Film Friday: Car maker Pagani teams up with camera company Gibellini for a $75,000 large format camera: Digital Photography Review

Do you love Italian sports cars and large format photography? Then you’re in luck. Pagani Automobili S.p.A., maker of sports cars, has worked with a fellow Italian company, Gibellini, to make a special, limited edition 8×10 large format analog camera. Both companies are headquartered in Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.

Gibellini specializes in fully CNCed aluminum or titanium folding cameras in 4×5 and 8×10 formats. The new Gibellini GP810HP will be limited to just 75 units, with the initial 30 cameras available exclusively to owners of Pagani cars.

The GP810HP is made entirely from aluminum and titanium. The focal and lens planes move independently from each other and have four independent movements each. The movements dramatically affect the look of the final image, allowing photographers to correct for various distortions or artistically blur different parts of an image.

The camera uses gelatin silver film, which must be loaded in a darkroom, and the camera moves using ball bearings. Focus is adjusted with knobs on either side of the camera. The Pagani x Gibellini camera offers customizability to ‘the most demanding clients.’ Customers can configure their cameras to match their cars, taking exclusive luxury to a new level.

The camera weighs 4.7kg (10.4 lbs.). The total front rise is 45mm, and the front fall is 55mm. The camera offers a wide range of movements for front shift, front swing, central front tilt, rear shift, and rear swing. The camera has a 139x139mm lens board, and it’s compatible with all commercial film holders, including Gibellini’s new aluminum FH810.

You may wonder why Pagani would participate in a camera project as the company is hard at work on its next hypercar. Pagani founder Horacio Pagani said, ‘One day, a friend of mine gave me a Gibellini analog camera. As I looked at it, I thought of the hundreds of cellphone snaps we take unthinkingly without enjoying the pleasure of taking a real photograph. I thought of the magic, the strength, and the time it takes to capture an image on a camera like this, after having reflected and meditated long and hard while waiting for the right light. You’re not just taking a photo, you’re experiencing an emotion. I decided to become part of all this.’

It’ll come as no surprise that the limited edition camera is available exclusively through official Pagani Automobili channels or through Pagani itself. The GB810HP starts at €75,000, which is just under $75,000. For more information, refer to this brochure.