Lomography Lomo’Instant: The Best Instant Camera for Multiple Exposures

Today, almost every device we use has a camera to capture our memories, but nothing beats the dynamic range, resolution, and exposure range that standalone cameras bring to the table. A camera that’s making the rounds lately for being one of the best is the Lomography Lomo’Instant.

The Lomo’Instant’s ability to take several shots and mesh them together using a unique multiple exposure technique is one of the best things about this instant film camera. However, it’s extensive feature set will leave you in awe of all the memories you can capture.

Design

The Lomo’Instant has a smooth plastic build with a faux-leather coating on the front. It’s a mid-size camera, measuring 7.72 x 5.51 x 3.07 inches and weighing only seven ounces, so it can easily fit into your pocket or purse.

Just above the lens, there’s a small mirror that comes in handy to make sure everyone’s in the frame during a selfie. On the right, there’s an adjustable exposure compensation dial. This allows you to change the default aperture of f/16 to a maximum of f/8.

At the bottom, there’s a built-in flash that allows you to adjust between warm and cool tones. You can also control the focal length by extending or retracting the lens via a focal length switch on the side. Although you can’t mount this camera on a tripod, it feels comfortable to hold, even for extended periods of time.

Shot Performance

The Lomography Lomo’Instant definitely has some exciting features, but how do the images look?

The camera has three shooting modes: one automatic and two manual. You have to switch on the flash when shooting in auto for the built-in light meter to detect the brightness, and as a beginner-friendly mode, it chooses all the right settings for you to get a perfectly exposed shot.

You’ll also need to use the flash to take pictures with the manual mode. However, this time, you get to switch between two shutter options: Normal (N) and Bulb (B). The bulb exposure works well for capturing motion, while the normal light exposure is great for sharp shots. In normal mode, you’re stuck with a fixed shutter speed of 1/125, but you can adjust the aperture to f/8, f/11, f16, and f/22.

The third shooting mode is Flash-Off Manual Mode. You can still choose between N and B and adjust the aperture, but the shutter speed remains fixed. This mode is especially useful when shooting long exposures at night.

Lens

The Lomo’Instant has an ultra-advanced lens system, which is usually only found in digital cameras. With a 27mm full-frame equivalent wide-angle lens, it’s great for macro photography, and you can focus on subjects that are placed at a range of 0.4 to 0.9m and 1m to infinity.

Battery and Film

This instant film camera works with four AAA batteries and Fujifilm Instax Mini film. However, these things are not included, so you’ll have to buy them separately.

Accessories

The Lomo’Instant camera comes with a few colored gel filters: yellow, red, purple, and blue. There are additional sample cards that show the types of shots you can take with the camera. These cards are a nice feature for beginners and leisurely photographers, as they give tips on how to capture certain effects and get different exposures.

This camera also comes with a lens cap, add-on lenses, and an instruction manual.

How Does the Lomography Lomo’Instant Line up?

The Fujifilm instax WIDE 300 is the Lomo’Instant’s closest competition on the market. Here’s how the two cameras stand next to one another:

Lomography Lomo’Instant: A Multi-Mode Camera for Great Shots

The Lomography Lomo’Instant is by far one of the best instant cameras on the market right now. However, we don’t think this camera is great for production-level work. The lens is not made from optical-grade polycarbonate, so it adds some effects that are nice in creative shots but a no-no in production work.

Overall, we think it’s a handy camera for beginners and experts, thanks to its three shooting modes.