Lomography just created a super affordable, idiot-proof film camera that doubles your number of photos — and it comes pre-loaded with a roll and the instructions are literally printed on the body | Tech Radar
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Lomography just created a super affordable, idiot-proof film camera that doubles your number of photos — and it comes pre-loaded with a roll and the instructions are literally printed on the body
This could be the gateway drug to get you hooked on film photography.
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Lomography has released a new version of its ‘Simple Use’ disposable-style film camera
It’s half-frame, meaning it exposes half a frame of 35mm film at a time to effectively double the shot count
It comes pre-loaded with a roll of film, in a choice of color or black & white
Many people are put off trying out film photography because they perceive it to be too complicated. Lomography tries to take some of that mystique out with its disposable-style ‘Simple Use’ cameras — and today, the analog specialists have announced the new Half-frame Simple Use Reloadable Film Camera, which doubles your shot count from a standard roll of 35mm film.
The name ‘half-frame’ refers to the fact that the camera only exposes half a frame of 35mm film at a time, cutting the standard horizontal 36mm x 24mm frame into two shots with rough dimensions of 18 x 24mm. This means that while your shots are smaller, you get a heck of lot more of them — a standard 36-shot roll of film could produce around 72 discrete images when run through the Half-frame Simple Use Reloadable Film Camera.
Half-frame cameras aren’t new. In fact, they’ve been around since the 1960s, with Japanese manufacturers first offering them as a cost-saving alternative to standard 35mm film cameras. We’ve also seen more recent entries in the genre, such as the Kodak Ektar H35N. They tend to be small, cheap and straightforward.
Unlike a standard disposable, once the first roll is done, you can reload as you please. (Image credit: Lomography)
However, the Lomography Half-frame Simple Use Reloadable Film Camera sets itself apart by taking all steps possible to be incredibly, mind-bogglingly easy to use. This is the definition of an idiot-proof camera, one that basically anyone could pick up and use, and for this reason it might just be the ideal gateway drug for anyone who’s been tempted to try film photography.
It's so beginner-friendly it literally has instructions printed on it. (Image credit: Lomography)
The Simple Use cameras are often described as ‘disposable-style’. This means they operate just like the kinds of disposable cameras that everybody used to bring on trips and then drop off to get developed. There’s no means of setting shutter speed or aperture — both are fixed — and the lens is completely fixed focus. The only control other than the shutter release is the flash, which is activated via the unmistakable lightning-bolt button on the front.
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The Half-frame Simple Use camera also comes pre-loaded, meaning it’s completely ready to go out of the box. You have a choice of two options — getting one pre-loaded with Lomo Chrome Classicolor, or with Lomography Lady Grey monochrome film. Both of these stocks have an ISO rating of 400, meaning they’re good all-rounders for most lighting situations. They do only come in rolls of 20 however, which is quite small for a roll of 35mm. But remember, on half-frame, that works out to about 40 shots.
Half-frame images can be separated or left as diptychs if they feel complementary.(Image credit: Lomography)
Colored gels can be placed over the flash for special effects(Image credit: Lomography)
The lens is a fairly wide 21mm.(Image credit: Lomography)
Once you’ve rattled through your shots, you can rewind using the dial on top to extract your film. In another quite sweet bit of idiot-proofing, the camera body is covered in stickers and labels to remind you to rewind before opening the rear door — indeed, you have to physically remove two of these stickers before opening the door is even possible.
Cheap cameras like this will likely find use for quick grab-shots. (Image credit: Lomography)
With a plastic lens and fixed settings, this isn’t a camera that’s going to create images of stunning quality — even before you factor in that your shots will be half the size of normal 35mm frames. However, I think its simplicity means it could be a fantastic choice for anyone who has always wanted to shoot film but has found the process intimidating. And with a low asking price of
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Writer, photographer and editor Jon Stapley is an expert in all things cameras and digital art.
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