Lomography Lomo'Instant Square Glass explained

Maker:Lomography
Type:Instant camera
Lens:95 mm (45 mm equivalent)
F-Numbers:
Filmformat:Instax Square; Instax Mini
Filmsize:62 mm × 62 mm (Instax Square); 46 mm × 62 mm (Instax Mini)
Recording Medium:Film
Focus Type:Manual, zone focusing: 0.8 m / 1–2.5 m / infinity
Exbkt:+1/-1
Flash:Built-in; guide number: 9 (m)
Shutterrange:8 s – 1/250 s
Battery:2 x CR2 batteries (6 V)
References:[1]

The Lomography Lomo'Instant Square Glass is an Instax analog camera made by Lomography.[2] [3] It uses Instax Square and Mini instant film.[4] When introduced in January 2018, it was "the first analog camera to shoot square Instax film."[5]

Details

The Lomography Lomo'Instant Square Glass has an automatic shutter speed / aperture mode, and a bulb mode. Automatic mode adjusts shutter speed, aperture and flash output to suit its surroundings. Automatic mode will use an aperture range of to ; and a shutter speed ranging from as fast as 1/250 s to as slow as 8 s. Bulb mode allows the shutter to be manually held open for up to 30 s.[1]

Focusing is manual, with three zone focus ranges able to be selected: 0.8 m, 1–2.5 m, and infinity.[5] [6] The switch is reset to the 1–2.5 m range each time the camera is opened.[5] [6]

The camera has a built-in 95 mm (45 mm equivalent) prime lens, with a closest focusing distance of 0.8 m. "The lens is glass, a step up from the plastic lenses you get with all Fujifilm and some Lomography instant cameras."[7] The following lens attachments can be screwed onto the front of the camera:

It has a flash which is on by default, but can be switched off. The flash has a guide number of 9 (metres).[9]

The viewfinder is offset from the picture taking lens, thus parallax must be taken into account.[5] [7] The viewfinder has a semi-opaque mask covering a portion of it,[7] intended to help framing when the subject is at the camera's closest focus range.[10]

Reception

Reviewers have criticised the camera's viewfinder. Jack Rear, reviewing the camera in The Daily Telegraph, wrote "I found close-ups hard to get right, because the viewfinder isn’t good enough to make a good distinction between where something is and where it looks like it is."[11] Dan Bracaglia, reviewing the camera for Digital Photography Review, wrote that "the viewfinder is small, imprecise and confusingly masked, making accurate compositions a lottery in the 0.8 - 2 m (2 - 6.6 ft) focus range."[6] A review in Wired commented that "the Lomo'Instant Square has an off-center viewfinder that's far, far away from the long lens. It's tricky to frame shots up just right, and you'll need to mentally compensate for parallax to make sure your subject is where you want it."[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020-07-08. Features. Lomography.
  2. Web site: 2020-07-08. Lomography Lomo'Instant Square: Digital Photography Review. Digital Photography Review.
  3. Web site: Sam. Byford. 2020-07-08. Lomography is making an instant camera that uses square Instax film. 29 August 2017. The Verge.
  4. Web site: 2020-07-08. Lomo'Instant Square now works with Fujifilm Instax Mini Film. 21 September 2017. Amateur Photographer.
  5. Web site: 2020-07-08. If You Love Square Instant Photos, This Camera Delivers ’Em. Wired.
  6. Web site: 2020-07-08. Best instant cameras in 2020. Digital Photography Review.
  7. Web site: 2020-07-08. Lomography Lomo'Instant Square. 21 February 2018. PC Magazine.
  8. Web site: 2020-07-08. Lomo’Instant Square Wide-Angle Glass Lens Attachment. Lomography.
  9. Web site: 2020-07-19. Lomo'Instant Square: The First Analog Instant Cam for Instax Square Film. petapixel.com.
  10. Web site: 2020-07-19. Review: Lomo'Instant Square Glass. YouTube. Photography Concentrate.
  11. News: Jack. Rear. 2020-07-08. The best instant cameras for quickly printing pictures. The Daily Telegraph. 23 October 2018. 0307-1235.