This is another plastic camera sold under the Lomo name. Like the Lomo ActionSampler, SuperSampler and CyberSampler, this camera has multiple lenses. Unlike the previous multiple-lens cameras from Lomo, this one comes with a flash, and instead of just four lenses, this one has nine.
Is nine better than four? Yes. And the construction of this camera feels more substantial than the other cameras in the ActionSampler series. It is built more like the body of a Jazz Jelly 207 Panorama camera. It requires just one AA battery in order to operate the flash. But there is no light metering system whatsoever. If you think you need the flash (which you probably do), then you have to turn it on yourself. The flash lever (located on the top of the camera) doesn't automatically slide into the "off" position after you're done with it, so you can easily forget and thus drain your single AA battery.
The other thing to worry about is the lens cover. It is just a piece of plastic (fortunately attached to the wrist-strap by a string so you won't lose it) that fits over the nine lenses. However, since this is a rangefinder camera, when you look through the viewfinder, you have no idea whether the lens cap is on or not. The viewfinder also doesn't really give an accurate representation of what your camera is aimed at.
The dimensions of the viewfinder seem smaller than your average viewfinder. That's because it is. But this is necessary since you are taking nine simultaneous pictures onto the surface area of one 35mm print. After taking the picture, your print will have nine slightly-different shots arranged like this:
1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1
I didn't use sequential numbers to illustrate this because all nine shots are taken at the same exact instant (unlike the Lomo ActionSampler, CyberSampler, and SuperSampler, all of which take four sequential pictures on one frame). The reason I said that the nine images are "slightly different" is because they are taken at slightly different angles, all laid out on a grid as described above.
This camera is called "Pop" because the multiple images that it creates are reminiscent of the Pop Art of Andy Warhol, where one image was repeated several times on one canvas. So, very much like Pop Art, the longevity of the resulting image depends upon what you take a picture of. Nine nondescript landscapes on one print won't likely be too interesting. But if you take pictures of friends, or other close-range objects, the chance juxtapositioning that occurs can create interesting effects. And when taking a picture of a closer subject, the different angle of each lens is more pronounced (an object that seems centered in one image might be partially cut-off in another of the nine images).
Overall a good toy camera, and the flash is definitely a good feature.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
A revolutionary golden child, armed with 9 piercing lenses and the ability to completely transform your world. One single shot produces 9 identical im...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
A revolutionary golden child, armed with 9 piercing lenses and the ability to completely transform your world. One single shot produces 9 identical im...More at Adorama
This golden jewel in the Lomographic crown instantaneously transforms the environment around you into glorious explosions of 3 x 3 identical pattern i...More at eBay
9 lens camera for the Andy Warhol in you Built in flash cool photo poster included in shiny gold or cool metalic balck uses standard 35 mm filmMore at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.