Lomo MC-A in review: The best new film camera in 20 years?
Lomo MC-A: Finally a "real" camera again?
Let's be honest: Since the great collapse of the analogue industry in the 2000s, there has been little reason to cheer when it came to new hardware. Mostly we got plastic toys or extremely expensive niche products. But now Lomography presents the Lomo MC-A, something that makes us in the workshop sit up and take notice.
Is this the long-awaited successor to the legendary compact cameras like the Contax T1, Olympus Mju, or Yashica T5 of the 90s? We have taken a close look at the technology and the first reports from the community.
Technology instead of toy: What’s inside?
The most important thing first: The MC-A is not a plastic toy (compared to the admittedly much cheaper Kodak Snapic A1). Lomo uses a metal body here, which you immediately notice by the weight (a hefty 332g). It finally feels like a tool again, not a disposable camera.
The lens: Minitar-II
If I miss something special from the good old days of analogue technology, it is the excellent lenses. Electronics are much easier and cheaper to reproduce today. Good lenses, on the other hand, are still hard to make and therefore rather rare in current cameras. All the more pleasing is that the MC-A comes with a 32mm f/2.8 Minitar-II glass lens (5 elements in 5 groups). The focal length is an exciting sweet spot between the classic 28mm wide-angle and the 35mm reportage lenses. Perfect for street and "always with you". The big advantage of the MC-A compared to the Snapic is the lens’s brightness. With an aperture of f/2.8, you can still expose well even in moderate light and with a classic ISO 200 film.
The autofocus: LiDAR technology
This is where it gets exciting. Lomo does not rely on outdated infrared technology but on a modern LiDAR autofocus system. It works extremely reliably even in low light. And for the old-school fans: You can still estimate manually by zone focus, but the motor does the work.
Close-up view of the focus control
Image quality: Character with quirks
How does it perform in practice? The reports are clear: If you are looking for clinical sharpness, this is not the place (and you might want to shoot digitally). The MC-A delivers character.
- At f/2.8 (wide open): Here it shows its "Lomo roots". The center is okay, but it softens towards the edges (which some people like), with a distinct vignetting. Users describe a "glow", almost like with a ProMist filter. You either love it or hate it.
- From f/5.6: Sharpness increases noticeably, the vignette disappears. This is the working range for "serious" photos.
Example of the image impression in daylight. Source: Lomo Instagram
Sharpness performance in close range. Source: Lomo Instagram
Light and shadow (literally)
The exposure metering works solidly but tends (like many cameras of this kind) to slight overexposure in strong contrast. A small drawback is the program automatic (P mode). It tends to open up very quickly to f/2.8 to keep short shutter speeds.
Our tip: Use the aperture priority mode (Av). Set the camera firmly to f/8 when there is enough light, and you get crisp results.
Manual control is the key to sharp images.
An important detail about power supply (Ausgeknipst tip!)
Lomo delivers the camera with a rechargeable CR2 battery that has a direct USB-C connection. We find this technically very well done and very up to date. No more searching for exotic chargers!
Therefore our clear recommendation as engineers: Always have a second battery with you. Nothing is more annoying than missing the perfect light because the battery is currently on the cable.
We have added exactly this suitable battery to our range for you:
To the suitable spare battery for Lomo MC-A
Conclusion: Buy or not?
Honestly? Yes. If you have the budget of just under 500 euros, this is probably the best new analogue camera that has come onto the market since the 2000s.
It exactly fills the gap between the cheap "reusable" snap cameras and the completely overpriced, maintenance-prone legends like the Contax T2. You get a point-and-shoot with a guarantee, modern features (LiDAR!) and – if you want – full manual control.
If you can live with the slight edge softness at wide open (or see it as a stylistic device), you get a tool here that is really fun.
Have you already tested the MC-A? Write us your experiences!
Sources and further links:
Buy camera at Lomography
Image sources: Lomography Instagram
1 comment
Ich habe mir die MC-A Ende 2025 gekauft und sie mir selbst als Weihnachtsgeschenk gegönnt ;) Die ersten beiden Rollen Film sind schon mal verknipst und ich bin schon auf die Resultate gespannt.
Die Einstellung der Automatiken bzw. manuelle Modi an Blendenring und Programmwahlrad geht wirklich einfach, der MX Knopf für Mehrfachbelichtungen ist gut platziert. Den manuellen Filmaufzug finde ich auch gut gelungen, der Hebel sitzt genau an der richtigen Stelle (für mich zumindest ;)), um die Kamera einhändig zu bedienen. Das Display mit Entfernungsanzeige des Autofokus und der Belichtungsanzeige würd ich mir an so mancher Digitalkamera wünschen ;)
Haptisch und funktional überzeugt sie also schon einmal.
Bei den Bedienelementen fände ich es praktischer, wenn AF und MF Position vertauscht wären (ich lande sehr oft beim Enschalten gleich auf MF) und die Markierung der Belichtungskorrektur dürfte meinetwegen auch ganz einfach “normal” zur Filmebene stehen. Ein integrierter Objektivverschluss wie bei der LC-A hätte es auch noch sein dürfen, wobei wiederum die Möglichkeit, Filter zu verwenden mit dem aktuellen Design leichter umsetzbar ist. Man kann halt nicht alles haben ;)