Split-Cam, a One-film Encounter

If you want to get someone into the Lomography world, this is a good way to start – the camera is cheap, the image fusion results are very funny and the person will get to know the sometimes hard ways of analogue photography.

My Lomo LC-A is one of those that works with only few accessories, like the Fisheye lens and the Colorsplash Flash. So, no Lomo LC-A+ Krab for me and no LC-A+ Splitzer. That is why one day I decided Mr. Pig would give me a Split-Cam.

I’ll try to explain how it works. It is able to fuse images because you can cover and uncover parts of the lens and it has a little button that when pressed allows you to make multiple exposures, I mean, it allows you to shoot again without forwarding the film. So, take a picture with half of the lens covered. Press the button to double expose (don’t push the film forward!). Uncover the other part of the lens and cover the part that was open when you first shot. Shot again but this time something else!

To add more fun, put the camera upside down before you shot the second time and you’ll make the (almost) mirror effect. By now you must already be thinking about the funny fusions that can be made!

So, back to my story. I was very disappointed there was no pig delivering the camera at my house. Anyway, when I looked at this plastic black and yellow camera, I had some doubts it would work. I even loaded it with an expired Klick Max (35mm) because I was afraid to use an expensive film with it. And so we went, me, the split-cam and my cousin (@sarac), I can’t forget, it was one of those cold, coooooold, sunny winter days in Lisbon – great light, I mean. Only photography would make me get out of the car that morning! I’m glad I did it. Great surprise at the lab! I never thought the pictures would come out so great!

“Amazing! I have to use it while it’s sunny”, I thought (it’s one of those, yes, the ones that work only with bright sunlight). This time I was going to use a Lomography Color Negative 400. But when I was about to load the film… “Is that my finger I’m seeing through the lens?! Doesn’t that means the light is coming in and is going to burn the film?!” You know, I’m really (really!) just an amateur in photography but come on, that one was obvious. I didn’t load it. Films are expensive and when you have 5 cameras to feed and one of them is a Horizon, you think twice before spoiling a film… I took it to the analogue photography shop in my neighborhood (yes, there is one near my house, ain’t I lucky?) and I had the confirmation. I can no longer use it, they can’t repair it. I never understood how this light leak happen in the next picture. Now I guess that was the moment it broke!

And you know the weirdest part? I can’t find the negatives and prints anywhere! I guess they never leaved the house, but… where are they?! So take a good look at them ’cause they are probably the only images I have of this camera!

written by saidseni on 2011-03-25 #gear #plastic #expired #review #yellow #black #split-cam #plastic-camera #lomography #splitcam #multiple-exposures #split-cam #fusion #film-camera #klickmax #user-review