Customer Reviews

Lomo Kompakt Automat 35mm Camera

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I've had this adorable camera for a year, and take it with me wherever I go. While other reviews recommend this for experienced photographers, I'm not convinced that would make much of a difference.
No, it is not a point-and-shoot in the traditional respects, but it is vastly simple. I've gotten fantastic shots in dimly lit bars and sunny Hawaiian beaches, all on the same "automatic" light setting. The compact size allows me to tuck into wee little evening purses and pester my friends all night long; yet it has a wonderful solid weight that means business and provides a cool retro feel.
My big issue continues to be with focusing, but sometimes the blurry shots are actually the best ones on the roll. There are four focul lengths-- 0.8 meters, 1.5 meters, 3 meters, and infinite. I find it hard enough to estimate distance in feet; switch to meters and it's even trickier. As the camera style provides no way to verify your subject is precisely in focus, this may lead to some disapointing results if you badly misjudge the distance.
My favorite thing about the lomo is the unexpected qualities in each shot. You may think you've got a roll of normal me-and-the-guys shots, but they come back from the developer with beautifully rich colors, amazing light effects, and a remarkable (and most pleasing) improvement to everyone's skin tone. If your goal is plain and simple shots, save a few bucks and go for whatever point-and-shoot is in your price range. If you want something a little more unusual, something that doesn't always provide the expected,and something that makes your and yours look like superheros,the lomo's what you want.
A note: there are nine small screws that hold the various parts together. It's a good idea to check these over and tighten them before you use your lomo the first time, as at least one has been loose in every lomo I've seen. They tighten with a phillips eyeglass screwdriver.

Pros: Unique, it's Russian-cool!
Cons: a lot of your shots will come out blurry.

The Lomo LC-A camera has quite a cult following. I guess you should try one out for yourself to see if you like it. I did and have not yet grown tired of the novelty. The Lomo takes some unique pictures which often have a glassy-like quality with saturated colors and sometimes blurry images. The Lomo also tends to vignette at the edges quite a bit. I guess that's the 'Lomo look'.

Since there is no flash, you have to press the shutter button down and hold it down until the camera gathers enough light for an exposure and closes the shutter. In low light situations, this proves difficult since it is hard to hold the camera steady for the necessary second or two. The result in low to medium light situations is often a blurry image. While some feel that the Lomo is an ideal camera in low light situations, I don't. It's difficult to get an image that is not blurry or a bit fuzzy in low light situations and this can really get old fast. I much prefer the Lomo look of photos taken in daylight. Also, I've played with a couple of different Lomo LCA's and noticed that the shutter button varies a bit from camera to camera. Some are quite smooth and are easier to shoot in low light with, while others seem to have more of a clunk when you press them. For instance, I have an older Lomo that is better in this respect than the newer one.

Most 'Lomographers' as Lomo users/fans are often referred to, like these unpredictable blurry-type images because they can at times be cool looking and different. One thing you have to give credit to Lomographers for is their work ethic. The Lomo ethic is to shoot snapshots everywhere and anywhere. Just carry the small camera everywhere you go and shoot shoot shoot! I agree with this ethic and anything that get's people out there, taking more pictures is a good thing. However, you can practice this ethic with just about any other cheaper point and shoot camera if you know how to set it properly.

I guess you just have to decide for yourself. If you want convenience and versatility, and sharpness that perhaps rivals the best topline 35mm cameras, go with another point and shoot camera like an Olympus Stylus Epic or Yashica T-4 Super which both have very nice and sharp lenses.. But if you are looking for a bit of an artsy, glassy, dreamy unique look, then the Lomo is it! The Lomo images usually look grass roots, gen-x and artsy for lack of better terms. Note that the pictures taken with a Lomo are more suited to small 4x6 prints. Don't expect to blow them up to poster size. The Lomo is just not sharp enough. But, simply as a unique piece of interesting Russian workmanship and history behind it, the Lomo LC-A is a marvel in design personality.

At full retail price, I don't feel the Lomo is a good value. It's been way over hyped by some Austrian guys who are buying the cameras cheap from the Russian factory and then marketing the heck out of the camera, charging an arm and a leg for the camera, bundled with some film and a flashy booklet. The camera itself is actually really only worth about half what they charge.

First word of warning: if you want a point-and-click camera to take holiday pictures etc. get an Olympus Stylus. Second word of warning: if you are a serious photographer, get a good SLR camera. The LOMO is a joy, but it requires some patience, and most essentially some imagination. With low speed film (recommend Lucky film, often found for a mere 99¢) in daylight it can pull off some amazing shots - the color is vibrant, sometimes bizarre. At night the effects can also be staggering, but you need a steady hand. Take pictures of the strangest things, snap everything, everwhere, you'll get used to it, and it'll become an addiction. The LOMO is really a toy (and I mean that in a nice way) - it's fun, and it brings out the artist in you - just don't buy one if you want to take 'ordinary' photos, or if you are really serious about photography. Arty, funny, blurry, spectacular, vibrant, weird - these words best sum up the LOMO experience. And best of all, you'll sometimes take a photo that will look good enough to be album art, and as good as any professional shot you'll ever see - and that's when the the joy of LOMO hits in, and the camera is worth its weight in gold.

