I was able to identify early on that my favourite photographs were the ones that had a vignette effect (ie. a darkened perimeter). These photographs stood out to me because they had a different feel/mood than the photos I had been shooting with my Instax Mini 9.
For example, take a look at these photos:
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| Left = photo by @photokathy_lomo ||| Right = photo by @weekenderer |
After asking around, it turned out that the vignette effect could be achieved with one of the instant cameras from the online retailer, Lomography. Lomography has a wide range of instant cameras in a variety of formats (mini, square, wide) and all of them are compatible with Instax film cartridges.
The mini format has always been the most appealing to me (although this sentiment may change as I get older and my eyes start to age with me), so I had two choices - the Lomo'Instant or the Lomo'Instant Automat.
Other than the overall design, the biggest difference between the two cameras is that the Lomo'Instant has more manual controls - specifically when it comes to aperture. In the Lomo'Instant, the exposure compensation dial ranges between -2 to +2 (aperture range of f/8 - 32), while the Automat has an exposure dial of -1 to +1 (aperture range of f/8 - 22). In other words, you can darken/lighten your photos a bit more with the Lomo'Instant.
Some other things to consider as well:
- the Lomo'Instant takes 4 x AAA batteries while the Automat needs 2 x CR2 batteries
- the Automat has a remote control lens cap (ie. it's a remote control for the shutter release!)
Ultimately, it came down to price for me. The Lomo'Instant cameras fall in the range of $100-$169 while the Automat is typically $195 and above. Both cameras come in a variety of styles. The one that caught my eye was Song's Palette, a limited edition Lomo'Instant designed by painter Park Song Lee.
When I bought this camera back in February, Lomography had a promotion where you could get a free lens set with the purchase of an instant camera.
The lens set included: a portrait, close-up, and fisheye lens. The additional lenses are nice to have, but the only one that I really use is the close-up lens. I don't take any portraits and for selfies the built-in 0.4m-0.9m setting on the camera works perfectly. The fisheye lens creates a cool effect, but I feel like the photo details become too small on an Instax mini.
- Lomo'Instant lens cap
- Instruction booklet for both the camera and the lenses
- 4 coloured gel filters (these get placed in a slot on top of the flash)
- A pack of shooting technique cards
A few answers to questions I had before getting the Lomo'Instant:
What is the "default" position of the Lomo'Instant?
For the longest time I thought that the "default" position (if there's even such a thing) of the Lomo'Instant was horizontal like in the photo above. It's not. You would normally shoot this camera by holding it vertically and only change the orientation when you want to shoot photos in landscape.
Do you still have to shift the view "off-centre" when taking a photo?
Although the viewfinder is positioned away from the camera lens, the Lomo'Instant has a built-in wide-angle lens that captures what you see in the viewfinder pretty accurately.
There is definitely a learning curve to using the Lomo'Instant - it is not a simple point and shoot camera.
Although there is an automatic mode (with flash and default aperture of f/16), there are also two manual modes with additional N & B options for daytime & night-time. While this may seem kind of intimidating, fear not - there is a guide on the bottom of each Lomo'Instant that simplifies the modes and settings:
I have definitely wasted a lot of film while trying to figure out the manual controls. At the same time, I've also gotten some really interesting and wacky photos:
Ultimately, I feel like the Lomo'Instant has challenged me creatively and allowed me to experiment with photography. I have been able to create photographs that I would've never been able to create with simple point and shoot instant cameras.
Considering that I was using only an Instax Mini 9 and a Wide 300 before it, the Lomo'Instant is truly a game-changing camera for me.
Here is what I love about the Lomo'Instant:
1. You Can Get Really Close to Your Subject/Object:
On its own, the Lomo'Instant can start shooting sharp photos from a distance of 40 cm. With the close-up lens, you can shoot objects from as close as 10 cm! One helpful tip I've received is to measure the distance from the back of the camera.
Just for comparison - even with the close-up lens on, you can get a sharp image with the Instax Mini 9 starting only at 35 cm.
2. The Vignette Effect
This isn't for everyone, but I love the vignette effect because it gives photographs character. It's also refreshing and unique after years of seeing only brightly lit Instax photos.
3. Multiple Exposures
Before getting the Lomo'Instant, the only option I had if I wanted to make double exposure photos was to do them manually. 🙈
Now imagine having an option built-in to your camera that allows you to layer infinite photos on top of one another!
4. L0-o-ong Exposures
The Lomo'Instant allows you to keep the shutter open for as long as you want to! Long exposures are great for light-painting (which I have yet to get the hang of) and for any scene where you want to catch some sort of moving/changing element. I strongly recommend using a tripod for this kind of photography (the Lomo'Instant has a built-in tripod mount).
To compare - it seems like you can keep the shutter open on the Automat only for up to 30 seconds.
5. You Can Turn the Flash Off
This was another huge game-changer for me because turning the flash off was not an option in my previous two cameras. I now shoot photos on the Lomo'Instant almost exclusively with no flash.
Unfortunately, I did have a few issues with my Lomo'Instant but I suspect that they were isolated to only my camera. These were the major issues:
- All of my photos were coming out of the camera with roller scratches. I tried cleaning the rollers gently with a cotton swab, but no luck.
- Many of my photos came out with white lines along the borders. These lines would eventually turn pink.
- Sometimes the shutter release button didn't work. The camera would be turned on, the batteries were good, and the light at the back of the camera was green but no photo would come out.
I recently wrote to Lomography about these issues and not only did they get back to me really quickly, but they also offered to replace my Lomo'Instant! The replacement camera will have the same design and hopefully no more issues. As soon as the camera comes in and I get a chance to test it out, I'll add an update to this post.
This refreshing philosophy keeps me motivated and inspired! 💗
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Have you ever tried any instant cameras from Lomography?
Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for reading! 💜
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