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110 film is an incredibly niche format that is kept alive by one company: Lomography. It has leveraged that by releasing the $160 Lomomatic 110, a cool piece of kit that harks back to the 1970s and produces lo-fi, imperfect images. The camera latches on to the growing backlash against flawless, high-resolution photos; a trend that is largely driven by Generation Z. However, even getting half a roll’s worth of decent photos proved challenging, to me, at least. Getting my framing wrong on the Lomomatic 110. First Impressions The first time I got the Lomography Lomomatic 110 out of the box, I was super-excited: it is such a cool-looking camera. The shape and design gave me old video game console vibes. My photographer friend commented that it “feels very Soviet.” One of the nicest things about it is how small it is, easily slipping inside any pocket and adding to the clandestine feel of the camera. Cool gadget.
To load the film, the camera extends to reveal the film compartment and that extension mechanism also acts as the film winder. A truly novel method of camera operation, to me anyway, and one that felt joyous. The cartridges are tiny and share that video game vibe. The flash can be detached but it’s probably best to keep it on as you will need it if you’re not shooting at midday. Operation When you first get the camera out of the box, there are no buttons. It’s only when the camera is extended are the shutter and other controls revealed. You can set the ISO (100, 200, or 400), set whether it’s day or night, and also control the focusing via four focal length options. The shutter is not great. I wasn’t completely confident I had actually taken a photo unless I had the flash attached and it fired. It definitely worked better when I kept the same film in as problems with the shutter seemed to arise just after I had swapped cartridges, which is a shame because the ability to change between color and black and white film is one of the best features of 110. After a few mishaps, this situation put me off swapping. Not knowing the shutter speed is difficult and led to more than a few blurry images.
The Lomomatic 110 does not show you your shutter speed, which is tough. To get a correct exposure, film ISO is your best guide and if you’re shooting 100 or 200, then there’s really no point in taking a shot unless it’s an extremely bright, sunny day or if you’re using the flash. And there’s the fact the viewfinder looks out onto a scene that is not exactly the same as what the lens is looking at — like a rangefinder camera, it’s offset. This means you have to compensate mentally when framing your shot, which is similar to the situation Chris Niccolls recently mentioned in his review of the Instax Mini 99. I got the framing wrong for this portrait because of the viewfinder’s position about an inch away from the lens. The Photos Part of the magic of film is taking a photo and then not being able to see it for a few weeks. Hence, I was very excited to get my scans back from the photo lab but I may not have been prepared for just how lo-fi the images were. Super sharp it is not. Out of focus and questionable lighting. But is the haphazard nature all part of the fun and style? This was my first time ever shooting 110 and I’m no film aficionado anyway. It didn’t help that these photos were taken during a particularly dull, grey spell amid England’s cold winter. Some of the shots that I was excited to see came out black or completely washed out. I think I’d do a better job second time around but there’s little doubt that it’s a difficult camera to master.
Ultimately, you don’t really know what the photo will look like until it’s been developed and given the camera’s “cheapness,” it creates an interesting, imperfect aesthetic that is totally in right now in 2024. After years of increasingly higher-definition imagery, the resurgence of film shows a growing trend for flawed photography and this camera is perfect for that movement. I think this camera best suits taking photos of people. It makes for unusual portraits that stand out from the monolith of clean digital portraits that are everywhere. Who Is This Camera For? This camera is for someone looking to fill their social media feeds with imagery that is out of the norm. A person looking for that imperfect aesthetic and has the patience to work with film. You’re not going to get pin-sharp photos out of it but you will capture a particular vibe and look extremely cool while you’re doing it. And then there’s the attractive price. Starting at just $119, this could be an impulsive purchase for someone. But, getting two rolls of film processed and scanned cost me over half of the actual price of the unit. So there’s that to consider.
Can’t take a dog photo like this on an iPhone. Perfectly Imperfect I love this camera. It’s one of the coolest-looking gadgets I’ve ever seen. The quirky 110 film format is great fun. The flipside is, the images are extemely lo-fi and a beginner is not going to nail every shot. If you’re going to use this camera on a regular basis then you will have to learn to embrace the chaos and unpredictability that comes with it. It’s all about fun. Are There Alternatives? Kodak introduced the 110 film, which is roughly half the size of 35mm, in the early 1970s but both Kodak and Fujifilm have stopped making 110. This means Lomography is the only company in the world making new 110 film. So in that sense, there is no true alternative. A disposable camera or an Instant camera would be most similar but the Lomomatic 110 really is unique. Should You Buy It? Yes, absolutely. The fact you can pick one up for around $130 means it won’t break the bank while giving you an alternative way of capturing images on a camera that is a party piece.
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