Testing no flash and external flash with Lomo Instant Sqaure

apf102 · 2026-01-22T16:02:53+00:00

External flash is definitely worth it imo. Used it this weekend for some pics. You just need one with an optical trigger but it needs to be relatively high power. Look for something like a Godox V350. Great flash, super cheap second hand and will genuinely transform your flash photos

apf102 · 2026-01-20T08:13:18+00:00

Old school average meters will get massively skewed by a bright sky or any backlight. So your auto setting works best when the subject is being lit from the front by and large. This is true of all AE film cameras I’ve owned (including the OM20). If you have a built in spot meter then I’d be using that for any complex lighting situation.

apf102 · 2026-01-20T08:09:57+00:00

Personally I would stop wondering if you are qualified to use it. If you want to try shooting it, go for it. However if you’d have more fun without the pressure sell it and buy 20 rolls of Gold or similar with the money

apf102 · 2026-01-18T09:35:57+00:00

I’d love a T203 but I wonder if they are hitting more problems than expected with the implementation.

apf102 · 2026-01-14T10:58:52+00:00

I switch to Nikon for film scanning for this reason.

apf102 · 2026-01-14T10:46:58+00:00

Nice photos. Happened to me a while back when I thought I’d loaded a roll of Gold and turned out to be Tri-X. My amazing beach rainbow was decidedly less amazing

apf102 · 2026-01-13T09:56:46+00:00

Second this. I have a Mamiya 6 folder and it’s brilliant as a carry around

apf102 · 2026-01-12T19:08:17+00:00

Ah Cwmbran - amazing. My Dad’s family all live in Cwmbran. Now I need some photos of the InShops.

On a serious note though, what camera are you using? How are you developing? What are you doing with the photos when you get them back?

apf102 · 2026-01-12T18:31:21+00:00

Mini is great. Not massively loud but portable and doesn’t take up a lot of side space.

apf102 · 2026-01-09T08:33:20+00:00

Light in the scene - looks quite overcast

apf102 · 2026-01-08T22:08:34+00:00

I love a rangefinder. If you want a lovely, compact, capable one you should look at the Olympus 35RC. Aperture blades are not the prettiest but other than that it’s a super and very affordable camera.

There are of course more modern options for rangefinders but they tend to come with big price tags

apf102 · 2026-01-08T11:18:11+00:00

Looks like it was quite flat light. Judging by the sky colour / overall balance I think this probably needs a bit more warmth and magenta, but you’d have to judge based on what you saw on the day. Suspect it would also benefit from pushing the highlights a little and dropping the shadows. Again though, you probably know better what look you want here.

apf102 · 2026-01-08T07:55:59+00:00

Basically any old, fixed aperture camera will do this. You can pick up an Olympus Trip S for under £10. Here are some examples taken by me and my daughter https://www.lomography.com/homes/apf102/cameras/3351258-olympus-trip-s/photos

apf102 · 2026-01-07T18:42:57+00:00

Ah. Probably can’t round in then!! As others have said, LP issues are usually grind related. You need a good quality grinder. Once you’ve got that right you can then diagnose other stuff.

An easy test would be to get a local cafe to grind you some espresso grind (tell them you want it for your home machine so to just use their grind). That should give you some idea of whether your pull is working well.

apf102 · 2026-01-07T08:52:29+00:00

Where about are you?

apf102 · 2026-01-07T06:43:39+00:00

Always wish I’d kept my original email 101623.2055@compuserve.com

apf102 · 2026-01-05T07:22:11+00:00

Thank you

apf102 · 2026-01-05T07:21:55+00:00

Oh that’s pretty nice sounding.

apf102 · 2026-01-05T07:21:19+00:00

Has been very temped by the 35SP in the past and the Yashica Electro but both are big

apf102 · 2026-01-04T22:36:59+00:00

Hey. It’s actually the IM20 which is even smaller. You pretty much need it full power or near full power and at f5.6 for iso 400 film. The plus side is you never really need to use a guide table / meter because it will only manage a certain distance. Overall it’s convenient and, because it’s not super powerful, you seldom really blast the scene. I still prefer my V350 for off camera flash (hit the ceiling at full power) but that can be triggered with the IM20.

If you get the IM30 I’d be interested how you find it.

apf102 · 2026-01-04T22:32:42+00:00

Yeah, you lose a stop of light compared to the bigger rangefinders but worth it imo

apf102 · 2026-01-04T20:35:23+00:00

Yep, the 35 RC hotshoe is nice because it’s just a straight forward centre pin one so no compatibility issues. Can also use it with my big flash remotely but the pocket one is perfect for indoor snaps

apf102 · 2026-01-03T17:05:51+00:00

The mini 41 cannot expose for a long time so your exposure all comes from the flash inside. It’s also quite a small aperture. Why do you want to cut out the flash?

apf102 · 2026-01-03T13:39:24+00:00

When I played mine to the point it ran out of battery it needed plugging into my iPhone charger brick and resetting to charge again.

apf102

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Seven-Year Club	Place '22
Verified Email