The LC-A+ boasts a mighty fine pedigree that stretches back well over two decades. To tell the full story, we have to start at the very beginning – with the conception and birth of the original Lomo Compact Automat. Let’s dive into it:
The Sunrise of Lomography
The whole Lomographic phenomenon began on a sunny St. Petersburg morning back in 1982, General Igor Petrowitsch Kornitzky, right-hand man to the USSR Minister of Defense and Industry, slammed a little Japanese mini-camera known as the Cosina CX-1 onto the ornate desk of his comrade Michail Panfilowitsch Panfiloff. Mr Panfiloff, Director of the powerful LOMO Russian Arms and Optical factory, examined the camera closely, noting its sharp glass lens, extremely high light sensitivity and robust casing. The two gentlemen, realizing the superior nature and extreme potential of this strange little item, gave immediate orders to copy and improve the design - with the ultimate goal of producing the largest quantity possible for the pleasure and glory of the Soviet population. It was decided that every respectable Communist should have a Lomo COMPACT AUTOMAT of their own - a unique and compact dynamo with the ability to adapt to all situations and provide full documentation of their lives and loves in the USSR. The Lomo LC-A was born, and millions of cameras were promptly produced and sold. The Soviets and their Socialist playmates in Vietnam, Cuba and East Germany snapped happily away throughout the nineteen eighties, fully documenting the last gasps of Communism, and the occasional beach vacation on the Black Sea.
Russian Precision
The vision of the LC-A was simple - a miniaturized, automatic camera meant to provide the masses with a reliable workhorse for everyday photography. However, dig a little deeper and you will begin to see the true value of the gorgeous treasure. The LC-A's incredibly sexy 'Minitar 1" lens, designed by Lomo's revered Professor Radionov captures exceptionally vivid images in an all-seeing wide angle view. Its innovative auto-exposure capability, usually only available on very expensive professional cameras, allows the Lomo to function in all lighting conditions and to blow your mind at nightime with beautiful infusions of colors and light. The compact shape of the LC-A makes it a pleasure to take the Lomo everywhere, and its strong metal construction - intoxicating with the aroma of old-fashioned Russian workmanship - empowers the Lomo to be a loyal companion for years to come.
Discovery of the Lomo LC-A
A change of scene. Prague in May 1991. A handful of restless Viennese students, are cruising though the capital in great early summer spirits, enjoying the new-found Czech democracy. By this year, the LC-A's days in the sunshine were coming to a close. Weakened by flashy imports from Asia, the LC-A was out of production and available only at quirky, old-school camera shops. It was at an establishment such as this, where the Viennese students happened upon the adorable Lomo LC-A, and bought a couple for fun. On the resplendent streets of Prague, they zipped through the first few rolls of film: shooting from above and through their legs, shooting from the hip, and even sometimes looking through the viewfinder. Not a single chance to snapshot their frolicking among the Czechs was missed! Enhanced by some excellent Budweiser beer and the odd glass of vodka, their merry snapshooting continued throughout the entire day.
The Lomographic Movement Begins
Back in Vienna they soon had the whole bag of film developed at the trusty corner supermarket (small format & super cheapo!) and received a real surprise: Thousands of amusing, sad, garish shots of their little tour, wonderful focused and unfocussed images fresh from life in the Czech Republic. The images were amazing, dazzling all those present with a crushing sense of excitement; the likes of which they had never felt before. This small, pointed tip of an enormous iceberg of incredible "lomographs" gave them a small inkling of what was in store - a revolution of photography as we know it and the worldwide explosion of the amazing Lomo Compact Automat.
The Lomographic Society is Founded
After seeing the incredible photographs, friends, relatives, and strangers on the streets all demanded Lomo cameras of their own! Soon, the best sources (and worst-guarded security posts) of the former Eastern Bloc were employed for the clandestine import of these little wonders. In 1992, the Lomographic Society (Lomographische Gesellschaft) was founded in Vienna, with the aim of spreading the message of LOMOGRAPHY throughout the globe.
Exhibitions, parties, activities, and tours were begun to expose and convert as many willing participants as possible to the lomographic lifestyle. "Lomo Embassies" were established at key cities across the world to organize and activate their local populaces under the ever-swelling flag of Lomography. Truly, the whole progression was more spontaneous and hyperactive than could have ever been planned - a vibrant community grew without bounds; driven by the insatiable thirst for wild, vibrant, shocking images. Images that, above all, conveyed their lives: speed and sadness, fun and frustration, sweat and love, passion and burden.
