I just tested the Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm — and I live, laugh, love this camera

A good film camera can help you capture lovely images with a retro touch to them, all the while allowing you to live in the moment as you can’t see the photos until you get the roll developed. The Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm is the latest film camera from a storied brand, and it’s a knockout.

Featuring an autofocus system, fully manual controls, and a powerful flash, the Lomo MC-A 35mm is one of the most advanced modern film cameras. Its autofocus works well and it’s quick, and the camera captures great, sharp photos with vivid colors. It comes with a rechargeable CR2 battery too. But the camera isn’t perfect, as its autofocus is loud and the film advance lever can be a little finicky.

To find out if this is one of the best cameras for you, read my full Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review.

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Specs

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 35mm film camera with manual controls and autofocus
• Who is it for? Anyone who wants a modern film camera that takes great photos
• How much does it cost? It ain’t cheap — the Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm is available for $549 / £449
• What do we like? The premium build and handling, sharp and bright images, plenty of manual control over settings, and accurate autofocus
• What don’t we like? The loud and jarring autofocus, and the finicky (at times) film advance lever

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Price & availability

The Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm is one of the most expensive modern 35mm film cameras you can buy today. It retails for $549 / £449 and can be bought directly from Lomography. Yes, it’s far more expensive than film cameras like the Kodak Ultra F9 ($49) and the Novocolor Swiss+Go 35mm ($45).

It’s even pricier than the Pentax 17 ($499), even though the Pentax is a half-frame film camera, which means it captures two shots on one 3x2 sheet — as opposed to the Lomo MC-A 35mm capturing one shot on one sheet. It is, however, cheaper than the digital film Fujifilm X half ($849). The only other film camera the Lomo MC-A 35mm is cheaper than is the Rollei 35AF which costs a whopping $799, and it’s the closest competitor as it also features autofocus and manual controls.

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Design & build quality

I have tested my fair share of Lomography cameras — most of them instant, such as the Lomo’Instant Square Glass ($149), the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass ($279) and the Diana Instant Square ($129). Each has had its unique quirks — problems, rather. Subpar build quality and very awkward handling have been two recurrent themes.

That said, when I first held the Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm in my hands, I was blown away by the premium feel. While the Pentax 17 (despite its metallic looks) felt too plasticky and hollow, the Lomo MC-A 35mm’s metal body feels substantial with a good weight to it. It’s Lomography’s best built camera yet, although there’s no major competition here. The camera measures 4.9 x 2.7 x 1.6 inches and weighs 11.2oz. Not only is it comfortable to hold with just one hand or both, it’s highly portable too. Slip it into your pocket and be on your merry way.

However, I did find the film advance lever a little finicky, as I needed to pull it twice for the film roll to advance. I’ve also seen some users complaining about the lever feeling “crunchy,” but thankfully, I didn’t experience this.

Aiding the Lomo MC-A 35mm’s handling is a slightly protruding grip on the front right-hand side. It’s not as big as the one on, say, a compact mirrorless camera like the Fujifilm X100VI, but it’s enough to ensure you hold the camera well. The camera’s wrapped in textured faux leather which not only makes it look classy, but provides a better grip on it too.

Most other Lomography cameras I’ve tested have been bright and colorful — not the Lomo MC-A 35mm though. Lomography has taken a minimalist approach, making the camera available in black only. This is a great choice, in my opinion, because it looks very premium.

On the top plate, “Everybody is equal before the lens — and behind it” is inscribed in cursive writing. Some people might like this, but it reminds me a little too much of cushions or kitchen walls in the 00s, emblazoned with “live, laugh, love” or “God bless this mess”. At least it isn’t too bold or huge that it draws eyeballs to it, thankfully. The product box also includes a booklet and… stickers, inscribed with platitudes, such as, “We shall feel first, frame second.” Again, too “It’s wine o'clock somewhere!" for me.

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Lens & viewfinder

The Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm is fitted with a 32mm lens, which offers a tighter view than the Pentax 17 with its 25mm lens. The 32mm lens makes the camera suited to environmental portraits, landscapes, street and travel snaps too. Included in the box are UV, polarizing and ND filters which can be attached to the lens’ filter thread.

There’s a small optical viewfinder (OVF) located right above the lens, and though it’s small, I found it comfortable to look through, even as someone who wears prescription glasses. The viewfinder has a couple of LED lamps. Blue, when it’s solid, means the focus is set and if it’s blinking, you’re too close to your subject. The orange light is a warning that the shutter speed is below 1/30s, so there’s a chance the photos will suffer from image blur.

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Controls

Similar to the Pentax 17, the Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm gives you plenty of manual control over its settings. The first thing you need to do is load film, and this is done by twisting the tap on the camera’s left-hand edge to open the film door. Pop your roll in and ensure the sprocket has caught on to it, and close the door. It couldn’t be simpler.

The top plate houses the shutter speed dial which enables you to set it to either Auto or between 1s and 1/500s. Next to is the exposure compensation dial and a button to enable multiple exposures (MX). Also located on the top plate is the on/off switch which lets you toggle between autofocus and manual focus. The ISO, self-timer (2s, 10s, 30s) and flash can be changed via the trio of buttons located next to the monitor which displays your active shooting settings. All of these buttons are within easy reach and give good tactile feedback when pressed.

Moving to the front of the camera, you’ll find the aperture control dial around the lens, and you can twist it to choose one of six settings: f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, or f/16. Also located next to the lens is a switch that lets you change the focus zone between 0.4m, 0.8m, 1.5m, 3m and infinity.

