Veriwide

On of the latest additions to my camera assortment is the fabled Brooks-Plaubel Veriwide 100. I have had an eye on this contraption for a long time, but it’s very hard to find in a decent state. Reportedly only 2000 pieces were built in the late 1950s. I was lucky to find a very nice copy in Holland.

The Veriwide is a very desirable camera for two reasons: first because of its unusual 6x10 format (unique in film-based cameras but increasingly popular today due to digital compacts that sport the 16:9 image ratio), and secondly because of its huge negative size in an immensely portable package. Apart from the older 6x9 folders, there is nothing that comes close to offering a 60cm^2 negative in a pocketable camera.

The Veriwide is obviously a fixed lens camera. It comes with a Schneider 47mm f5.6 superwide-angle lens, offering a 100° angle of sight (hence the name “Veriwide 100”). The angle of view is similar to a 20mm in 24x36. It’s also a direct-view camera with a detachable viewfinder in the hotshoe. The original comes with a Leitz-built equivalent to their 21mm viewfinder but my copy has been furnished with a viewfinder from an unknown make (it’s quite clear though).

As a 40-year old camera, it comes with a few quirks. The shutter has to be manually cocked for every exposure. Apparently one has to be careful with the film transport mechanism so as to avoid uneven spacings between exposures. The Schneider lens is sharp but suffers from a certain degree of vignetting at all openings. The latter point is of no concern to me as I think it will work well in black & white. And, as is this is a direct view camera, one has to work hyperfocally, preferably at small openings. Luckily we have Ilford 3200 in 120 format …