It's not the camera, it's YOU

soon-to-be owner of lomo is a cheapskate

2010-01-11T00:45:00.002+08:00

I was reading my previous post about me being a cheapskate and I realized something horribly wrong. haha. It's so obvious that I've been blinded by my greediness of owning the GH. Hello. If I am a true cheapskate, why not just get the Holga or the Smena instead??

God, I can't believe I'm so picky. Well heck, I can afford to be as choosy as I want, right? it's my $$$ and I'm currently low on cash btw. Plus, a LOT of things to save up for. Far more important things like Oreo supplies and a new bedsheet. So this toy will be (hopefully) the last thing that I'm going to invest on. I'm talking about long-term benefits. And amazing results yay! Wish me luck on this one. hehe.

For now let's take a look at the Holga and the Smena.

Holga 135 (RM 175)

Lomo Smena 8M (RM 140)

I don't know if it's just me, but it seems that the Holga 135 has a certain bias towards the sky, or should I say, the Holga users, no? Most of the pictures are blue-ish. And not just that, the Smena 8M too, but this time it focuses on the green side of things. Haha.

Why can't I just make up my mind already?? Arrrrrrrghhh!! It's quiet hard choosing the right one with no vintage camera shops around the corner for me to hang out at and try out every single one of them. Wait. I can't do that. Not with a toy camera. I keep on forgetting that lomos aren't digital. lol. How am I supposed to take a look at the results of the shot I took then? Obviously, this ain't making my job any easier. This requires patience. This requires washing the film. And to complete the roll of film, you gotta wait. And the last thing to do is hope that it comes out good, or better than we expected it to be.

Golden Half

2010-01-09T19:08:00.003+08:00

I am stoked to use one and start shooting! They look irresistable! And did I mention SUPER yummy??!! It's like they're looking at me straight in the eyes and say: Hey you! Yes you. Pick me up NOW!! I know I'm going gaga over the toy camera, but I just couldn't take my eyes and mind off them! Golden Half aka Magic-Camera-That-Has-Got-Me-Crazy-Over-You, I'm yours. Go ahead, call me crazy.

No, not you, Diana or your twin Sister Diana F+.

This is the one I wanted to get, but unfortunately this Golden Half Chelsea Maika special edition is not available yet. OR since I last checked. Have to ask TCS if they've got one in store. Fingers crossed. XD Check out the cute box that comes together with the camera!

Baby please be mine already. You are too HAWT to resist. Nyam nyam.

Look at the size comparison between the GH and the Holgas. The Holga 135 costs RM 175. Plus, the Holga only comes in one colour and looks too bulky for me. So, I opt for the wacky Golden Half instead. From what I've heard in reviews, the verdict remains the same. Some said that the Diana is a junk if you compare it with the LOMO LC-A and Golden Half. It does sound kinda harsh because personally, I think, the Diana has its own strength and originality. The reason why I chose to get the GH eventhough it's slightly more costly than the others (except the LOMO LC-A as that costs a whopping RM 580!!!) is due to the fact that:

I get to shoot 72 photos on a roll of 36!
It takes half-frame pictures!
I can make my very own personal story board!
They come in COOL designs!
The hotshoe at the side fits all standard flash units!
Is great for travelling (from what I've read)
It's one of the world's most popular toy camera!

and this being the BEST excuse of all time;

Great for a cheapskate like moi!! Hehehe..

Some Lomo cams to watch out for

2010-01-09T01:43:00.001+08:00

I was going to embed a video from Youtube about the Golden Rules of Lomography but couldn't figure out how to do that properly. Lol. Anyhow, I am just dying to get my hands on those Lomo cameras. Okay okay. For now, one is enough. Can't decide which to get tho. There's a few models that really caught my eye.

First up, we have the Ultra Wide and Slim.

Remember the army troops I talked about? Lol. They looked like these smiling toys. :) Cute.

Price: RM 110

Sample Pictures:

Next, is the special edition Ultra Wide and Slim Harikin and Kumagin.

The golden seal is Harikin and the silver bear is Kumagin. Aren't they adorable?