I've been a photographer for 10+ years and the Lomo has made me fall in love with photography all over again. You can take similar pictures with a good 35mm and a filter, but it's really all about the size of the Lomo that makes it outstanding. This thing fits in my pocket so that I can take it anywhere, and the results are incredible.

The Lomo is a whole lot of fun if you want to randomly shoot and don't mind blurry or streaked photos when the pictures come back. But it's a little difficult to use if you know what you want to do but don't know a whole lot about photography. Because it's a 2.8 wide-angle lens, depth of field and lens speed are welcome features for the experienced but may be a little mystifying for the novice. It takes some practice before you start to really know what you're doing and how to do it.

But it's unlike any other compact camera out there, and in terms of creativity, it offers an unprecedented amount of leeway. If you're dedicated enough and love photography, then this is for you. If you want a point and shoot for family pictures, don't bother.

My first impressions of the camera were 'wow, this is heavy.' It's no slab of concrete, but it does weigh substantially more than it's size would indicate. It seems fairly solid, but the little switches and levers are made of a cheaper grade of plastic.

Halfway through shooting my second roll of film, the camera's manual winding advance just stopped working, frozen in place. You can imagine how annoyed I was. It's certainly very frustrating to spend $150 on a camera that refuses to work beyond it's first roll of film.

Aside from its self-destruction, I was satisfied with the camera. It's not for those who want flawless images & extreme portability (try filling your pocket with rocks - the equivalent of the camera's weight and awkwardness in your jeans). If you're in the market for a quirky little camera with character, however, this product probably won't dissapoint you.

All these complainers about price, hype and bluryness of the images- learn how to take pictures with a non automatic camera and then you might realize what a jewel of a camera you hold in your hands with the lomo camera! Maybe you want an automatic camera, that loads your film and rewinds it for you, harsh contrasts 'cause of flash, autofocuses, etc. So get one of those and take your calculated pictures.

But if you like the purple in the blue of the sky when the sun sets, and you like to take pictures in bars without blinding your object of desire, if you like to carry your camera everywhere and be ready to shoot in a second, if you like to experiment, and if you like striking bright colors, if you like to be in control but also like surprises- you will LOVE the lomo camera! This is how i feel about it- LOMO saved my believe in my creative abilities. Give yourself a chance and see what you can create!

Adam, Philadelphia

Okay, I just got my lomo and have taken 3 rolls of film. After perusing the internet and actually seeing other pictures people have taken with their own lomo's, I have to tell you that it isn't as easy as they make it look. It does require practice and you do usually get at least one really cool picture per roll. It's pretty fun to take everywhere and you are not blinding people with a flash and drawing unwanted attention to yourself. What this feature does is actually get you to take more pictures and of things you might not have before. If you don't have an artistic mind, this is not the camera for you. Trying to explain a beautiful and unfocused picture to my Mother as a work of art gets a bit tedious. Anyway, it is a very exciting, different artistic medium, that really is fun and worth it.

The LCA is best regarded as a Zen exercise. Operationally infuriating at first, it is unforgiving of beginners' errors. Thread the film leader with about a half-inch of tail on the take-up spool or it will slip after a few shots, costing you the roll. Check that ASA wheel every time you pull the camera out of your pocket. Monitor the teensy screws or they will escape. Learn how far 3 meters really is or learn to appreciate blurring. Go to the gym to gain muscle control to steady your hand for dim-lighting shots. If you get through that, then you will confront the central question, grasshopper: "Why am I taking the picture?" To capture a scene? To document an experience? To show friends? To make art? Any answer at all will be wrong, and will lead to shots that are unsatisfactory. One takes the picture to see what the picture will be; once I accepted that I began to appreciate the perceptual shocks and nudges the LCA often provides. Any camera has a high dross rate, but the LOMO gives me more keepers. True, you can simply turn off the flash on a P&S, but you won't get the same shot as with the LCA, with its tunnel vision and odd optics. It excels in dubious conditions-- low light, odd perspectives, and cheap film-- and pales when conditions become more traditional. To me, this is goodness. It encourageness goofiness. A form of therapy, perhaps. Would I buy one again? Absolutely.

I bought the Lomo after being impressed by the sample photos here and on other websites run by other "lomographers." I also wanted an everyday camera in addition to my all manual SLR. Its a good little camera, fits in your pocket, great for photographing the general minutae of life. Why do I give it 4 stars only? Because it is for people who have some knowlegde of shutter speed, manual focus, and aperture. This is not, repeat, is not, a point and shoot camera. It is for people who have experience using SLRs who want a camera with all the same features but that is smaller. It is an old fashioned camera that is a Russian copy of 1950s-1960's Olympus. It looks like a "faux retro" point and shoot but it is not. If a point and shoot is what you are looking for, this is not the camera for you. If you still think you want this camera, check out the worldwide websites of people who have this camera. Its a great way to see what kind of pictures people take with the camera and what they come out looking like. One piece of advice-find the cheapest film possible to use with this camera. It is so small and you will take it everywhere, that you will be shooting all the time. Save your saturated slide film for SLR shooting.

The lomo is a genuine piece of functioning art. Not only does it look "retro cool" its optics are something I have never encountered. Include the awesome ability to shoot colorful and stunning night photos - the lomo is awesome.

Besides, go to lomo.com an explore the huge community of lomo users that don't go anywhere without their camera