheart of a human - Sarah Taft - became Sarah Graves. She married her long time partner and best friend, Josh Graves! They had a beautiful ceremony in her home state of New York and then jetted off to a magical honeymoon in Italy and France. Before flying across the world, they managed to snap this photo of their trip essentials: passports, rings, a Widelux, and lots and lots of fresh film.

Sarah's moving "Honeymoon Series" features photographs captured during this European adventure. Check out these images and more of her work on her website.

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