The New Lomography Half-Frame Camera Has a Strange Feature

Today, Lomography announced two variants of a brand new camera: it’s called the Half-frame simple use reloadable film camera. This follows on some of the success that the Pentax 17 and the Kodak Ektar H35 have. In fact, the medium is so popular that we even wrote a recommended list of film that we think you should use with it. It’s truly wonderful to see all of these half-frame cameras continue to come out; even if the new Lomography option has something weird going on. What am I talking about?

Well, the Lomography Half-frame simple use cameras have pre-loaded rolls of film in them that only let you fire off 40 photos. If you don’t think that’s weird, then here’s what just flew over your head: rolls of 35mm film are either 24 or 36 exposures. Half-frame cameras turn each frame of 35mm film into two vertical frames instead. So that means that Lomo pre-loaded a roll of film in the camera that’s only got 20 full 35mm-film exposures on it. Therefore, they’re taking away anywhere from 8 extra half-frame images to 32 extra images.

That’s capitalism for you, right?

Here are the tech specs:

Film Format: 35 mm

Focal Length: 21 mm

Available Apertures: f9

Flash: Built In Flash

Available ISO Settings: No ISO Adjustment

Multiple Exposure: No

Tripod Mount: No

Cable Release: No

Battery: 1 x AAA

It comes in black and white or color. Honestly, I’d just buy the cheaper black and white variant and refill it with color film.

While it’s currently the cheapest and most affordable option on the market for half-frame cameras, it’s also something that I think Lomo should’ve had out a very long time ago. It feels more like a product that’s essentially just saying that it’s available yet not doing much else to differentiate itself from the others on the market.

What could’ve been really something sweet is applying this logic to medium format film instead. I mean, imagine the Lomography LCA 120 but with each frame split in half. You’d essentially have the same amount of film as 35mm film and rolls and it would last longer. It’s not quite 645 format either. And for the money, you get a lot more from 120 film.

You should know: I haven’t tested the new reloadable half-frame camera. But I have used and reviewed the original back in 2017. While I had fun with that camera, I ended up giving them away. The only point-and-shoot style film camera that I tend to use these days is the Fujifilm Natura S.

This is a longer way of my saying: there are too many of the same cameras out there. Brands need to do something different, and it’s not just affecting the digital world. It’s also affecting the film photography world. Lomography very much used to be a company that I felt did cool things even if they got so much of it wrong at times. I never wanted or asked Lomography to do the same things everyone else has. I always just wanted them to be themselves with a bit more work on itself.