There are only 2000 units of these precious dazzling babies worldwide! Take that! I'm sure it's gonna be tough getting this one. :(

Price: RM 120

Third is the Golden Half.

OMG I'm in love with the red trees! I want that one!

Price: RM 190

Sample Pictures:

What's interesting about this model is that you can double the shots as it is Half Frame. To make this simple, 1 frame can take 2 pictures! And with 36 exposures, you get 36X2=72 shots!!! This is definitely the #1 on my wishlist for 2010.

Before getting all excited, I shall weigh down the pros and cons of each models and do a little bit more research. Oh yeah, there's some saving up to do too.

Lomo what?

2010-01-08T18:49:00.013+08:00

Hola.

This is my first entry for my new blog. Funny story actually. The first time I heard about the Lomo was a few months ago, in a magazine article in Junk or Klue. Can't remember which. All that I could remember was that I didn't take a second look at Lomo after reading the article. Sure, it caught my attention, with all those cute colourful cameras standing in line next to each other, like army troops ready to get into war, but that was that. Truthfully, I don't know why I started thinking about it. Next thing I know, I was doing some research on the internet, saving the snapshots from thousands of Lomo users around the world. I think all this time I've been living under a rock cuz I haven't the slighest clue what a 'lomo' or 'lomography' means! This goes to all of you out there too! At first I thought it was just one of those terms used to describe a photography technique or some sort. Which is kinda true! Hey, not bad for a wild guess. :)

I guess the reason I decided to make this page was because I was mesmerized by the awesome, interesting, somewhat-bad-but-in-a-forgivable-way shots the Lomo captures. You'll see what I mean.

So what's the big deal with Lomo? What on earth is it?

Basically, the word Lomography derives from the word Lomo. Lomo is short for Leningrad Optical-Mechanical Almalgamation. Phew! Lots of syllable in that one! Yes, it does look really simple and dull, but it works like wonders.

The first Lomo camera ever invented was the 35mm LOMO LC-A. The small hand-sized cute glossy black camera was introduced to the world in 1988. It looks like this.

Sadly, the company no longer produce anymore LC-A. :(

These rules serves as a guideline for using the camera.

The 10 Golden Rules for Lomography:

1. Take your camera everywhere you go.
2. Use it any time - day and night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.
4. Try the shot from the hip.
5. Approach the objects of your lomographic desire as close as possible.
6. Don't think. Just snap. (I added the last part to make it sound catchy).
7. Be fast.
8. You don't have to know beforehand what you captured on film.
9. Afterwards either.
10. Don't worry about any rules.

Lomo is all about having fun with your camera! :)

Here are some of the characteristics:

Over-saturated pictures
Extreme optical distortions
Rainbow-coloured subjects
Off-kilter exposure
Blurring and alternative film processing

Also, check out these uber cool pictures I found!

Wow these shots looked like as if it was taken by a professional photographer with his professional camera. Good news is; you can still get this kind of masterpiece by simply using a Lomo camera. Or a compact camera (if you know the tricks) :P

Besides, you don't need Photography 101 or lessons on how to achieve that perfect potrait or picture anymore. It's minus the headache (especially for those like me who doesn't respond well to verbal instructions) and you get to have more fun being free and careless! Just snap snap snap! Like a pro! Well atleast you can pretend to be like one. But hey, the pictures won't lie and it'll turn out beautifully! Just make sure you know WHAT you wanna capture and what goes in and what goes out.

Gosh, I sound like someone who has already owned a Lomo. :(
I'm gonna get one soon enough I hope, when the cash starts rolling in. :)
Now this is a promise that I'm not gonna break! The excitement is TOO much to ignore! Hehe.

Thank God for Lomo cameras, which is actually quiet affordable, I don't need to get a DSLR to work on those shots. They can be very costly for a rookie like me. Besides, I'm just trying my hands at photography, so I quess it's better to start from the bottom. Hehe. Cheapskate! Lol! :D
I want to explore more on what these powerful toy cameras has to offer and go 'back' in time like it's the 80s! woohoo!!