35mm-Compact-Camera Reviews

I agree entirely with the reviewer from Germany - and actually had the EXACT same trouble with my camera, at nearly the EXACT same time! At just about a year, the camera became completely unreliable in its rewinding ability - rewinding on its own in the middle of a roll, or even worse,incompletely rewinding at the end of a roll, but indicating that it was completely rewound (and then THAT roll of film is toast!)

Yes, it's sexy. And it attracts alot of attention. But just like all eye candy - it's great for a one-night stand, but not anything you'd want to be married to . . .

I've been using this little camera now for about four years. Pictures always came out great. Only problem that I've had --and I've had two of these-- is the problem of the early rewind --but only with professional Kodak slide film E100's. The film just seems to be tighter wound. Never had a problem with Fuji Velvia or Provias. Another problem with all slide film has been scratches running the length wise down the negatives. I'm guessing the emulsion must be thicker on slide film or something leaving absolutely zero tolerance for even the slightest bit of dust. Even with that in mind and being really careful about dust, I still get those scratches on occasion. I take this hiking with me and I've dropped it from 20 feet on to rock and this camera hasn't missed a beat. I just wish they were still in production. I hate those occassional scratches but you can't beat the shots that you get. I'm just taking even more precautions now when loading film in the field. I've tried the later Stylus Zooms (80 and 140) and they don't compare. I'm guessing the light meter and lens is superior in the LT.

I bought this camera for times when I get tired of lugging the big SLRs around.
The Olympus LT Zoom 105 has never failed. The Panorama setting is amazing. I have a wonderful set of photos of lost cemetaries in North Dakota against the vista and sky that includes the whole settings and scenes... This camera makes friends like a cute dog with a red handkerchief around its neck draws babes. I was the only person not chided and kicked out of a photo session at the spectacular wedding of my step son by the professional photographer. He looked at my LT Zoom and said...."go ahead ... I love that camera. I have been trying to buy one." Regarding the complaints above: Before blaming the camera, read the manual !!! The flashing "E" means that YOU, yes YOU did not properly load the film. The usual reason is that you did not feed enough of the end of the film to the device that grabs it and sets up the first shot. Reopen the camera and feed it a little more film. (I can't believe that complaint came from the Land of the Leica.) Also, I have never had an 'early' rewind. I am guessing that is the fault of the camera operator as well. If you accidently screw with the "mid roll rewind button" on the bottom of the camera IT WILL REWIND as it is designed to. Yes, I to did it by accident. There is nothing wrong with this camera. It is a great camera. I use Minolta and Nikon SLRs and a Nikon 4300 for digital pictures but the sentimental and reliable backup lying on the front seat of my car is the Olympus LT Zoom. Sorry, the critics are wrong.

I don't care about whether pix taken with this camera are good or asthetically pleasing, if you like blur or vignetting or whatever, well great you can take pix like that with this camera or any other camera. and you can take sharp pix too. LS (lomographic society) makes several inaccurate claims about this camera.

1 they say it is sturdy, and robust: It's not. mine broke from a drop that wouldn't break an egg. (i'm not exaggerating). Ive heard of many other people having similar experiences, There are even glowing reviews and testimonies of the lomo that mention getting second and thirds because the first and second broke.

2 They say it is unique. Rollei 35 (series). Minox 35 (series). Olympus XA (series). Chinon Bellami. Cosina CX (series). The lomo is a copy, a poor copy, of Cosina's CX1. need i say more.

3 Dazzling supersaturated colors. If you put Portra VC through it you will get that. If you put Portra NC through it you get normal colors. If you put HP5 through it you won't get any colors. Generally lower speed film has greater color saturation and since it is only 400 fast (i think 800 is the begining of fast) results are generally saturated. it has nothing to do with the lens. I've seen the comparisons.

4. it's hip. Maybe four years ago it was.

5. It's a russian spy camera. Never was. it was a camera for the glorious prolatariat. Can you find mention of it in any KGB history/trivia/fan sites?

investigate your options before you buy if you are willing to pay big monies get a minox 35ml if you want it on the cheap get a olympus XA.

