Lomo style effects based on the camera or the film ? Possible with any 35mm camera ?

Kruger · Jul 4, 2013

Hello everyone,

Some of you might have seen my other post going on about my new and first SLR camera, the Nikon FM-10. I am hugely thrilled with this new purchase and hopefully will shoot a lot of keepers ^^.

Anyway, besides all the great possibilities that I have now compared to my other digital compact camera, I was very curious about those effects and cameras that are called Lomo. I wanted to know, are those effects doable with any 35mm camera, including mine or is it based on the camera, how it is built etc ? Or maybe it is the film ?

Thanks a lot for your insights !

All the best,

Ben

pdeeh · Jul 4, 2013

Take your FM10 and hit it with a hammer, including the front element of whatever lens you like least.
Keep doing this until you reach the point where the camera only just still takes photographs.

Instant Nikon-LOMO ...

AgX · Jul 4, 2013

Degrading an image is more easy than upgrading.

The advantage you got is that you have a SLR and thus can actually see what an optic does.
Well, you might start putting your finger to your nose and then touch the lens once with it. You might try it at different positions. If you got a clear (UV) filter for your camera, do it on that filter; spares your lens when cleaning again.

Next, take off your lens, learn from the manual how to use your camera in so called stepped down mode and get yourself another lens or a single lens element or whatever from ther fleamarket or so and play around with that and your camera. Try not to bring that optic into your camera otherwise you might spoil that mirror. Cover the gap between that lens and your camera with some textile or so. If you found a combination that attracts you, you also might try to fix it with tape and black cardboard.

zsas · Jul 4, 2013

It's always fun to buy real old slide film and process it in color negative chemistry (C-41). Something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fujichrome-Velvia-100F-professional-slide-film-lot-of-2-expired-/281119815272?pt=US_Camera_Film&hash=item41740bf668

pen s · Jul 4, 2013

Would be good to define what effects you desire.
Heavy vignetting?
Reasonable sharpness on center falling off to mush at edge?
Overall hazy dreamy look?

Some effects can be had by smearing vaseline thinly on a 1A or UV filter.

Holga has their 60mm f8 plastic lens mounted for Nikon, I think they are about $25 online but I'm not sure where.

zsas · Jul 4, 2013

There's always a pinhole lenscap type lens for Nikon mount...

Gerald C Koch · Jul 4, 2013

pdeeh said:
Take your FM10 and hit it with a hammer, including the front element of whatever lens you like least.
Keep doing this until you reach the point where the camera only just still takes photographs..

ditto

Lomo managed to profit from selling shoddy cameras and other products and created a dilettanti who confuse this with art.

zsas · Jul 4, 2013

I use a $0.50 plastic P&S that gives stellar images too....food for thought OP...something like a Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim is great too:
Dead Link Removed

redrockcoulee · Jul 4, 2013

IMHO Lomo type photography is more about having fun with the camera and knowing that the images may not always turn out the same or what you expect. The Nikon is about taking good pictures. The holga lens or a pinhole will give you something similar but not exactly like what a Lomo will give you.

I use two Holgas and a Diana and the results are totally different from what the P&S camera you can buy at a dollar store, different tools for different results. There are some on this forum who really sneer at anyone using a Lomo style camera so if Lomo or Holga images interest you ignore those posters. They are over priced but they do produce art is used for that purpose and can be lots of fun. If this is the type of images you want to create the Nikon may not be for you. On the other hand one can use one camera for the lomo look and the fun of using it and have one (or many) "serious" cameras for higher quality. Michael Kenna has stated that he has thrown a Holga into his camera bag for fun and I think he knows what is photographic art.

Which ever way you go have fun and enjoy your images.

redrockcoulee · Jul 4, 2013

I should have added that I generally perfer the images from my LF or Hasselblad but not all scenes or moods are the same

pdeeh · Jul 4, 2013

I'll just add for clarity, I was having a joke not a sneer.

Lomo/Nikon/Deardorff/Olympus/pinhole/whatever ... chacun à son goût

railwayman3 · Jul 4, 2013

Long before Lomography we had a talk at our local photo club on the various effects possible with any SLR using various old lenses, magnifying glasses, etc., with bellows where necessary to focus, and the lecturer had produced some delightful soft focus and other optical effects. I had a go myself afterwards, it's interesting and productive, and it is, of course, possible to get a good idea of the finished results as the shot is set up.
Probably the only extra in Lomography is the use of various outdated and special films, but even these further effects can be added in printing.

eddie · Jul 4, 2013

Ben,
The various "lomo" cameras are a lot of fun. I've been using Dianas/Holgas, off and on, for over 30 years. They have few controls, can be erratic, but give a unique look to images. There are a lot of people who will belittle their use, but they can produce art.
That being said, it seems like you're new to film. I think you'd be better served by getting complete control over your technique with your SLR before venturing into the world of "lomo".
This was done with a Diana, toned in sepia then gold:

removed account4 · Jul 4, 2013

get a lensbaby lens

tokam · Jul 5, 2013

Before you go and muck up a perfectly good filter or lens, try a piece of food wrap, (Glad wrap, Saran wrap or whatever it is called in your locale). You can fix it with a rubber band.
Once in position you can 'modify' your Saran filter in many ways in order to deliberately degrade the image ala Lomo style. Once you have finished you can remove it in a second without any cleanup of your lend or good filter.

mesantacruz · Jul 5, 2013

don't forget to shoot late in the day, facing the sun, for some lens flare!!!

