WideluxX is a German-made, fully mechanical 35mm swing-lens panoramic camera, limited to 350 units, priced at $4,400 preorder.
Key Takeaways
Swing-lens mechanism sweeps a 26mm f/2.8 lens across a 24x58mm frame at 140 degrees, producing single-exposure panoramas on standard 35mm film.
At 1/15s shutter, the full sweep takes ~2.5 seconds real time, but each film segment is exposed only briefly through a slit, enabling sharp handheld shots.
Yields ~21 frames per 36-exposure roll; compatible with standard lab processing and existing 35mm scanners.
Built by SilverBridges GmbH in Germany with serviceable parts, modern glass, and long-term repair support modeled on mechanical watch longevity.
Inspired by the original Widelux F8 but updated with modern precision manufacturing, improved rewind, and custom finishes.
Hacker News Comment Review
The $4,400 price dominates discussion; commenters who anticipated the camera for years were hoping for sub-$1,000 and find the cost hard to justify against the used Hasselblad XPan, which offers interchangeable lenses and no optical distortion.
Technical comparisons favor the XPan for image quality, while the WideluxX is defended for its swing-lens motion integration and single-exposure time rendering that stitched or flat panoramas cannot replicate.
The product page copy drew criticism for vague differentiation language, with the “What Has Changed” list offering little concrete specification detail.
Notable Comments
@tambourine_man: changelog entries like “Modern precision” and “Improved rewind” are too vague to evaluate what actually changed from the F8.
@isatty: argues XPan is still superior and WideluxX offers no Hasselblad glass quality at more than 100% the XPan market price.
