Forced Counterpoint: Lomography MC-A.

Subtitle: An Attempt To Clear The Lomography MC-A Pixie Dust From My Eyes.

In my three initial posts,…

First Roll: Lomography MC-A – Kodak Ultramax 400.

Second Roll: Lomography MC-A – Kodak Ultramax 400, & Duke Gardens.

Third Roll: Lomography MC-A – Arista EDU 200.

…I made it pretty clear that I am smitten with this camera.

Why?

I am glad I imagined that you asked.

They did the thing.

All things being equal in a perfect world/alternate universe, my ideal film camera would be a brand new, still in production Contax T2…

This Old Camera: The mighty little Contax T2 (Update)

…with a warranty.

And, minus auto wind and rewind (Arguably preferable. Less electronics to break.), that is what Lomography has accomplished. To back this up, I created a chart in an earlier post.

	Contax T2	Lomography MC-A
Focal length	38mm	32mm
Max Aperture	f/2.8	f/2.8
Built in flash	Yes	Yes.
Focus	AF	AF
Top shutter speed	1/500s	1/500s
Auto Exposure	Yes	Yes
Exposure Compensation	Yes	Yes

While perhaps not as gorgeous as the T2,…

…it has a pleasing form follows function aesthetic that I like. Especially in Darth Vader, your camera is ready, all black.

The only issue I had with the design was the script at the top.

A bit much for me. But this was easily dealt with using a bit of gaffer tape.

And there is a perk to the nondescript nature of its design. So far, no one pays any mind to it. Even people who knew little about cameras took notice of the T2. Have had this happen with other known quantity cameras. Not ideal when you are attempting to be somewhat stealthy. No one took notice of this little brick.

And it adds a few new tricks.

Double exposure.

Split images…

…courtesy of the included Splitzer dealie.

And then there is this.

Three rolls in, I have not experienced a single “gotcha”. Even when human error is involved, the MC-A is quite forgiving.

For example, it says in the manual that you must wait for the camera to finish what it is doing before manually winding on. The price if you do not heed this warning. The winder can get stuck. After doing just this a coyple of times the camera goes about its was. The camera does not suffer for it. The roll of film does not sugger for it. You may just wind up with a janky frame or two.

Nice.

So there must be something “wrong”, right? There have been compromises that I overlooked with the two most prominent new cameras to market recently. Nothing that causes any regrets. It just is what it is.

Pentax 17

This New Film Camera: Pentax 17 First Roll. First Thoughts.

Light and plasticky build.
Switchgear does not feel premium.
At this price point, AF would have been nice.

Rollei 35AF

Rollei 35AF Review: My “Shut Up & Take My Money!” Camera.

Film rewind is so tight that you fear breaking the camera.
Loading and unloading the film takes a bit of effort and practice.
If you do not fully wind the film on in one stroke you are suddenly done with that roll of film.

In both cases, I gladly overlooked these items. Most are feel related and do not impact the main thing.

Taking solid photos.

And some issues worked themselves out. The Rollei 35AF was as tight as a drum when purchased, but after many rolls of film, it has loosened up nicely, and loading and rewinding the film feels much better, for example.

So far, I have no look/feel/operation issues with the Lomography MC-A.

Looks the business.
- A neat trick. Feeling quality without being flashy.
Feels the business.
- Has such heft that it feels like it could be used to bust up less brick-like cameras without leaving a mark. Not that someone would do that. Just making a point.
Switchgear feel matches or exceeds all other film cameras I have tried, new or old.
- Everything slides and clicks into positive feeling detents with enough pressure required to prevent accidental engagement.
Film loading and rewinding are a breeze.

In fact, I have to look to others for potential dings. They number exactly two.

Lens vignetting.

Had a person at my local camera store mention their concern that the lens this camera was built around…