What's a Camera Lomo?

A Lomo is a camera made by a Russian company (or a company authorized to use the Lomo name) known for its astonishingly clear lenses.

People often refer to Lomo's history as makers of "spy cameras," but today they're better known for their high-quality optical lenses. Learn more at lomo.com.

There are many affordable Lomo cameras. The Lomo Action Sampler--the first Lomo that I bought--isn't a "real" Lomo camera, because it's manufactured elsewhere. However, it has the irreverent attitude and style that Lomography (as it's called) has acquired.

THE LOMO ACTION SAMPLER

Many people start with the Lomo Action Sampler. It takes four photos in a row, with one click of the button. Each teensy lens clicks 1/4 of a second after the previous one did.

Oh, it's a very primitive camera in a way. For starters, most of the body is clear plastic. Who ever heard of a clear plastic camera? (Yes, the light leaks in now & then. It's part of its charm.)

It's made of very cheap plastic, no batteries, and the viewfinder is a square of plastic without a lens in it. It's maybe one notch up from a disposable camera. If you drop it (I did), the film falls out. However, there are no highly sensitive electronic elements to break.

What do you use this camera for? Well, if you're doing animated GIFs, these four images could be put into action. Otherwise, these four-to-a-print images are great art!

(From the start, I've enjoyed using the Lomo Action Sampler for art photos. Lomopix 1 is one of my earliest collages with this camera.)

You can use the pictures, as-is, fresh from the photo lab. You can tweak them with your favorite graphics program. You can cut the prints into single frames, and use the new little photos (comparable to an I-Zone, sort of).

I bought my first Lomo Action Sampler from amazon.com, for about $40. You can get a better price at freestylecamera.com. Or, shop at eBay where I've bought great no-name versions of this camera for about $4 each.

There's even a Lomographic SuperSampler 35mm Camera (Pearl) now. Many people consider it the ultimate.

But the Lomo Action Sampler is just a small corner of the Lomo puzzle. And plenty of people will tell you that these are not "real" Lomo cameras. In a way, they're right. The "real" Lomos are made in Russia.

'REAL' LOMO CAMERAS

First, there's the Lomo Smena 35, and its sister, the Smena 8. I have the Smena 35 (plastic, sold for about $12 at freestylephoto.biz, now $26 at rus-sell.com) and its lens is beyond amazing. But, they may not be manufactured with consistent quality standards. And, if you're shopping at eBay for these, watch the shipping charges closely; a Russian dealer will need to add $10 - 15 to the price, to mail the camera to you.

The premiere Lomo: LC-A

The Lomo LC-A is the premium Lomo 35mm model, with lots of convenience plus the famous Lomo lens. I have one of these.

I bought mine, used, from LomoJoe. I paid about 1/4 the price of a new one in the US. I'm delighted with it! (In July 2005, he was out of cameras and had moved from Russia.)

Or, you can click on the Amazon link to this camera, on the left. I highly recommend this camera if you're intrigued by the Lomo concept of art photos.

MORE CHEAP, FUN, 'TOY' CAMERAS

Other funky plastic cameras? There's the Holga, a medium-format camera which sells for about $15, now described as made in China? It uses larger film. (You can get a "Woca" camera that's the same design, but with a far better glass lens, for just a few dollars more.) Larger film formats give you far sharper prints, most of the time, although the lens can be an important factor, too.

And there are other Russian cameras, too, such as the Zenit and the Kiev, but that's a subject for another page. (If you get deeply into Russian cameras, and you understand the liabilities of doing business with Russian dealers, check the auctions at www.sovietcamera.com.)

Oh, after you have your own Lomo camera, join the Lomographic Society and share your pix, insights, and ideas.

A few Lomo links, to get you started:

• Lomo.com, the official site for Lomo fans...fun! (But, this is not the actual manufacturer's site.)
• Uwe's Lomo Site, in German. Wonderful gallery of photos.
• The Amazing Lomo, sales, background info, and a little bit of controversy. This is "LomoJoe" at GeoCities. I've bought from him with happy results.