Whilst many of us might be celebrating the apparent resurgence of 35mm photographic films, such as the newly released Bergger Pancro400 black and white film and the recently announced reintroduction of Kodak Ektachrome transparency slide film, there has been little news regarding new point and shoot film cameras. Indeed, most of the cameras reviewed on this site have been out of production for many years.
However, Lomography have decided to buck the trend and announce a set of three brand new 35mm compact film cameras – albeit disposable ones. Disposable, or single use, film cameras are not new in themselves. Indeed, Ilford have long manufactured two types of single use point and shoot film cameras, one using ILFORD HP5 PLUS black and white film and another loaded with ILFORD XP2 Super (also a black and white film, but using the C41 processing method).
Apart from being loaded with different films, the three new disposable Lomography point and shoot film cameras appear to have identical specifications. They each come with a built in flash, a 31mm lens with an f/9 aperture, a 1/120s shutter speed, and a focussing distance of 1 metre to infinity. The viewfinder is ‘focus free’ another term for fixed focus.
All three cameras come preloaded with a roll of 35mm film, consisting of 36 frames. The two colour film models also come with three different Colour Gel flash filters, which Lomography claim can be mixed and matched to produce six different hues.
On the subject of film, the preloaded films are one of the following: Lomography Color Negative 400 film, LomoChrome Purple ISO 100-400 – which which Lomography describes as providing ‘purple hues for a psychedelic analogue effect’, and Lomography Lady Grey ISO 400 – a monochrome film.
Lomography states that the cameras are only intended for single use and so are not covered under warranty or guarantee for more than single use.