Lmst

Filling in the gaps: The LOMO Smena SL (1968-77)

I know, I know, I said I’m done getting any more cameras, but I have needs, and sometimes those needs must be satisfied with … another Rapid format camera. Actually, what happened is that I want a second Rapid format camera to go with the Golden Wonder, so that I can have a bit of fun with full-frame Rapid photography and not be limited to half frame. Yes, I have a load of Agfa Iso-Rapid IFs, and the Ricoh 35K Rapid (though I’m l convinced the wind-on mechanism is not working properly), but I’m looking for something a little more advanced. And that’s where the Lomo Smena SL comes in.

It all started with a random website search. I was looking for information on Rapid films, how long they are (turns out to be 60cm, that’s 24 inches in old money) and one of the search results was a reference to the Lomo Smena Rapid. The what, I thought. It turns out that the last of the Lomo Smena range, the Soviet era consumer 35mm cameras, was a Rapid film camera.

The first generation, Soviet marketed Lomo Smena Rapid camera (via Wikimedia)-

There were two models, the first generation ‘Smena Rapid’, made from 1968-70, and the second generation ‘Smena SL’, from 1970-77. They were both parts of the Smena range, which includes my beloved Smena 8M and the Smena Symbol, and all featured the classic Triplet T-43 4/40 lens and a range of shutter speeds from 1/15s to 1/250s (plus B). Now that certainly had appeal, since it would give me a Smena 8M equivalent camera that takes Rapid film. Just what I was looking for.

The next issue was tracking one down, and I suspected that it would not be an easy job to source one of these beasties, since using 35mm film in Rapid cameras seems like a bit of a niche subject, given the sheer volume of 35mm cameras available. So I started a search for ‘Lomo Smena Rapid’, and the first Google result was for a ‘Máquina fotográfica LOMO Smena SL (1968-77)’ from my local camera store, Cano Amerelo, in Porto.

I couldn’t believe it. Was it that easy? The camera was described as, ‘fully functional and in good condition with slight signs of use, especially superficial scratches on the outer body. Clean, scratch-free optics’. Well that was good news. Looking at the images of the camera it did seem a little beat up, and certainly well used. But if the lens was sound and the shutter speeds and aperture were working, that’s good enough for me.

The only caveat was that, ‘film cartridges are not included. You will need 2 that accept a maximum of 35mm film up to 12 exposures, therefore it is not convenient for use but only for decoration’. But I have plenty of Rapid canisters now, so that certainly wasn’t an obstacle.

When it arrived it was exactly as expected, though the body was really worn. The shutter and wind-on lever worked as expected, and the shutter opened and closed with a pleasing ‘click’. Now all I have to do is test it with film. The weather is a little unsettled this week, with storms Garoe and Eowen pouring rain upon us for most of time. But I found some Lomography ISO 100 colour film in the cupboard (expired 2022, I reckon) so I’ll take some of that and decant 60cm or so into a Rapid canister when the weather improves.

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#Agfa #AgfaRapid #Cmeha #Experimental #Lomo #Rapid #RapidFilm #Retro #Russia #RussianCamera #SmenaSL #Vintage

The Lomo Smena SL, a Soviet Rapid film camera.

Essai du Fed 2 avec objectif Industar 22, fomapan 200, dev Fomadon Excel.
Je suis déçu, parce que le boitier raye les films. Le rendu de l'objectif ne m'a pas convaincu.
#blackandwhite #filmphotography #film #blackandwhitephotography #blackandwhitephoto #filmisnotdead #filmisalive #believeinfilm #analogfilm #filmcommunity #keepfilmalive #bw #argentique #filmcamera #fomapan #chambrenoire #rangefinder #telemetre #bwphotography #noiretblanc #emulsion
#russiancamera #fed2 #industar #elmar

About a month ago I picked up a camera on a whim. It was a Lomo Smena 8M, the ninth camera in the Smena range from the Russian company Lomo. I have a few Lomo cameras already, the classic Lomo LC-A, the stereo Lomo Sputnik, and the Lomo Symbol, which I don’t think I’ve ever used. I picked this one because it has a really well-regarded lens, the classic Triplet T-43 4/40 lens which I have seen converted to use with micro four-thirds mirrorless cameras and I reckoned at a pinch that if the camera was a dud I could take the lens and use it with a digital camera.

When it arrived, the LOMO Smena 8M was in lovely condition but it was cheap because it doesn’t have a take-up spool. Unlike most other cameras, which have a fixed take-up spool built into the camera, the take-up spool in the Smena 8M was removable, I’m not sure why, and sometimes this can get lost. However, I have read that an ordinary 35mm spool from a cassette would work just as well. I have a few refillable 35mm cassettes and so I took the spool from of one of these and fitted it into the Smena, and it worked! I need to cut the film to fit the spool properly, but it’s not really an issue and the camera loaded with ease.

Someone online compared it to a Holga, but aside from its build quality resembling a toy camera it’s much more versatile than a Holga, with its glass lens and range of shutter speeds and apertures. It does have some little foibles regarding cocking the shutter and rewinding, and it of course needs a take-up spool, but on the whole the Smena 8M was a lovely camera to use.

Regarding rewinding, the Smena 8M has a rewind knob that seems to cause no end of confusion online and on YouTube as it’s almost impossible to turn in its ‘resting’ position. I read of people struggling with the rewind knob, unloading the Smena in a darkroom, all kinds of horror stories, but in fact rewinding is really easy. All you need to do is lift up the rewind knob, hold down the shutter button and turn the knob. The film will rewind easily and you can see the spindle turning. Actually, I had more problems with the zone focussing, as the turn on the lens is nearly 360° and I ended up spmetimes setting focus to 1,2m when it was meant to be infinity.

I took the Smena 8M with me on a trip to Costa Nova near Aveiro during February, loaded with Ilford FP4 especially for the #FP4Party. I ended up not using it that much, and wasting a few images because I had the focussing set incorrectly, but I really loved using it and honestly cannot wait to take it out again. For metering I relied on my smartphone app ‘Camera Meter’ and on a lovely sunny day had a shutter speed of about 1/250s.

The results will certainly not win any photography competitions, but it was more of an experiment to see if the Smena was working than anything else, and I have to say it was a delightful experience. The resolution of the lens was amazing. For example look at the window of the houses below. In the blue sky above the little dot in the middle is a motorised paraglider, and if you zoom in you can just make out the shape of the propeller. Astounding.

I finished off the roll with a walk around the block, and of course stopped to take a photograph of my favourite tree and well. In fact I thought I would try to make a trichrome image so used red, green and blue filters. With the lens adjusting the shutter to compensate for filter factor and the images came out really well. The trichrome wasn’t brilliant, but it certainly worked and I’m keen to try the Smena 8M with other films and in other places.

If you are on Mastodon, you can now follow this blog directly. Just go to Mastodon and follow my WordPress account at @keithdevereux.wordpress.com@keithdevereux.wordpress.com. All new posts will be automatically updated to your timeline on Mastodon.

https://keithdevereux.wordpress.com/2024/03/30/the-lomo-smena-8m-a-russian-35mm-camera-from-the-1980s-30-march-2024/

#CameraPorn #Cmeha #Lomo #OldCamera #OldSchool #Retro #Russia #RussianCamera #Smena #Smena8M #Vintage #VintageCamera #FP4Party