Lomo Kompakt Automat

Where to begin with the Lomo LC-A? There is so much hype, so many love-it-or-hate-it opinions that it’s hard to know what to say about this little Russian snap-shooter. But, in the interest of enlightening you, gentle reader, I shall persevere . . . In my humble opinion, if you’re lucky enough to get a good LC-A at a reasonable price, it’s a great addition to your camera collection. It’s a fun camera and you will get the occasional great photograph. Sure, the LC-A isn’t for everyone. If you’re interested in razor-sharp images and lots of control over what’s going on with your camera, you should definitely pass on the LC-A. Don’t even think about buying one. However, if you like the occasional surprise when you get your prints back, it may be time to start looking around for one at a reasonable price. Say, under $100 in good working condition. If you’ve got $$$ to burn and like the look of that ugly little graphic on the new models, by all means pick one up from lomography.com. There’s a lot of hub-bub about the long exposures that you can get with an LC-A in low light situations. Which is fine. But blurry shots of car taillights get old pretty quick. My favorite time to use my LC-A is on a sunny day. Load some Agfa Ultra 100 into it and have some fun. The colours will be fantastic (provided that some clod at the photofinishing place doesn’t “correct” the colours when printing – be sure to request no colour correction). When used creatively, the camera can produce fun long-exposure photos as well. Buy a mini-tripod and snap some pictures at the table at a bar or from a bookshelf at a party. In summary, the LC-A doesn’t make much sense as a primary camera. However, certain people (myself included) will get a lot of fun out of the LC-A.

Small. Great colours in the right situations with the right film.

Very unrealiable. The build quality is poor. The constant threat of the camera quitting brings the value rating down.

I've not used it, but people say that the Olympus XA and it's brethren can produce Lomo-like results.

None.

Too bad - I can imagine the hype scaring off some camera aficionados. If you treat the LCA as a "normal" P+S you'll be in for a big disappointment. But if you use a little common (camera)sense the LCA won't let you down. The colors are extraordinary, the camera itself is robust and, with a little practice, easy to use. O.k., snapshots in low lighting situations tend to be a bit blurry and you definitely need a steady hand but, as I said, practice makes perfect and the results are - usually - very good.

- compact - great colors - with a little luck fairly cheap - robust - here in Europe free repairs at the "Lomographische Gesellschaft"

- in most cases it's still pretty expensive (that stupid "hype" again!) - it takes practice to get it right (focus, lighting)

none

see above - last year my LCA fell out of my pocket (at 50 km/h) while I was riding my scooter: I sent it to the "Lomografische Gesellschaft" in Vienna and six weeks later I got it back: repaired for free!

I'd heard the hype, I feared the prices, but I found one cheaply a few hundred kilometres from where they are made. When I put a new set of batteries in the camera and brushed away the crumbling light seal debris I had no idea whether or not the camera would work. The results were a real surprise. If you get the focusing right the lense is sharper than some would have you believe. The automatic exposure seems uncannily good. Some Lomo users rave about blurry shots. And there is much talk about spontaniety. But a steady hand or tripod and careful focus makes a real difference. The way the lense handles colours is a real delight. Make sure your developer doesn't correct the colours. It's unpredictable, perhaps, but not a mere toy. Sit back and enjoy the (occasional) great picture when you get your film back. It's rekindled my interest in film. Better a great shot from this than a hatful pictures from my SLR that scares away subjects and lacks the warmth of this quirky camera.

When you get the focus right and the light works out, you get some beautiful images. Some of the most colourful, attractive image I have ever taken.

Silly pricing when you buy it through the established Western channels. Heavy shutter contributes to blur.

various P&S compacts. Olympus XA

Small Philips screwdriver. £1.75. Romany's hardware shop. London W1.

It's the wonderful point & shoot, it intentionally the vignette, vivid and blur ! blur ! blur ! if you want sharpness, less distortion Please evade .....

feel freedom to take photo, not resemble another brand

expensive (a little)

not simillar

So, I got sucked into the hype. I began this experimental adventure by purchasing a Nickelodeon Photoblaster for $20 on eBay & soon became obsessed with novelty cameras. Then, I stumbled upon the Lomography web-site and it really suited my photographic personality. The pictures on the web-site were gorgeous and the people seemed to love this camera SO much! So, I got brave and chucked out a huge sum of money for a tiny camera that didn't compare to my Canon EOS RebelG (which I'm scared to take out on a Friday night). I snapped my first roll of film and immediately got it developed. I almost cried when I saw the results! TERRIBLE! That "rich color saturation" they talk about is pretty much just an orange glow on every low-light picture. So, here's the deal: If you're taking pictures indoors in low-light conditions... you MUST have a flash! If you or your subject moves a millimeter while you're waiting for that second click of the shutter, your images will be fuzzy. You & your subject have to be perfectly still for a few seconds!! That's ridiculous since this camera is described as being the perfect candid camera to take with you everywhere. You simply cannot snap away like they encourage you to. Each shot is a gamble that must be deliberately executed. I tried to learn from my mistakes on that first roll and it didn't make a darn bit of difference. I don't think of my results as "art". I think the many rolls of film I've shot since that first one have all been a waste of $10 for each roll of film plus developing. The Lomo web-site encourages you to keep 10 rolls of film on you at all times for this camera. They say this because you might get 4 good shots out of every 24exp roll of film!

Okay, the pictures that DID turn out had a lovely feel about them. Those shots were the ones I had been dreaming about when I agonized for a month over whether or not I would pay the hefty price for such a primitive little piece of junk. When I flip through my photo album with someone, the good Lomo shots are the ones that get the most compliments! But, now I have become more aggressive with my Canon and bought a warming soft filter for the lens and I'm getting the same results!!! Tape some light orange plastic over the lens of your point and shoot and take it out one evening with friends and you'll get the same results, while being able to tell what you took a picture of!! The camera does have a nice feel in your hands. It's extremely easy to use. There were no light leaks in the one I got but, I have heard of some with serious problems.

You can't use film over 400ISO. This means you can't try to compensate for the blur with a super fast film. I think I've said enough bad things about this camera already!