The Lomographic Society International Presents the SuperSampler™

Author's Rating:

Pros: Lightweight, 35mm, easy to use, sharp photos, original.

Cons: Not operable in low light.

The Bottom Line: 
This is an excellent camera for someone who wants to do some fun and artistic shots.

Author's Review

The camera makes a horrible “cracking” noise as I turn the handle to rewind the film, but it’s all right. This is completely normal.

The SuperSampler™ is a work of engineering art; simple, sleek and shimmering, it epitomizes both function and form in the photographic world. It is lighter than I had expected it to be, weighing in at only 93grams without film, and boasts dimensions that make it easy to take anywhere. It looks like something that belongs on a space ship, with its four panoramic lenses side by side like extra eyes along a molded pearly white front, accented with black buttons and controls.

The camera comes with a roll of 200 ISO film, 24 exposure. I’m swift to use it up. The girl at the hour photo lab is confused; apparently she has yet to be caught on the Lomo bug, but she’s intrigued. We look over my “test roll” together; each picture is divided into four slices, all identical in size, exposed half a second apart. The outcome is stunning. We find it very hard to take our eyes off the pictures. They create an effect that is constantly in motion, even under the limitation of still print.

I’m more than impressed with the prints. Beyond the peculiarity of the shots, it is a high quality camera. The SuperSampler operates on mechanics alone, without the use of battery operation. At first I was a tad weary of the fixed focusing and lack of such common specs as a viewfinder and flash, and the fact that all four lenses are plastic. But I am not disappointed.

Every shot taken in daylight, as recommended by the instruction manual, is razor sharp even at a distance of only 8 inches or so. This is more than I can say for absolutely any other camera I own. The camera appears to focus to infinity, as every object in every shot is sharply focused.

In a style that is so intuitively Lomo, the camera advances using a “rip cord”, rather than the expected wheel or lever. This can takes seconds off the camera-readying time, making impromptu shots that much easier to capture. Lomo’s motto is this: “don’t think, just shoot” and this is a spirit that is made possible by the “rip cord”. And you can hear the camera working. Its internal workings whir and buzz for two seconds while the moment is captured in the happy melody of a multi-lens camera. It can also be set to superspeed, capturing all four frames almost simultaneously over the course of 0.2 seconds to capture the most intricate of movements.

One of the greatest advantages of this camera is that it captures on to standard 35mm film. With all the advancements of APS format it still carries some major disadvantages in the world of film cameras, such as relatively expensive development and smaller size film, which is not great for capturing great detail, 35mm is freshly familiar. It’s easy to get a hold of, easy to load and easy to have processed.

All in all, the Lomo SuperSampler is an easy-going, fun-loving camera that can be taken anywhere and can capture the action better than any other camera out there. This is a great camera to add to your collection, and a great camera for creating pictures that go beyond the norm; art for the uncreative.