Horizont / Horizont Revue
Swing lens panoramic cameras have to be some of the coolest camera designs one can find in the world of film cameras. One of the early pioneers of such panoramic cameras was the Moscow-based, Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory (KMZ) which introduced a swing lens camera called the FT-1, as early as 1948. A couple of decades later, they released a much improved model, known as the Horizont, in 1967.
The first model of Horizont is an all-mechanical camera with a rotating barrel, housing a 28mm f/2.8 lens, swinging across a 120 degree field of view. As with all swing lens cameras, the film is wrapped across a curved film plane to minimize the distortion caused by the rotating lens. Horizont negatives measure 24x58mm, which is moderately shorter than double the length of a normal frame. In the world of 35mm panoramic, Horizonts produce some of the shortest panoramic images.
Exposure settings are all manual with the Horizont. A dial atop the camera allows the setting of shutter speeds and aperture, with shutter speeds ranging from 1/30 up to 1/125th. Some later models of Horizont have a 1/250th top speed. The apertures can be set between f/2.8 and f/16. The camera lacks a meter so the setting of the film speed is irrelevant.
Composition is done via a removable viewfinder that sits atop the rewind knob. Since it is a common mistake for users to hold the camera in such a way as to get their fingers in the image, the Horizont is often found with an accessory grip that facilitates a safer grip on the camera.
za/sd
Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc
- sales@bluemooncamera.com
- (503) 978-0333
- (503) 978-0370
-
8417 North Lombard Street
Portland, OR 97203
All rights reserved ©2024, Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc