1-15-15 My “new” Panaview OPTI-Wide Panoramic Lens 35mm Camera

The Panaview OPTI-Wide 35mm Camera

About a month ago, my girlfriend and I visited Brooklyn’s BuildItGreenNYC where I bought this Panaview OPTI-Wide 35mm film camera for $1, really hoping it would work. Bright yellow, all plastic and fully mechanical (no batteries needed!), this camera definitely snagged my attention. I thought about how my Dad shot panoramic photos of the Grand Canyon when my family visited back in the summer of 1995. Radical! Now I just had to shoot a test roll and see if it worked…

The Test Roll

I decided to use some leftover FujiFilm Superia X-Tra 400 35mm Film I had in the fridge from back when I tested the Rollei 35. I snapped the first two shots in Prospect Park, Brooklyn and the rest up in my hometown in Massachusetts over Christmas vacation.

Processing the 35mm Roll

I had my test roll processed (just for negatives) over at LTI Lightside in Manhattan. When I got the negatives back, I scanned them with my Epson Perfection V600 Photo Scanner and here’s what I discovered:

Using The Panaview OPTI-Wide Panoramic Lens 35mm Camera and Conclusions:

The camera was so light, it was super easy to take places! As for using it, I definitely noticed it was made of plastic (ie the moving parts did not have any lubricating oil in them). It was hard to tell if I had advanced the film enough for the next shot and so I ended up with several double-exposures and a couple blank shots. Near the end of the roll, it became harder to advance the film. But I decided I’ll just have to count how many cranks it takes between shots.

But for $1 dollar, this camera completely blew me away! Check out the INSANE lens flares I got! And I really like the almost “tilt-shift” distortion and vignetting at the sides of the photos too.

In conclusion, if you find one of these cameras, GET IT QUICK!

Panoramic 35mm photography, here I come!