The resurgence of analog photography has brought a handful of new film cameras for the modern era – but many of them focus on beginner-friendly tools or affordable prices with plasticky designs. Lomography’s newest film camera, however, is a compact with an all-metal body, a glass f/2.8 lens, and both auto and full manual shooting.
The Lomography Lomo MC-A is a compact camera with a built-in 32mm f/2.8 lens. The camera uses the full frame of 35mm film, but the MC-A isn’t all retro – the battery is rechargeable via USB-C and there’s a small LCD screen to display the current settings. It is a very different beast from its ancestor, the Russian Lomo LC-A, which was such a sales success back in the 1980s.
Lomography says the MC-A is a film camera for all skill levels because the camera includes both auto and manual shooting options. The compact camera has both automatic exposure and auto focus options, but there’s also an aperture priority mode for intermediate users and full manual exposure for advanced photographers.
Photographers can also choose to ditch the autofocus and use manual zone focusing. The camera also supports multiple exposures, with no limit to the number of exposures per frame. The built-in flash has both an auto mode and a first-curtain mode for long exposures.
Lomography is largely known for its colorful films and affordable film cameras, many of which are built with plastic. But the MC-A strays here too, offering an all-metal body. The 32mm f/2.8 lens is also made with glass, not plastic.
The top of the camera houses a dial for shutter speed and another for exposure compensation. A toggle at the top switches from manual to autofocus. On the top left, there’s a small LCD screen that displays settings and battery life, with buttons for options such as flash, self timer, and ISO.
The camera’s aperture is controlled with a dial around the lens. A switch near the lens adjusts the zone for manual zone focusing. The back of the camera houses the film door, viewfinder, and film advance lever. The camera also has a PC sync port and a tripod mount.
Weighing 332g / 11.7 ounces, the MC-A remains fairly small and lightweight, despite its metal build and glass lens. The compact camera measures 125.8mm / 4.9 inches wide by 69.5mm / 2.7 inches high by 42mm /1.65 inches deep.
The camera ships with what Lomography calls its “signature tools,” including a protective filter, a Splitzer, protective camera wrap, colored flash gels, a leather hand strap, and the rechargeable CR2 battery.
While there are a number of secondhand film cameras available, film cameras that are new in-the-box are harder to come by. The Rollei 35AF is a compact film camera with manual exposure that retails for $799 / £695 / CA$1,334 / AU$1,464. The Pentax 17 is a compact half-frame film camera, but it doesn’t have full manual exposure modes. It retails for about $500 / £500 / CA$599 / AU$749.
Lomography arguably has the largest selection of new film cameras, from build-your-own to 110 format to even medium format. The Lomo MC-A brings a bright lens, metal design, and a mix of auto and manual exposure tools to the lineup.
Pre-orders opened for the Lomo MC-A on October 22 in black or silver color variants. The camera lists for US$549 / £449 / AU$799 / CA$699.
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