Lomography Lomo'Instant White - Instant Film Camera

Product Information

Lomo has carved out a good niche within the photographic community, providing fun and quirky cameras which are charming if not particularly precise or accurate. Fans of Fujifilm’s Instax instant film format should pay attention to Lomography. The company has a growing library of cameras that use Instax, all of which offer more creative control than you get with models from Fujifilm. In a sense, lomography has always been around. There have always been photographers exploring odd equipment and pushing artistic bounds.

A narrow aperture lens is pretty standard for an instant camera, as almost all models feature fixed or zone focus. The Lomo'Instant Automat Glass is an exception; it uses the smaller Instax Mini format, and because its lens captures an ultra-wide 21mm field of view, an f/4.5 design is possible as focus isn't as critical with such a wide angle. In-camera filters (monochrome, vintage, aqua), an option for prints to be framed, photobooth option which prints 2 photos on the same sheet It includes a snap-on close-up lens which is easy to lose. The camera's auto flash optimizes the lighting according to distance, and you can choose the fill-in flash with a flash-on LCD button.is the smallest commercially available film format. Each frame is about the size of the nail on your index finger. We took hundreds of photos with the 13 most promising instant cameras on the market in a quest to find the best methods for documenting your next adventure. We brought our cameras to dimly lit parties, bright and sunny beach days, and everything in between, all to assess how each performs in a wide range of conditions. We also dove into every advanced setting and creative mode each model offers. Our results cover everyone, from bargain hunters to those seeking the best picture quality to creatives who want as many artistic options as possible. But if you want to avoid digital capture and go pure analog, the Lomography Lomo'Instant Square has a ton of appeal. There's a learning curve, but once you get past it you'll enjoy images with a lot of pop and the classic square look. It's not the only instant square camera out there—you can still buy the Impossible I-1, which underwhelmed us when we reviewed it, or the newer Polaroid OneStep 2, which we've not yet had a chance to evaluate. Both use Polaroid Originals I-type film, which is slightly larger in surface area and significantly more expensive to shoot than Instax Square. As with pretty much any instant camera of this kind, the results can be a little unpredictable - which some people will argue is the charm of the camera.

Lomo cameras are fun to experiment with, and tend to draw some admiring, or at least curious glances. During my time with the Instant Square I was asked about it while out and about - it’s certainly a bit more interesting than taking photos with your phone.The Instax wide format prints the Wide spits out can deliver an impressive amount of detail, with a distinctive colour palette. Blues and green hues have plenty of pop, while other shades deliver a pastel-like, washed out vibe. It’s how instant format prints have looked for years, and Lomography keeps the same look here. In multiple exposure mode, the Lomo'Instant Automat Glass will continue to take shots until you press the MX button again - at which point the film will be released which shows the different exposures made on one frame. Of course there’s no screen included to show you any changes which have been made, instead you have to rely on LED lights which will activate to show you what has been selected. As an example, if you have multiple exposure mode activated, an orange light will be displayed. This camera is pitched as an “advanced” instant camera, which means that it has quite a few different controls. You can buy the Lomo Instant on its own, or in a kit which comes with lens attachments to expand its potential to create wide-angle, portrait and close-up shots. But what if you've got an honest-to-goodness Polaroid camera? The company has been reborn in the 21st century—it's gone through some name changes over the years, from the Impossible Project to Polaroid Originals, but today it's just called Polaroid. The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s also true that the small size of the Instax films makes this more of a novelty camera than anything else - how much money (and time) you want to expend on a novelty is likely to be up to you. Sample Images

As is very often the case with Lomo products, the best way to describe the results from the Lomo'Instant Square is “mixed”. In other words, with a camera like this, you can’t, and shouldn’t, expect to get perfect results with every shot - which some people will argue is all part of the Lomo charm. I’ve got a section on the best lomography cameras later in this article, but for now, here are a few brands and cameras you can keep an eye out for: Using the Square effectively requires a bit more discipline than with typical instant cameras. But then you see the results that the glass lens delivers: It's really, really sharp. You don't get the softer look that you get from plastic lenses like the ones used by Fujifilm in many of its Instax cameras, or even our favorite high-end instant model, the Instax Wide format Lomo'Instant Wide. Sharp and Square A variety of manual controls include the ability to take multiple exposures and a long exposure mode that keeps the shutter open for up to 30 seconds. The camera has a self-timer, as well as a remote control that detaches from the camera (and requires its own battery).The Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 is a bulky beast. It has a 114-mm, f/14 lens and uses only Instax Wide film for a picture that's ideal for capturing landscapes or groups of people. While the camera has a digital readout, it has fewer controls than the Mini 90. There’s something delightfully charming about the Wide’s oversized prints: significantly larger than the Instax Mini format found in cheaper instant cameras, yet more of a novelty than the typical square Polaroid prints. Instant film was already niche, and this is another step beyond. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re an instant addict, it’s a good addition to any collection.

Generally speaking, exposure is well balanced - but there are times when it’s off, and adding exposure compensation would have helped - of course by the time you realise that after the print has come out, it’s too late. There’s no screen to indicate which settings you have chosen, instead small green lights will activate to show that you have that setting working. For example, if there’s a green light next to the flash icon, that means it’s on - if there’s no light, it’s not. Where there are two options per button (for example, positive exposure compensation and negative exposure compensation), the light will appear next to the corresponding setting - for example the + sign, or the - sign. The exception to this is the MX setting, which has an orange light instead of a great light.If you're looking for an instant camera that takes great photos without needing to mess with settings beforehand, the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ1 is a nice, easy-to-use option. Along with being straightforward to operate, this camera produces square mid-sized photos, which were among the most accurate with their range of colors in various lighting conditions. The stunning images displayed vivid blues, rich reds, vibrant yellows, and lush greens, with realistic highlights and contrast. The design of the SQ1 is modern and stylish, and its performance was consistent and reliable throughout our testing. We happily kept reaching for this camera, as it excels at capturing fun and cherished moments by simply pointing and shooting.