Custom Bracket for the Hasselblad XPan Finally Centers It on Tripods

The Hasselblad XPan (and the Japan-only Fujifilm TX-1) is a beloved camera that remains unique even today. But one part of the design is a bit annoying: the location of the tripod screw. A new bracket from Mutiny fixes that.

These film cameras pull a roll of 35mm film double-wide across a large shutter behind a lens that covers a medium-format-sized image circle to produce ultra-wide, panoramic photos that remain incomparable to any digital camera available today — even cropping a sensor from the largest medium-format digital camera today would not equal the physical size of an XPan negative.

But to make this design possible, Fujifilm and Hasselblad had to reconfigure the locations of some of the internal parts, which left no room for a tripod screw in its traditional middle-of-the-camera position. Instead, the panoramic camera has the mounting position on the far left side of the camera (left when viewed from the back), making it look a bit absurd when set on a tripod. It’s normally only an aesthetic problem, but it’s not ideal. Most, if not all, XPan and TX-1 owners admit it looks silly. It’s also, arguably, less stable.

There is now a modern-day solution to this problem thanks to Mutiny. It’s kind of wild that this bracket is coming out 20 years after the last XPan ceased production (the XPan II was discontinued in 2006), but the niche popularity of these cameras must still be high enough for Mutiny to take on the production of a new accessory.

“We are big fans and users of the Hasselblad XPAN 1/2 and the Fujifilm TX-1 and TX-2 cameras. So much so we both (the owners of MUTINY) each own one,” the company writes. “Our XPAN/TX L-bracket set is available in black anodized aluminum or in solid brass.”

The bracket set is designed as a very wide L-bracket and includes an Apple AirTag chamber. The bottom width of the bracket is cut for Arca-Swiss compatible tripods, but it also includes additional mounting positions for those using other types of tripod mounts, with two of them — thankfully — sitting centered. The bracket does not block access to important parts, including the battery compartment. The film door switch can be accessed through the open side of the L-bracket, but for photographers who don’t shoot vertically, that side of the bracket can be removed entirely as well.

As the company mentions, the bracket is currently available in black anodized aluminum or solid brass, with the latter milled from a single solid chunk that looks striking (especially with the titanium finish of the TX-1) but more than doubles the weight and price versus the aluminum option. The aluminum option is available for $180, while the solid brass version costs $350.

Image creditsUnless otherwise noted, photos via Mutiny