Movie Friday: A 20-year review of the Lomo LC-A, the camera that started the Lomography revolution: Digital Photography Review

My 1986 Lomo LC-A, with Soviet badge replacing the name, has worn out after years of use (Photo by Stephen Dowling, used with permission.)

Stephen Dowling, founder Kosmo Photo, published a 20-year review of Lomo LC-A. The LC-A is now considered one of the most important cameras in the history of film photography, despite its substandard image quality and primitive design, inspired by a manufacturer’s cameras. was better known – and respected – at the time of its release. .

Dowling begins his review with a quick history lesson about the Lomo LC-A, a camera whose design is actually a Soviet clone of the Lomo LC-A. Cosina CX-2. As Dowling details, ‘Soviet Deputy Defense Minister Igor Petrovich Kornitsky encountered the odd Cosina [CX-2] at Cologne’s Photokina trade show in 1980 – and wanted the Soviet Union to produce something even better, ‘what Dowling called’ the Cold War Noble Mission, as Japan became the leader. world leader in compact camera design. ‘

Cosina CX-2, shown with the twisted front flap that the LC-A (bottom) did Not characteristic. (Photo by Stephen Dowling, used with permission.)

Kornitsky instructed various Soviet entities to begin building Cosina duplicators, and after some consideration of how and where to produce this new camera, Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obedinenie-based camera manufacturer Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obedinenie based in Leningrad, aka Lomo, will be the producer. Thousands of these cameras were made by Lomo, but due to their plastic construction, very few have survived decades.

While the optical design and overall construction of the camera contribute a lot to the aesthetic of the photos it takes, the Lomography world often cross-processes their films in different chemicals than is recommended. from the film producer, resulting in a very saturated, contrasting image, as shown in the image below:

Shot on Lomo LC-A in Sri Lanka with cross-processed slide show film, 2016 (Photo by Stephen Dowling, used with permission.)

However, The Lomo LC-A has built its reputation, not only on par with its Cosina counterpart, but beyond it, thanks to the LC-A’s role in experimental film photography throughout the years. 1990. happy accident’ in the Czech capital Prague in 1992. Dowling explains:

‘In 1992, a group of Austrian art students found an LC-A for sale in a second-hand shop in the capital of the Czech Republic. The camera looks a bit like regular Soviet cameras and Austrian students discovered it to be an electronic camera with some very noticeable quirks. […] Austrian students discovered something about cameras. The lens is saturated, contrast is one. The different results from super slow shutter speeds, light trails and motion blur are another result. They were so impressed that they set out on a mission to find every example they could lay their hands on, traveling around Eastern European markets and camera shops to survive the LC-As. The camera inspired them to a new school of experimental photography – Lomography – built on their new discovery and 10 rules for breaking free from creative constraints. ‘

Production of the original LC-A camera was discontinued in 1994, just two years after the discovery of the ‘welcome accident’, but due to its resurgence from the Lomography community, production was discontinued. relaunched by post-Soviet Lomo and marketed by the Lomography Association.

Photo by Stephen Dowling, used with permission.

As Dowling detailed in his full review, the Lomo LC-A is a quality camera. The original design had many quirks and less impressive optics. But the combination of ease of use and the unique look it captures on film has underpinned the camera in a similar history and will continue for decades to come (many of the original Instagram filters were based on aesthetic appeal). aesthetics of the photos taken with the Lomo LC- One camera).

Dowling said: ‘Born in secrecy at the height of the Cold War, this curiously compact camera started out as a clone but eventually found its own place in the calendar. photography history. ‘For me, it’s the perfect tool for the simple pleasure of photography.’

You can read Stephen Dowling’s full Lomo LC-A review on Kosmo Foto:

Review of Lomo LC-A – Kosmo Foto

Friday Movie Intro: We Came Out Similar forums and in an ongoing effort to promote the fun of this medium, we’ll be sharing movie-related content on Fridays including articles from our friends at 35mmc and KosmoFoto.