I've had this adorable camera for a year, and take it with me wherever I go. While other reviews recommend this for experienced photographers, I'm not convinced that would make much of a difference.
No, it is not a point-and-shoot in the traditional respects, but it is vastly simple. I've gotten fantastic shots in dimly lit bars and sunny Hawaiian beaches, all on the same "automatic" light setting. The compact size allows me to tuck into wee little evening purses and pester my friends all night long; yet it has a wonderful solid weight that means business and provides a cool retro feel.
My big issue continues to be with focusing, but sometimes the blurry shots are actually the best ones on the roll. There are four focul lengths-- 0.8 meters, 1.5 meters, 3 meters, and infinite. I find it hard enough to estimate distance in feet; switch to meters and it's even trickier. As the camera style provides no way to verify your subject is precisely in focus, this may lead to some disapointing results if you badly misjudge the distance.
My favorite thing about the lomo is the unexpected qualities in each shot. You may think you've got a roll of normal me-and-the-guys shots, but they come back from the developer with beautifully rich colors, amazing light effects, and a remarkable (and most pleasing) improvement to everyone's skin tone. If your goal is plain and simple shots, save a few bucks and go for whatever point-and-shoot is in your price range. If you want something a little more unusual, something that doesn't always provide the expected,and something that makes your and yours look like superheros,the lomo's what you want.
A note: there are nine small screws that hold the various parts together. It's a good idea to check these over and tighten them before you use your lomo the first time, as at least one has been loose in every lomo I've seen. They tighten with a phillips eyeglass screwdriver.

I've been a photographer for 10+ years and the Lomo has made me fall in love with photography all over again. You can take similar pictures with a good 35mm and a filter, but it's really all about the size of the Lomo that makes it outstanding. This thing fits in my pocket so that I can take it anywhere, and the results are incredible.

The Lomo is a whole lot of fun if you want to randomly shoot and don't mind blurry or streaked photos when the pictures come back. But it's a little difficult to use if you know what you want to do but don't know a whole lot about photography. Because it's a 2.8 wide-angle lens, depth of field and lens speed are welcome features for the experienced but may be a little mystifying for the novice. It takes some practice before you start to really know what you're doing and how to do it.

But it's unlike any other compact camera out there, and in terms of creativity, it offers an unprecedented amount of leeway. If you're dedicated enough and love photography, then this is for you. If you want a point and shoot for family pictures, don't bother.

(...).

LOMO cameras are marketed by a company who's primary interest seems to be selling $8 Soviet-era design cameras at boutique prices ($200). Accordingly, the cameras have very little speaking for them technically, and the defects are very cleverly hyped with a strong "revolutionary" slant, as being great new discoveries and strengths.

Their website casts a hip skew on the defects in these cameras, aiming them as a "revolution" in photography. Righhhht.

Among the most egregious re-evaluations from the marketing hype at their website:

_______________________________________
THE LOMO TUNNEL EFFECT
...produces an awesome effect called "Vignetting." Look closely - you'll notice that the corners of your Lomographs are slightly darker and a little softer, in contrast to the lighter and sharper center. This tunnel effect yields a clear and vivid subject, with the corners acting as a natural "frame," directing your attention to the center. You see, lomographs simply have more content!
_______________________________________

Keep in mind, vignetting is a powerful *defect* in the lens design, something Canon, Nikon and the other manufacturers have spent decades of advanced lens design and R&D in trying to eliminate. In Lomo's doublespeak, it's a good thing. (Yes, it can sometimes render interesting photographs, but this breathless hype's almost-mystical description of this effect/lens is misleading at best).

