Chroma Cameras Unveils a New Version of its CubePan 135-Format Panoramic Camera
Chroma Cameras has released a new and improved version of its CubePan 135-format panoramic camera. The 2023 update keeps the same functionality as the original from the previous year, but it now has improved usability thanks to input from photographers.
The new CubePan 35mm system camera is “an exciting multi-format panoramic 35mm camera system that uses magnetic lens cones to allow for multiple focal lengths from 47mm to 180mm, along with compatibility with all Mamiya Press lenses and a dedicated pinhole plate too,” according to Steve Lloyd, the founder of Chroma Cameras, in an interview with Kosmo Foto.
The CubePan 35mm pano camera was further improved by Lloyd in collaboration with these photographers. Although it sports a grip design similar to Chroma’s medium format camera designs, the updated CubePan has the same compact size and lens compatibility as its predecessor. Nonetheless, some photographers found the grip on the original CubePan too small when using larger, heavier lenses.
“After redesigning the grip from my larger cameras for the CubePan, I felt that the added stability from the combination of both front/rear grips helps when using the camera handheld, so I decided to make it a standard feature,” Lloyd tells KosmoFoto.
The brand-new darkslide holder is another improvement. This enables users to switch lenses without having their loaded film affected. The CubePan comes with slot-in baffles that allow you to shrink the frame size to 24x48mm or 24x24mm, even though it is made for the widest panoramic frame format, 24x72mm. The new darkslide holder, which uses a 24x24mm frame size, enables photographers to switch lenses while still using the same roll of film because the roll supports 52 frames at this size.
The focal length may be adjusted on the 135 format CubePan using special, exchangeable magnetic lens cones. The eight neodymium magnets remain the same, but to make it simpler to release the magnets, Lloyd attached a mechanical clasp to the left side of the cone, opposite the camera’s grip.
Chroma Camera claims that the lightweight camera body, which only weighs 274 grams, makes it simple to carry in a tiny bag. The camera has two winding knobs made of machined metal and a precision ratchet. On the camera’s base, the user can use two clicking frame-counting wheels to monitor film consumption. The camera has a centered cold shoe with an integrated bubble level and a standard 1/4-inch tripod thread in its base.
The 2023 CubePan is available in a variety of hues, including black, classic (wood), light stone (gray), pro orange, olive green, purple, and matte blue, as a tribute to Lloyd’s first camera, the Advanced45, which he funded on Kickstarter in 2018.
The 2023 CubePan 135 format panoramic camera is available to order now for $429. The camera will be built in three to four weeks following purchase.
More info on Chroma Camera’s website.
