A bit of cool retro chunkiness...
The Lomo 'instant wide has been in my bag for a month or so now. It hasn't had much use beyond novelty snaps until recently. However the purpose behind the justification for the purchase was a bit of fun...
I needed a camera for a kids "photo booth" day. For most of us not from the "States", the photo booth thing is a bit of a new concept... it is obviously very simple - props, lighting and a camera, and more often than not, drunken subjects. Generally this can't be as fun as it can be "not fun".
My situation was a little different... 300-400 clumsy primary school kids, in a small area, over a 6 hour period. Restrictions on power, space and other factors were not going to be made firm until just before the event.
On to the camera...
To start with, the 'instant wide is HUGE. It is not heavy, just huge, with no real "grip". It is like the size of a large hardcover novel, with nowhere to hang on to but the edges. It is boxy, square and plasticy. The joins, battery and film doors all feel a little flimsy, and lock with a less than reassuring click. They do, however, seem to be robust, and I have not had any issues (40 film packs / 400 photos on).
The interface is simple. one rotating lever/switch to power on to A (auto), B (bulb) and 1/30s modes. A flash on-off button and a multiple exposure button. That's about it. All these sit on the right side of the back, next to the film door
The front of the camera has a mirror for the vane, selfie obsessed amongst us, and a shutter button. The lens base also houses a PC port (no, not a computer port!). Sadly the port is not threaded, but it seems to hold a PC cable securely enough.
The lens has markings for 60cm, 1-2m and infinity. Whilst this is similar to almost any other instant camera with adjustable focus, the upside here is that you can park the lens anywhere between these markings for a better "approximate" focus. I found this to be extremely useful. A subject at 1.5m was often out of focus using the 1-2m mark, but was just right if the lens was focussed just closer than this. It is, however, all guesswork, or trial and error.
The 1/30s mode is set at f/8. Yes it is. I just shot 400 photos at a metered flash setting of f/9 at 1/30s and it was perfect for this session. I used a Sekonic L308s Meter to set the flash, a Godox Witstro AD360. Exposure was consistent. This is extremely useful for low light settings using the built in flash, or for studio work, where you want control.
PC port - this allows external flash to be used. I just used a set of Godox FT-16 triggers mounted on a PC-hotshoe adapter on a bracket, connected to the PC port, to trigger a Godox AD360. If used with the 1/30s f/8 setting, this allows a good deal of control for use in a studio/photo-booth setting.
Battery life: without flash, I have taken over 400 photos on one set of AA alkaline batteries, and I see no signs of slowing down. I am sure with flash, this would less than halve.
Pet hates:
The film door cannot be opened with the camera mounted on a tripod mount. The hinge of the door drops as you open it. If the tripod base plate is standard width, it will stop the door from opening far enough to change film. I had to place a spacer between the camera and the tripod mount, or the camera and the flash bracket.
End of film indicator is not obvious. A red LED on the top or near the view finder would be a godsend. This meant after haggling with kids to stand still, I'd take the shot, and they'd be halfway though taking off the props when I had to day, heh, no photo, let's go again!
The remote cap, whilst an excellent idea, fails to deliver frequently, even with new batteries.
Price... yes it delivers, but I can buy almost 3 Fuji Instax wide cameras for the price of this.
Other petty dislikes, which are common to all range finders - parallax error in close, guestimating focus, and not knowing if the lens cap is on until AFTER you have taken the photo, if you forget to check...
Likes:
looks :) It just looks cool
The photos - sharper than any I have seen from Fuji's own "wide" cameras, and thanks to the Fuji Film, lovely colors. Yes, it is still Instax, but so sweet.
Simplicity - take control, or shoot in Auto. Bulb shoots and multiple exposures are fun, and the packaged lens adapters are cool. The flash gels are a nice touch. Definite fun at a party, and not a bad happy snaps camera.