_______________________________________
LOMO WIDE ANGLE
The "all-seeing wide angle view"? It's really only a 32mm focal length. Woo hoo.
_______________________________________

Most SLR lens manufacturers have for decades offered extensive ranges in lenses with this view coverage and wider made to fit their SLR cameras (even old SLR's from the 60s and 70s); for wide coverage, a vintage 70's SLR+wide lens can be had for under $75 if you look right, and it'll be a vastly better machine. Any 1980s Canon, Nikon, or Olympus 35mm film SLR for instance, offers outstanding manufacture, both full manual and electronic controls available, etc...far exceeding the exposure options and build quality of Lomo's flimsy design. Typical 70's and 80's vintage SLR's like these feature supreme exposure and internal mechanisms, and today let you take advantage of low prices for former top-of-the-line professional lenses (e.g. manual focus Canon FD, Nikkor, or Olympus Zuiko SLR lenses).

Overall, the camera purposefully introduces flaws in your photographs that can render some "artsy" feeling shots, but don't be misled by the manufacturer's clever anti-establishmen skew.

If you want to take LOMO looking photos, buy its almost exact copy for much cheaper: the OLYMPUS XA (and XA2) but it is old, so only available on ebay. Good options also include the cheapest models of the "Jazz Jellies" that they sell at drugstores like Walgreens. (for only $10). Same vignetting effects, same purposefully-crappy lenses give blurred shots "artsy" type of feel."

You can even get the "much vaunted LOMO saturation" if you drop in 50 ISO or 100 ISO film. (this last point one is just beyond me. Saturation is mostly a function of the film, not the camera! LOL! Not according to LOMO though...)

If you still think this is a must for you, save your bucks, buy one on ebay for cheap (people tend to tire of these quickly; at least I did), and use it for it's artistic expression and distortions.

Certainly don't buy into all the LOMO company's clever hype without reading around the web for vintage camera offerings matching this camera, and take the Lomo society's skewed reporting with a giant grain of salt.

A simple photography course or some time spent at a website like Phil Green's excellent photo.net will better your education on this, and give you a relatively unbiased perspective with which you can then go back and see this equipment for what it is.

This is a very unique camera that can revolutionize your idea of what a snapshot is. This camera is easy to use, and with some patience and a still hand, can take unrivaled photos in any situation, even in pitch black!

I highly recommend this camera, although I got mine for $105 on eBay new... you may want to check out a cheaper source such as this.

best of, most beautiful, too much fun to be true, still surprising after many rolls of film (and it is the good surprises you get with the lomo), a true jewel of the old era
anybody who complains about dropping the camera and it not working should get a single use camera, no doubt.
for the ones that like to experiment, investigate, be free and play and get that incredible rush of taking pictures immediately and on the spot 'cause the beauty of a single moment is just simply irresistible, get a lomo and every single cent you spend on it will come back 1000 times.
i own them all, leica, nikon, elph, you name it, my lomo is my best friend. yes, she has her moods and temper, but she also gives you pictures of the sheer impossible.

This camera is so-so. It's obviously not some professional piece of equipment. It's for everyday traditional or casual use. But believe me, there are much better cameras out there made by Olympus and other manufacturers.

I purchased this camera to take on a Disney vacation. I decided to use it before the trip to make sure I would be pleased with it. It is complicated to use, even after reading instruction manual. Focusing & centering objects are no easy task; neither is exchanging it for another. Definitly NOT what I had in mind; I wanted a Sure Shot.

Although the directions for this camera can leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed, once you are comfortable with the camera, everything is great. I have used all of the modes and taken pictures both indoors and outdoors, and the quality of the pictures is above average. A great find for the price.

This camera is an excellent buy. It may cost a little more than other cameras, but it is worth the investment. It offers a variety of advanced features which you may or may not use immediatley, but it is also simple enough for the beginning photographer to use for that occasional snap shot.

We recently bought a puppy, and were upset to find that our old camera was broken. We bought this camera, and I can honestly say that I am glad my old one broke. I was amazed at the quality of the pictures that this camera produces. I turned the dial to "close up" mode and took a picture of my puppy's face. The detail is so amazing. You can actually see individual hairs. It was so simple. The only hard part was getting the dog to sit still!

This camera is worth the money. How often do you buy a camera? Splurge! You earned it! You will not be dissapointed.

Viewfinder blocks the view. Faulty design. Do not buy this. Canon must stop making this camera. Recommendation to amazon to not carry it, as you will surely get customer returns