{"id":27681,"date":"2018-04-08T14:00:24","date_gmt":"2018-04-08T06:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/?p=27681"},"modified":"2018-04-09T15:59:33","modified_gmt":"2018-04-09T07:59:33","slug":"the-lomoinstant-square-retro-never-felt-so-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/2018\/04\/08\/the-lomoinstant-square-retro-never-felt-so-good\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lomo\u2019Instant Square: \u2018Retro\u2019 never felt so good"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The world of photography has been advancing in leaps and bounds ever since it started. From the analog cameras of the early days to today\u2019s most advanced digital single-lens reflex cameras, the advancement of technology when it comes to taking a photo has progressed so much.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Analog cameras are still around, but they are considered relics of yesteryear. It\u2019s fun to use them, but they\u2019re not exactly the ones you can use to have fun with photos\u2026 \u00a0until you see Lomography\u2019s latest: the <\/span><b>Lomo\u2019Instant Square.<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-27687\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/lomo-with-shots-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/lomo-with-shots.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/lomo-with-shots-290x218.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/lomo-with-shots-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/lomo-with-shots-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Normally, we\u2019d start a short review with the good, but there\u2019s little bad to say about this cool camera that I feel it\u2019s best to start with the things we didn\u2019t like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Battery. <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most cameras today either have a very specific battery that you can charge with a particular charger or within the camera\u2026 or it runs on double or triple-A batteries.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>The Lomo\u2019Instant Square, however, runs on CR2 batteries. They\u2019re hard to find and are expensive for a pair of batteries (almost Php 500!). The good side, though, is that the camera doesn\u2019t consume that much power, so it\u2019s fine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Film. <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes, we\u2019re saying this part is bad. You only get so much with Instax and Instax Mini films (10 shots per cartridge), and if you\u2019re not familiar with the camera you\u2019re using, you\u2019re screwed. It\u2019s fun to use it, though, because you really have to get your eye in, making it perfect for anyone who wants to improve their photography skills.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Price.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s about as expensive as cameras go, and with the Instax as its go-to film, people might still go for Fujifilm. At SG$ 289 (~Php 12,000) for the square-only and SG$ 329 (~Php 13,000) for the combo, it\u2019s like buying an entry-level digital camera. However, your entry-level digital camera won\u2019t be able to pull off what this camera can, so we say worth.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now that those are out of the way, let\u2019s get to the good stuff.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>A throwback to (probably) end all throwbacks<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Analog photography is coming back into the fray, and Lomography is taking full advantage of that with their latest product. The Lomo\u2019Instant Square has so far topped our charts because of the many things you can do with it\u2014even with limited experience!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-27689\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/shooting-modes-and-controls-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/shooting-modes-and-controls.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/shooting-modes-and-controls-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/shooting-modes-and-controls-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It has 2 shooting modes: A for auto and B for \u201cBulb\u201d mode. If you\u2019re new to analog photography, sometimes referred to as Lomography, or photography in general, then we suggest you stick to Auto for the meantime. Auto basically lets the camera do all the work for you, though you are the one that has to dial in the focus for this camera.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-27684\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/back-with-photo-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/back-with-photo.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/back-with-photo-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/back-with-photo-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Explore a lot of angles and go for daytime conditions if you\u2019re new to shooting with an analog camera. The best part: you get to see if all of your hard work paid off in a matter of minutes\u2014all without the need to \u201cset filters\u201d or dabble in post-production.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-27688\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/samples-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/samples.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/samples-290x218.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/samples-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/samples-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Couldn&#8217;t get our eye in for Bulb mode shooting, but auto looks just as good!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bulb mode, however, is where it\u2019s at for this camera. This is where things get really interesting, as it lets you take full creative control of the camera which, in this case, involves being able to hold the shutter open for more than a split second.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It sounds simple, but with a little creative thinking, you can create stunning images without the need for post-processing or a dozen settings to fiddle with\u2014like painting with light!\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There\u2019s also the MX mode, which lets you expose a single film multiple times AND see the results in a near instant. Take that, Photoshop and Lightroom!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pro tip: there\u2019s a remote hidden in the camera body. Make sure you use that with a tripod to get the most out of Bulb mode!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The never-ending \u201ccute\u201d remarks<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes, you read that right. Once people see you holding this camera, there\u2019s a certain sense of \u201ccuteness\u201d that comes into play.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-27691\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view-290x218.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Lomo\u2019Instant Camera just looks good, no matter what angle you look from. The material used feels robust, yet still gives off that old-school, analog feel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-27690\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view-2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/side-ish-view-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The instant film (though Instax has already cashed in on it) is a thing of beauty. As we mentioned, you get to see your hard work in a matter of minutes, and you\u2019ll say \u201ccute\u201d right away once the print is developed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Remember when taking a photo used to mean taking your roll of film to a local photo shop (Kodak and the like), waiting for a couple of hours, then praying everything works out? Well, this takes you back to those times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-27683\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The feeling of waiting for your photo to developed drives your anxiety levels through the roof, and holding that paper envelope of sorts in your fingers makes the reveal more dramatic as it\u2019s developing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instant cameras take this feeling and amplify it because you\u2019re constantly flapping this piece of film, hoping the photo turns out great. Sure, you\u2019re only going to get a few good photos when you first use your Lomo\u2019Instant Square, but get your eye in and you\u2019ll be the envy of your friends. Oh, and did we mention there\u2019s no need to wait for WiFi to share it with your buddies?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Final thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-27682\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, there you have it. An expensive, old-school camera that uses a specific set of batteries and film. It\u2019s a case of you either love it or hate it, and for us at Philippine Primer, we loved it. Yes, the batteries and film are a concern, but the reactions we got from the photos we took were priceless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lomography, we\u2019d like to know when you can send another one, please.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s not too late to get into analog photography, and the Lomo&#8217;Instant Square is one of your best weapons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[5809,5810,5808,5807],"class_list":["post-27681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature-story","tag-analog-camera","tag-instant-photography","tag-lomoinstant-square","tag-lomography"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/04\/featured.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27681"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27694,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27681\/revisions\/27694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}