Just over a year ago, Oscar-winning actor and talented photographer Jeff Bridges announced that he had co-founded a new camera company, SilverBridges, to bring back his beloved Widelux film camera as the WideluxX. SilverBridges has now unveiled the first prototype: WideluxX Prototype 0001.
“Holding a one-of-a-kind camera prototype in your hand is always going to be exciting,” writes Charys Schuler of SilvergrainClassics. “But when some of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into it are your own, it feels nothing short of extraordinary.”
Schuler, alongside SilvergrainClassics’ editor-in-chief Marwan El Mozayen, Jeff Bridges, and Bridges’ wife, acclaimed photographer Susan Bridges (née Geston), teamed to form SilverBridges, a portmanteau of SilvergrainClassics and the Bridges family. SilverBridges’ sole mission, at least for now, is reviving the weird and wonderful Wildelux panoramic film camera.
Jeff and Susan Bridges in the WideluxX prototype video | ©SilverBridges
The prototype camera was unveiled last Friday at the International Association for Panoramic Photography convention in Minnesota via a video, which should be published online in full in the near future. In the video, Jeff and Susan Bridges introduce themselves and discuss the project and the prototype before handing it over to Schuler and El Mozayen.
Jeff Bridges has used his personal Widelux camera on many of his film sets over the years, capturing remarkable behind-the-scenes photos with significant artistic and cultural value. Unfortunately, the Widelux factory burned down 20 years ago, halting the release of new cameras and substantially disrupting possible repairs for existing models.
“20 years ago, the Widelux factory burned down, so we decided that rather than letting our favorite camera die, we’d bring her back to life,” Jeff and Susan Bridges say. “We’re keeping it old school; it’s a film camera handmade in Germany, built to last generations.”
Based on the prototype, which looks incredible, the team has developed a robust product that honors the spirit of the original Panon Widelux camera.
Charys Schuler and Marwan El Mozayen with WideluxX™ prototype 0001 and Widelux F8 | ©SilverBridges GmbH
“There will be many small improvements, but its DNA is still the [Panon Widelux] F8,” Charys Schuler and Marwan El Mozayen say. “We see ourselves as a bridge between the history and the future of analog photography. It’s about the art and craft of camera manufacturing, and about giving a new generation of film photographers the tools to create with.”
Japan Camera Hunter chatted about the project with Schuler and El Mozayen, and the two expressed that they are staying as close to the original camera as possible. They “reverse engineered” the Widelux, as Japan Camera Hunter writes, and had to make new versions of all the old parts, since there are no existing parts piles to pull from. They are long gone. It is a significant challenge, but as the prototype shows, the team is well-positioned to pull off something really special.
Photographers can keep up to date with the WideluxX project on the project’s website, where the new introduction video should be posted shortly.
Image credits: WideluxX, SilverBridges