Horizon 202 by Richard de Bulat
The frame format for this camera is 24 x 58, so slightly better than 2:1, but some way from the 6x17 ideal, for which you can pay a lot plus a leg or two. So saying, this is definitely at the budget end of the scale, with quite a lot of competition higher up the scale. However, the question is, do you get value for money? I would say that you do, since other, more expensive cameras suffer from all of the things that this type of swing lens camera can suffer from, namely the risk of light leaks over time. I have the original Horizont, which is all metal and beautiful: mechanically, it works perfectly, but has an intermittent light leak that I have partially corrected, but not entirely. I also have the modern 202 version which, despite its plastic construction, works reliably well and completely dissuades me from taking the plunge to invest in a Widelux or similar. Don’t even mention a Hasselblad Xpan – just don’t!
Having bought the Horizon 202, you are faced with two concerns; one, making sure that you keep it level and two, what to take with it. Landscapes are an obvious choice, but other vistas are also viable, including the urban environment. The Horizon 202 has a handy spirit level that can be viewed internally and externally and you do well to use a tripod although I have used it handheld to good effect, but a tripod and taking your time is worth the effort. A lever left of the top plate selects the range of either slow or relatively fast shutter speeds and a couple of centrally placed lever lets you make a final selection of between 8 seconds to 2 seconds or 1/25th sec to 1/60th sec., providing a limited, but workable selection of speeds and an aperture range between f22 and f2.8. I have to confess that I haven’t used anything below f5.6 for the most part, but the lens is okay based on my experience so far.
I took the camera out to Saltash on a sunny day using Delta 100, trying but mostly failing to avoid taking photographs of the bridges which dominate the area. I used a tripod for all of the shots. Not every shot permitted a totally level camera, so some distortion must be accepted, which is not necessarily a disaster and I include a couple of shots that are on the border of acceptability.
I developed the film in Ilfosol 3 and results looked good, which later scans confirmed. The 28mm f2.8 lens is fairly wide, but in the confined space of the urban environment, keeping the camera perfectly level was a challenge that couldn’t always be met – wide vistas will always look better and do use a shutter release cable to avoid getting fingers in the shot. Finally, be prepared for people coming up to talk to you as the camera does attract some attention.
While this is not a camera I use on a regular basis, it is not one that I overlook when the right sort of project comes along; there are times when I want to use a wider format such as 6x9 and wider still, so the more of less 6x12 aspect ratio of the Horizon works well and delivers good results. It definitely extends one’s photography experience, producing a cinematic look to the photographs and while I might dream of more expensive alternatives, this camera is a great stand-in until those lottery numbers fall in the right place.
Please check out our other 35mm cameras for the next Horizon 202 camera