If you don’t want to bother with manual controls, you can set the shutter speed to Auto (20s to 1/500s) and the ISO to DX Auto, where the camera will read DX-coded film and automatically set the ISO to the appropriate value. If you’re using ISO 200 film, the camera will shoot at ISO 200. Of course, you can manually override it by pressing the ISO button. To advance the film after you’ve taken a photo, you need to pull the inset wind lever which, I found, has a smooth and satisfying motion to it.

Even though there are lots of controls, they’re well-placed and laid out in a way that even beginner photographers can pick up the camera and start using it. Film photography, by nature, involves a fair amount of trial and error, so don’t worry too much about, say, your shutter speed being off or your aperture being too wide — there’s always room for learning and improvement.

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Image quality

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I’ve been using the Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm for nearly three weeks now, and I love the photos I’ve taken on it. Images captured on a film camera with a small, built in-lens naturally lack the sheer sharpness of those taken on one of the best mirrorless cameras. However, the Lomo MC-A 35mm still does a decent job of capturing detail as the lens is fairly sharp (at least for the intended purpose). You can see some of my street shots in the gallery above.

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The Lomo MC-A 35mm is one of those rare film cameras that features autofocus alongside manual focus — the Rollei 35AF does too, but it costs nearly $300 more than the Lomo. Mostly, in my testing, the autofocus was fast and quickly locked on to my subject, as you can see in the gallery above. In the second shot, I opted for manual focusing because I wanted the flowers towards the back to be sharp, and I found this easy to do.

My only issue with the lens is that autofocusing is really loud and jarring. If you’re shooting indoors, trying to be inconspicuous while capturing street shots or wanting to capture candid shots, chances are that your subject will hear the camera trying to focus. This isn’t ideal.

Colors captured by the Lomo MC-A 35mm are bright and vivid. I love the shades of purple the camera has captured in the second photo, and the vivid greens and popping reds in the first and third. If you want more contrast-heavy photos, I’d recommend the Pentax 17 which is a half-frame camera.

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Humans photograph well through the Lomo MC-A 35mm too, as you can see in the photos of my partner and friends above, taken during the daytime. I like that in the first shot of my partner, the camera has kept her in focus and added some background blur which makes her stand out as the primary subject. This is the advantage of having a lens with a variable aperture, as f/2.8 is wide enough to get a nicely out-of-focus background for portraits.

You’ll notice that these photos are grainy, and the level of noise in your film photos will depend on the film you’re using. These three photos were captured using a roll of Lomography Color Negative 400 film ($44 / £43 for a pack of three), while all the others were taken with Fuji 200 film ($14 / £11). I recommend researching and experimenting with different types of film to find the style you prefer.

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I’ve been impressed by the Lomo MC-A 35mm’s low-light performance too. These photos were taken at night, and I love that they’ve come out sharp and detailed, even when the lighting wasn’t favorable indoors. The first two were taken with the Lomo MC-A 35mm’s flash turned on, which is quite powerful and lights up the scene well. The autofocus worked well here as well, as it was able to focus on my friends, the pool tables and the lights quickly.

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As I mentioned briefly earlier, the Lomo MC-A 35mm can capture multiple exposures. All you need to do is press the MX button on the top plate, and you can then take as many photos as you like and layer them on top of each other. You can see examples in the gallery above. You can get really creative with this feature.

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Film cameras are extremely fun when you just want to take some silly photos of your friends, as I did, and you can see some photos in the gallery above. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun testing a film camera — the Lomo MC-A 35mm is an excellent and special camera.

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Film cost & yield

Much like the Pentax 17 and other film cameras, such as the Kodak Ultra F9 ($49), the Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm uses 35mm film. Film costs vary depending on the type you get, and the area you live in. For instance, here in the U.K., a roll of Kodak Gold 200 (24 exposures) costs approximately £12. To test this camera, I used a 36-exposure roll of Fujifilm 200, which costs $14 / £11 at Amazon.

Similarly, film development costs will vary too. I got my film roll developed from Snappy Snaps, a U.K. chain that promises (and delivers) same-day developing, and it cost me £18. Again, developing the film will depend on where you live and on the processing time. An American colleague informed me that, in the U.S., developing a 36-count roll can cost as little as $10.

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Battery life

The Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm, like the Pentax 17, utilizes a CR2 battery, slotted into the battery compartment on the bottom plate. As you’d do on a film camera of old, you need to use a coin to loosen the cover to access the battery. A rechargeable CR2 battery is included in the box, which is a nice touch as I’m not a fan of disposable ones.

Lomography says that under “typical shooting conditions,” a single charge can last for up to 10 rolls of film — which is quite a bit! This will, of course, depend on how frequently you use the autofocus and flash. The LCD screen displays how much battery is left in the form of a bar and after having used a 36-shot roll, I still had 100% battery left.

This is the same claim Pentax makes about the Pentax 17, so it’s good that Lomography can match up to that, especially as it costs a little more than Pentax’s offering.

Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm review: Verdict

If you want a film camera that feels nearly as well-built and solid as a mirrorless camera, I can’t recommend the Lomography Lomo MC-A 35mm enough. This camera handles sublimely and offers manual control over its shooting settings. It’s also got an autofocus system which, albeit loud and jarring, is quick to lock onto your subject and make them stand out.

The images the Lomo MC-A 35mm captures are sharp and detailed, with lovely colors. I’ve had a lot of fun photographing the streets and my friends with this camera. Low-light performance is solid too.

However, while the film advance lever feels great, it sometimes takes a couple of turns to move ahead. Oh, and it’s expensive! But I do think it’s worth the premium, because as modern film cameras go, no other holds a candle to the Lomo MC-A 35mm right now.