Super Wide Angle Camera By Shutterbug Staff July 19, 2006 — A joint venture between Rolleiflex and Horseman has announced one of the widest angle cameras on the market, the Horseman SW-D Pro, which also accepts digital camera backs. The Horseman's new design allows users to shoot with a 24mm lens unit with any digital back equipped with a Hasselblad V mount.

The 24mm lens unit in combination with a 38 x 48mm image sensor provides the same angle of view as a 17mm lens with 35mm format. The Horseman SW-D Pro lens unit comes equipped with Schneider and Rodenstock digital lenses. The shortest focal length, the Schneider Apo-Digitar XL24, is one of four available lens units that include Rodenstock Apo-Sironar digital lenses of 35, 45 and 55mm focal lengths. Horseman SW series (originally for film cameras) lenses can also be used. All of the available lenses are said to be optimized for digital demands.

The Horseman SW-D Pro offers bellows-like movements and adjustments for work that benefits from rise, fall or image plane shift. Maximum rise and fall are 17mm in either direction or (with a 24mm lens unit), 10mm. Sideward shift of the image plane is possible by 15mm in either left or right direction. By combining shift with several exposures, images can be "stitched", resulting in maximum image sizes of up to 48 x 66mm or 36 x 78mm (depending on image sensor orientation).

Suggested retail for the camera is $2,799. Lens pricing is $3,899 for the 24mm lens with APO-DIGITAR 24/5.6; $2,499 for the 35mm lens with the APO-SIRONAR-DIGITAL 35/4.5; $2,599.for the 45mm lens with the APO-SIRONAR-DIGITAL 45/4.5; and $2,599 for the 55MM lens with the APO-SIRONAR-DIGITAL 55/4.5.

Franke & Heidecke, manufacturer of the Rollei medium format camera in Germany, and Komamura (Horseman), a leading manufacturer of medium and large format cameras in Japan, announced in February their joint venture to distribute their medium and large format professional cameras in the U.S. through Komamura and doing business as Direct Source Marketing. DSM was created as a result of the joint venture between Komamura Corporation, a long time distributor of Rollei and Horseman products in Japan, and Franke & Heidecke, the Germany-based manufacturer of Rollei products.

For more information, go to www.dsmww.com.