Video cameras now routinely offer features such as full 1080p high-def video, night vision mode, and stereo sound ... if you're one of the people who reads that and thinks "Big deal, that just means people will have nicer-looking home videos," perhaps you would appreciate a camera that's focused less on the latest tech, and more on the art of moving pictures. Well, Lomography's new LomoKino Super 35 Movie Maker should fit the bill. Paying homage to the original Chaplin-era movie cameras, users hand-crank 35mm film through the box-like device, while a fixed-focus lens captures all the jittery, grainy action.
According to the company, any type of 35mm still photograph film will work - these could include slide film, color negative, redscale or black-and-white. A full roll (we're assuming that means one rated for 36 exposures) should capture 144 frames, which in turn will result in 50-60 seconds of footage.
The camera itself has a 25mm f/5.6-f/11 fixed-focus lens - although it can be shifted into close-up mode (down to 0.6 meter/2 feet) with the push of a button. Shots are framed using a top-mounted optical viewfinder, like those found on old twin-lens reflex cameras. Audio recording is non-existent.
Each exposure is captured at one one-hundredth of a second, while the user cranks the film through at approximately 3-5 frames-per-second. Considering that "real" movie cameras typically shoot at 24 fps, you get an impression of just how choppy the footage will look!
Before you can watch that footage, however, you'll have to get the film processed. Once the finished roll is back, you will require the LomoKinoScope to view it. Not a movie projector, the device is more like a Nickelodeon, in which viewers watch the footage through a peephole while hand-cranking the film through.
The LomoKino is available via Lomography's website, for US$79. A package including the camera and the LomoKinoScope goes for $99.
Should you like the idea of retro-looking images, but want to stick with the convenience of video, you might want to check out the Digital Harinezumi 2++.
The clip below shows what sort of images the LomoKino can capture.
Source: Engadget