Purchased for £13.49 on Vinted: a Lomography-built Action Sampler camera that takes four sequential photos on a single 35mm film frame, within the space of about one second.
Specs: All-plastic. Internet chatter suggests it’s got an f/8 lens and shutters that fire at 1/100th, which I paired with Ilford XP2 (ISO 400) for the Saturday photo walk in Glasgow’s Govanhill neighbourhood organised by @nonstopgrain Stu Morrison.
What I hoped for: Fun photos, especially with subjects in motion, with a combination of black & white film, blur and repetition lending a minimalist feel.
What I got: Mostly light leaks. On an overcast day in Glasgow.
Here are the four that came out best. What do they have in common? They’re sequentially the final frames on the roll, in order.
I remember thinking as I got toward the end of the roll of 36 exposures, “maybe I should have taped up the camera in case of light leaks.” Would that have helped? Should I have wrapped it up like Boris Karlov in The Mummy, only using black gaffer’s tape? The contact sheet tells a story.
Upon review, I see now others have reported light leak problems, though typically more around the edges. Mine appear to mostly have come streaming through the front and center, given the cross pattern on so many negatives. Also, there seem to be four different circles of “light leaks” on many frames, suggesting that each lens block is bringing its own leaks.
As noted, curiously, the final frames are more light-leak free, and the very final frame entirely blemish-free. Not sure what to make of that.
Verdict: Fun to experiment, but having sampled the purported action, this camera is destined for the scrap heap.
