Large format photography is often associated with heavy metal box studio cameras that, put simply, aren't ideal for lugging around.
Chicago-based camera company Wanderlust is hoping to lighten the load. Last week, the duo — Ben Syverson and Justin Lundquist — started a Kickstarter campaign for a portable and ultralight 4x5 film camera called Travelwide.
Emphasis here on the word film. In an age of all-things-digital, the idea might seem a bit dated. But, Syverson told Mashable, the raw quality you get from film cameras — like this stunning shot he captured from Pão de Açúcar in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — is incomparable to what you might see on a standard DSLR.
"[Justin and I] are both lifelong camera tinkerers and makers — we're always working on some sort of new project," he said. "I started getting into large format back in 2006, but I wanted something that was lighter and easier to travel with."
The Travelwide shoots on 4x5 film, which is about 13 times larger than the usual 35mm lenses most SLRs use. It's slightly larger than a DSLR, but much lighter.
The pair constructed a prototype camera, made from 3D printing, and carried it with them to a trip to Brazil, where they realized it was a viable product. For market, the cameras will be built using rapid injection molding.
"The idea here is that we wanted something portable that you can pack at the last minute," he said. "If you're heading out the door and think, 'Should I bring the 4x5?,' you can because it's so small and light-weight."
One potential downside is that users will need to provide their own lenses, which are available used for around $150, Syverson said. The group includes a helpful list of where to buy lenses on their Kickstarter page.
Pending a successful campaign, the Travelwide will sell for $99. At time of writing, the project was more than $43,000 into its $75,000 goal, with 27 days left to donate.
Watch the video above to learn more. You can stay up to date with the project here. Does this sound like something you'd back?
Image courtesy of Wanderlust Cameras
Topics: BC Video Lead, crowdsourcing, fundraising, Gadgets, kickstarter, Newsy, online fundraising, photography, Small Business, Startups, Tech, Travel & Leisure, U.S., Videos, Work & Play, World if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"tech","content_type":"article","top_channel":"tech","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Eric Larson","age":"0","pub_day":5,"pub_month":4,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"04/05/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"BC Video Lead"}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/04/05/travelwide/"],["image_src","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA0LzA1Lzk0L2NhbWVyYW5haWwuYTM3NTUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNzIweDcyMCMKZQlqcGc/083dff74/3da/camera-nail.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/04/05/travelwide/"],["og:title","Travelwide Is an Ultralight 4x5 Film Camera You Can Take on the Go"],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA0LzA1Lzk0L2NhbWVyYW5haWwuYTM3NTUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNzIweDcyMCMKZQlqcGc/083dff74/3da/camera-nail.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-04-05T16:50:08Z"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-04-05T16:50:26Z"]],"meta_name":[["description","Travelwide, pending its Kickstarter funding, will hit the market as a light-weight, portable 4x5 film camera. "],["keywords",["videos","photography","crowdsourcing","fundraising","kickstarter","uncategorized","small-business","startups","tech","gadgets"]],["twitter:title","Travelwide Is an Ultralight 4x5 Film Camera You Can Take on the Go"],["twitter:description","Travelwide, pending its Kickstarter funding, will hit the market as a light-weight, portable 4x5 film camera. "],["twitter:image","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA0LzA1Lzk0L2NhbWVyYW5haWwuYTM3NTUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNTYweDc1MAplCWpwZw/68274bec/3da/camera-nail.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/04/05/travelwide/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","photo"],["twitter:image:width","560"],["twitter:image:height","750"]],"short_url":[["short_url","http://on.mash.to/16x0nmd"]]};
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