I have been shooting with several analog cameras this past week and using mostly expired film except with the "better" cameras (lomo and expired go hand-in-hand, don't they?) but my preferred camera has been this absolute cheapest of the cheap, the Lavec LT-002.
I found this at the Salvation Army store where I find so many great, unloved cameras. It was ninety-nine cents. It's like something you expect to come out of a cereal box in terms of quality, but a bit too large to fit in there.
I haven't had the film processed yet, but I am sort of expecting good results. Toy cameras always give you great shots somewhere in the roll, and sometimes everywhere in the roll. I wasn't aware the camera loves to lay down vignetting. Others experienced light leaks. I wouldn't be surprised, but that might be body tightness and my little Lavec seems pretty tight.
Ted Kappes does a really good job of articulating why giving up control in photography can be exhilarating. He makes this argument in the context of his use of this same camera make and model. His arguments really comport with the wonderful 10 Golden Rules of modern lomography. I love those liberating "rules." They are basically the opposites of rules.
Toy cameras are brilliant in how they dumb things down. They take you back to other centuries very quickly. They let you see the phenomenology of "pictured time" in reverse.
Technically, this camera isn't a strict "point and shoot." You do have four aperture settings. Probably you should expect them to be a little off. (That's understatment). I'm sure this camera is selling for five bucks or under on Ebay. It always breaks my heart when I find great little analog cameras in awesome shape in the thrift store which use really impossible film (like APX format). I know you can still send that out for delivery (even through Wally World who sends it to a good Fuji lab) but it's such a pain in the keister.
One additional technical note about this camera. Jamming seems to be a universal complaint. I'm wondering if that is due to the rather unorthodox design of the take-up spool, because my camera is pretty pristine and I have experience jamming just as others have described. I learned you just have to "power through," force the advance, and you will get to your next shot. The first time it happened, I went into a dark room and reloaded (thinking: "okay, double exposure time") but now I realize that isn't necessary. Consider it part of the joy of junk. I personally love it when things go off-frame. Or I often do, unless there's what I think is a killer shot in there I want intacts. But you can always play Dr. Frankenstein later with editing.
I found this at the Salvation Army store where I find so many great, unloved cameras. It was ninety-nine cents. It's like something you expect to come out of a cereal box in terms of quality, but a bit too large to fit in there.
I haven't had the film processed yet, but I am sort of expecting good results. Toy cameras always give you great shots somewhere in the roll, and sometimes everywhere in the roll. I wasn't aware the camera loves to lay down vignetting. Others experienced light leaks. I wouldn't be surprised, but that might be body tightness and my little Lavec seems pretty tight.
Ted Kappes does a really good job of articulating why giving up control in photography can be exhilarating. He makes this argument in the context of his use of this same camera make and model. His arguments really comport with the wonderful 10 Golden Rules of modern lomography. I love those liberating "rules." They are basically the opposites of rules.
Toy cameras are brilliant in how they dumb things down. They take you back to other centuries very quickly. They let you see the phenomenology of "pictured time" in reverse.
Technically, this camera isn't a strict "point and shoot." You do have four aperture settings. Probably you should expect them to be a little off. (That's understatment). I'm sure this camera is selling for five bucks or under on Ebay. It always breaks my heart when I find great little analog cameras in awesome shape in the thrift store which use really impossible film (like APX format). I know you can still send that out for delivery (even through Wally World who sends it to a good Fuji lab) but it's such a pain in the keister.
One additional technical note about this camera. Jamming seems to be a universal complaint. I'm wondering if that is due to the rather unorthodox design of the take-up spool, because my camera is pretty pristine and I have experience jamming just as others have described. I learned you just have to "power through," force the advance, and you will get to your next shot. The first time it happened, I went into a dark room and reloaded (thinking: "okay, double exposure time") but now I realize that isn't necessary. Consider it part of the joy of junk. I personally love it when things go off-frame. Or I often do, unless there's what I think is a killer shot in there I want intacts. But you can always play Dr. Frankenstein later with editing.
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