Lomography Actionsampler And Altoids Pinhole Camera

My New Cameras - Lomography Actionsampler Chrome And Altoids Pinhole Camera

I love shooting film. There is just a certain look and feel to it that sets it apart from digital. Sure, Photoshop and many different apps on the iPhone can create the same look, but it's just not the same. Here are two film cameras that I recently added to my collection.
The first camera is the Lomography Actionsampler. The Actionsampler is a 35mm camera that has four lenses. With one click, the four lenses each capture a different images in sequence on the negative. There is no focusing, no shutter-speed, or aperture to adjust. 

Here are a few shots from the Lomography Actionsampler. Apparently, it is named the Actionsampler for a reason. The camera snaps a photo from each lens within  0.22 seconds per frame (and 0.66 seconds in total for four frames in a sequence on each negative). To capture the "action" you need either move the camera while shooting, have a subject that is in motion, or move the camera while shooting a moving subject.

All of my subjects were static, so I moved the camera while pressing down the shutter button to simulate motion in the photos. As you can see, I did not move fast enough because every four photos in the sequence looks the same.

This is my favorite image from the roll of film. It's a photo of an escort advertisement boxes in Las Vegas. This escort ad box is located across the street from a motel. Every time I look at the photo I stare at it and try to figure out where one photo frame ends and the other begins.

Although the results from my Lomography Actionsampler photos were missing motion, I still enjoyed using the camera. The four frames in one photo is a cool concept and with some practice I will get the motion part down. I definitely plan on using this camera again, but next time it will be used on faster moving subjects. The Actionsampler is a fun camera that lets you get creative with your shots. You can pick one up from Lomography for $35.

Next up is a pinhole camera that I made from an Altoids mint tin box. I was excited about this camera and was surprised how quick and easy it was to do. The only challenging part was cutting the slits on each side of the tin box. These slits allow the film to move from the full roll to the empty take-up roll. 

Gaffers tape was my best friend while making this pinhole camera. I used it to cover the entire inside of the Altoids tin. I also used the tape to hold the film rolls into place on each side of the box to prevent light leaks where the film enters and exits the tin box. The cameras shutter is made from a thin piece of cardboard held down by gaffers tape. 

I was really hoping that this Altoids pinhole camera would produce some great looking images. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Out of the entire 24 exposure roll of film, I only found one image that was useable. The rest of the images were overexposed or the subject was unrecognizable. 

I wish I could say that I will use the Altoids pinhole camera again, but based on my lackluster results, I am sad to say I will not. ​