There was one little problem with this gloriously expanding demand - a relentlessly diminishing supply of the LC-A. To find the solution, our intrepid "Wieners" journeyed to the very horse's mouth - the LOMO Optics factory of St. Petersburg. Relating the news of the worldwide Lomographic explosion (and engaging in some hard negotiation), the Society members successfully convinced the LOMO factory heads and Mr. Vladimir Putin (the Vice Mayor of St. Petersburg at that time!) to begin full production of the amazing LC-A once again - ensuring that all the hungry lomographers across the world would be guaranteed a steady supply of this Russian steel wonder.
The LC-A+
In early 2005, we received some dire news. The LOMO Optical factory was to cease all production of the Lomo LC-A camera. As their overall production became more specific and high-tech, they could no longer support the small niche fabrication of a single (yet priceless) little camera. At first, we were crushed by the news – but a plan soon came together. We would re-build a new Lomo – incorporating both the beloved features of the original and a host of new tricks.
Over the past years, we’ve seen thousands of Lomographers - both amateur and professional - grab an unassuming Lomo camera and create absolute wonders with it. Who better to ask then them – a brilliant and seriously diverse group of certifiable Lomo-experts. We issued an online poll to determine what our Lomographic Community considered to be the most valuable attributes and techniques. Within a mountain of responses several points were nearly universal: the Minitar 1 lens, the compact body, the ease of use, the “Lomo” look (including heavily saturated colors and vignetting), long exposures, and multiple exposures. We now had a blueprint in hand.
As the camera could no longer be produced in St. Petersburg, we had to find a new factory. After an exhaustive round of searching, our hopes and prayers were met in the very center of China. There, we found a small, old-school camera factory capable of producing world-class mechanical cameras. They had built a compact yet enduring collection of high-end Leica rangefinder copies and professional panoramic cameras. Their staff had extensive experience and a true love for camera creation. More so than any other plant that we’ve ever visited, this factory mirrored the soul and feeling of the Lomo’s original birthplace. The match was perfect.
Using the original body as a template, our small team of Chinese, Russian, and Austrian engineers set forth to recreate the LC-A from the ground up. On top of that, we included several new mechanical functions (multiple exposures, cable release, expanded ISO range) to better suit the camera to our users’ tastes. After that was sorted, we considered the lens. Following the results of our poll, it was clear that the new Lomo had to yield the same punchy colors, fantastic vignetting, slightly off-kilter sharpness, and overall magic as the original. This required a lens that exactly matched the Lomo’s legendary Minitar 1 32/2.8. For this, we took a two-pronged approach:
The Chinese-Made Minitar 1 (The LC-A+)
In partnership with a supremely experienced team of Russian and in-house Lomographic technicians and advisors, our Chinese factory pulled the original Lomo lens apart and rebuilt its every nook, cranny, edge, and corner. The radiant colors, the knockout contrast, the edge vignetting, the powerful multicoating, the occasionally temperamental focusing, and that overall Minitar soul were all faithfully reproduced – just like the original.
The Russian-Made Minitar 1 (The LC-A+ RL)
Limited to 500 pieces per month, these lenses are produced at the original source – the LOMO Optics factory of St. Petersburg, Russia. They are the exact item that has appeared within LC-A bodies since the Lomo’s birth in the 1980’s. As the Russian lenses are more costly and production capacity is limited, this item is priced higher and exclusively available through Lomography online shops.
And there you have it – the majestic Lomo LC-A+. Designed to both replace and improve upon the original, this little analog dynamo – a true rebel in these days of digital – will ensure that the magical images and “Lomo” look that we all know and adore can
Lomo on!
The explicit aim of the Lomographic Society is to study and document the world's surface by taking millions of snapshots of it. Following the 10 golden rules of Lomography, lomographers shoot as many impossible pictures as possible in the most impossible of situations from the most impossible of positions: lomographs. These lomographs are put together to make up vast walls of pictures with tens of thousands of images shot by what are often hundreds of individual lomographers (a.k.a LOMOWALL), and then exhibited all over the world. The ever-advancing progression of this grand scheme is embodied in the LomoWorldArchive, a dynamic lomographic documentation of our lives; growing and expanding with each additional (click!) of the "Minitar 1" lens. A hungry beast with an endless appetite, the WorldArchive stands poised under the endless flow of lomographic morsels, greedily snatching up every photo in between its jaws, and incorporating it into the intricate mosaic of our Society. The Lomographic Society - founded on creativity and boundless energy, is open to everyone with a curious mind and trigger-happy shutter-finger. With LOMO, art is put in the hands of all, and extraordinary expression flows from ordinary circumstances.