Kruger · Jul 5, 2013

Thanks a lot for your feedback guys as well as the example picture. I know I just got the SLR and just focus on it but it's a bad (or maybe good?) side of my personality that when I get into something new I want to know EVERYTHING. And it sometimes slows me down.

I was also wondering why do they sell those lomo cams for like 300 dollars when you can use that money to get an entry level dSLR or a Nikon F or something like that. Especially since you can find other lomo cameras on eBay for 10 dollars, even though I doubt that they work or something.

Also what is a Pinhole camera ? Is the Vivitar shown above a Pinhole camera ? If I understood correctly there are Pinhole lenses for Nikons like mine ?

Ghostman · Jul 5, 2013

I thoroughly enjoy using my Holga. It's a wonderful piece of crap. It came with a roll of black electric tape to fix the light leaks and the instruction manual even referred to it as a 'piece of crap'. I love it. It sets me free from the anorak, turgid, cerebral and constipated tendencies of 'serious' photography.

railwayman3 · Jul 5, 2013

Ghostman said:
I thoroughly enjoy using my Holga. It's a wonderful piece of crap. It came with a roll of black electric tape to fix the light leaks and the instruction manual even referred to it as a 'piece of crap'. I love it. It sets me free from the anorak, turgid, cerebral and constipated tendencies of 'serious' photography.

A great attitude! It's natural for us to want to do our "serious" photography to the best of our abilities, but we can easily forget that, for most of us, it's a hobby and, as such, should be fun and relaxing. We get enough unavoidable grief and stress from our jobs or businesses!

Truzi · Jul 5, 2013

You mentioned in your other thread that you are a beginner. If this is your first time with film, you may come up with some mild "Lomo" results simply as part of the learning process.

mweintraub · Jul 5, 2013

Kruger said:
I was also wondering why do they sell those lomo cams for like 300 dollars when you can use that money to get an entry level dSLR or a Nikon F or something like that. Especially since you can find other lomo cameras on eBay for 10 dollars, even though I doubt that they work or something.

They sell them because people buy it. They wouldn't ask that much if they didn't sell.

Gerald C Koch · Jul 5, 2013

mweintraub said:
They sell them because people buy it. They wouldn't ask that much if they didn't sell.

As with the old saying, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

eddie · Jul 5, 2013

Gerald- what, exactly, do you have against plastic cameras?

redrockcoulee · Jul 5, 2013

Kruger said:
Thanks a lot for your feedback guys as well as the example picture. I know I just got the SLR and just focus on it but it's a bad (or maybe good?) side of my personality that when I get into something new I want to know EVERYTHING. And it sometimes slows me down.

I was also wondering why do they sell those lomo cams for like 300 dollars when you can use that money to get an entry level dSLR or a Nikon F or something like that. Especially since you can find other lomo cameras on eBay for 10 dollars, even though I doubt that they work or something.

Also what is a Pinhole camera ? Is the Vivitar shown above a Pinhole camera ? If I understood correctly there are Pinhole lenses for Nikons like mine ?

I think that for $300 Lomo sells the Bel Aire which is a medium format folder 6X12 with I think a glass lens. The Holgas and Dianas are 40 to 80 range I beleive. Film photography podcast sells their version for $20 but is only 645.

As far as pinhole lenses for your Nikon the easiest is to get a good solid black body cap and drill a 1/4 or 1/2 inch hole in it. Then get a brass shim or a piece of pop can and punch a needle (do not remember the best size) into the shim. Tape and or glue this onto the inside of the body cap so that the hole you drilled is totally covered by the shim. You now have a body cap. If you use the specified needle rather than one at random it is easy on line to find the f stop for it as the focal length would be around 45 or 46 mm.

Holgas and their ilk do work, they do what they are supposed to. Not much to go wrong with them other than a spring break. I think one can start using a Holga whenever they want and not have to master a slr first, some people get hooked on film through their Holga experience while others are proficient photographers who wish to go lo tech. Neither route is right or wrong as in not wishing to try it at all. Its all about doing what you want to do.

zsas · Jul 5, 2013

I always found it interesting when I took photography we all startd with a K1000 and they focused a few weeks in the photographic triangle (ISO, aperture and f stop), then we got to the darkroom and started making Rayograms (aka photograms). I now wonder why they didn't start the camera part with a plastic P&S so we would load some 100 iso film, shoot it in all light then bring em to the darkroom and realize what the affect of shooting in "good light" vs say an indoor night shot would have on the final product.......then go onto learning the SLR and printing.....

Part of me thinks that learning cameras lo fi (ala plastic camera) forces one to really learn the magic photographic triangle than handing K1000 or base SLR and going for broke....

Why is darkroom taught from the ground up (Rayograms to say 4x5 contact prints) but the camera part is at, what I would consider, looking back, a different manner...

Anyway like Red Rock says above....one can have at it either way, both are correct! Enjoy the ride, analog photography is a great life long pursuit

Lomo style effects based on the camera or the film ? Possible with any 35mm camera ?

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