Had a few minutes today to walk down to the river and run a roll through the LC-A, unfortunately the only 35mm we had at the office was tungsten.. First thoughts on the little Russian cam are that’s its well put together and feels very smooth while shooting. The focus is easy to adjust, and the auto-exposure is a nice break from worrying about ambient light. So is this still a toy cam if it has Russian optics, auto-exposure and you can actually set the ISO? More images on my Flickr here… [Added some B/W today]
It was a big mail day today, with boxes arriving from all over. One rather large box contained my new LC-A RL, and the heaviest Lomo book I have ever seen. At least shipping was free! And from Japan, the great folks at Powershovel sent a very nice Blackbird, Fly photo album and a few CD’s from their audio division. For those that don’t know, Powershovel is more then just a camera company. They have an audio division, PowerShovel Audio, that has released dozens of great albums. They also have PowerShovel Books, with some great books on Photography. Their store, Camera Cabaret, will be online soon as well. For a quick history, check here. I will post more info on how to order cameras, cds and books soon.
I finally gave in and bought an LC-A. More then a few readers have asked me how I like them, and to be honest, I have never shot with one. Up until a few months ago, I didn’t even shoot 35mm. But I have given in to the LC-A for ease of use, and the time saved by using 35. So where should I get one? I searched eBay, but all of the cameras on there seemed a bit dodgy. I don’t like to order items from Russia, they ship about as fast as items from China. So that leaves Lomography.com. The folks that charge you double for anything you want, and package it with a bunch of stuff you don’t need. (Do I really want 8 books with my camera?) They have LC-A sales pretty much locked down, and will sue anyone who tries to ship a few out of Russia. I don’t like to buy anything from Lomo if I can help it- I am still pissed about the crappy Diana they sold me a few months back. (And the crappy wide angle lens that is now permanently stuck on it…) But in order to get a new LC-A with a warranty I had to support the Evil Empire. The camera is on it’s way.. and I will have plenty of images in the next few weeks as I get used to it. If anyone has advice, feel free to send it along. And for those who are new to the LC-A, here are a few pages to check out… here, here, here and here.
For those who’ve stopped over to nicnichols.com, the companion site to FourCornersDark, you may have noticed some pretty big changes. We’re in the process of building an entirely new site, with all new images. I will be adding new galleries each day, so bear with us during the construction. I hope you enjoy the new photos and layout. While we finish up the new site, the old one is available here.
Patrick Ng has some genius ideas and methods on his blog Scription. I was amazed at how he created and entire new iPhone Polaroid Theme, and his collection of Molskine notebooks is second to none. But when he posted images of his iPhone with the viewfinder for the Diana wide angle lens, I had to give that a shot. (I am sure a bunch of you have these viewfinders lying around…) Have a look at the instructions here, and some of the images he created here. And bookmark his blog, you’ll find some great ideas on there.
A weekly round-up of what’s going on in the toy camera blog world…
- Photograview’s Greg Wilker has a new interview with Me.
- Matt Lit has several toy cam images nominated for Black and White Spider Awards!
- Joe Reifer tells us a Sprocket Holga story in 7 photos.
- The Soop chats with Sheila Bocchine, who takes amazing Pinhole photos.
- Moominstuff has a home-made Holga Clone Pano that kicks ass!
- Alspix’s pictorial of their custom Vivitar Ultra Wide is a must read.
Thought that faking the toy camera look was limited only to Photoshop? Not any more.. now you can make fake toy camera-ish images from the comfort of your own hand. And that hand should be slapping you silly if you really think this is a good thing…
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Charles Nowak’s “Toy Camera + Polaroid Photography” takes us from the Streets of Detroit to the warm comfort of coffee at the local diner, all with the intimacy of the Diana camera. Printed by Lulu.com, and 108 pages deep, it represents the largest self-published book we’ve checked out yet.
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In the new trend of designers putting their gilded touch onto everyday products, Paul Smith has made you a swank new Lomo. So you’ve got a designer cashing in on a company that is cashing in on you! While inside it may be just a humble Lomo Fisheye, on the outside it’s a Black and bright color striped fashion accessory suitable for cocktail parties and sitting runway-side at the next show. Until the shutter breaks on the third roll and you’re left with a really big camera necklace. Get in line now, cas at $150 US dollars, they won’t last long. (Black beret and cigarette holder not included)
While we enjoy writing the posts and pages for this site, it’s only one side of the growing world of Toy Camera photographers. We’ve been pleased to have reviews by Photographers like Dimas Ario, who gave us insight into the Fujica M1. Johann Affendy Mahfoor took us to the Streets of Malaysia with images from his Vivitar UWS. If you have a camera you’d like to share with us, or a collection of Toy Camera photos you would like to present on FourCornersDark, submit them here.
I had never actually checked out esty.com until my wife found few things on there. If you don’t know what etsy is, it’s a large online store community for people who make handcrafted items to sell them without having to build their own online store. Apparently people on etsy have taken notice of toy cameras…
So its already November, and before you know it Christmas and New Year’s will be here. Its time to clean off the shelves here at the office, and what better way then another toy camera contest? Here’s what we have up for grabs.. One Holga 135bc, One Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim, A Sampler cam, A little 110 Keychain cam, and 4 (yes 4!) ‘Special Moments’ Dollar Store Cams.. and a few bags, all brand new, all looking for a new home. This contest will be a ‘themed’ contest of 5 images. They can be shot from any toy camera, but all 5 must represent the same Theme. Contest starts right now.. and will end on 30 November, 2008. So go get shooting! Entries can be sent here.
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A few weeks ago I got an email asking where I got my canvas bags. I have had them for ages, and they made the perfect home for a trio of Holgas when I go shooting.
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I have been waiting to write this review to see if this flash actually grew on me. It’s messy, clumsy, and you have to take it off the camera to load the film. So did it get any better?
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After a few days of rest, we’re back with some new posts.. first up are the eBay finds of the week, as they were extremely popular last time. So each week they’ll go up, and the previous set will go away. Last week I picked up a Glass Lens Woca for $20!
- Will somebody please tell me what this is, and what is a ‘color lens’?
- How about some handcrafted Diana woodwork?
- Or perhaps a real vintage Diana?
- Or perhaps a real vintage Diana with box and flash!
- Another Diana, a real one, for less then you’ll pay at lomo! US$59.00
- This is a ‘candid camera’ which I have never seen before….
- Some really nice original Holga prints, and a very reasonable price here and here…
- ..finally, it may be gone when you read this, but this is what a Fujipet will cost you.
