Lomo MC-A: Finally a "real" camera again?

Let’s be honest: Since the big collapse of the analog industry in the 2000s, there’s been little to celebrate when it comes to new hardware. Mostly we got plastic toys or extremely expensive niche products. But now Lomography is launching the Lomo MC-A, something that really caught our attention here in the workshop.

Is this the long-awaited successor to the legendary compact cameras like the Contax T1, Olympus Mju, or Yashica T5 from the 90s? We took a close look at the technology and the first reports from the community.

Source: Lomography Instagram

Technology, not a toy: What’s inside?

First things first: The MC-A is not a plastic toy (unlike the admittedly much cheaper Kodak Snapic A1). Lomo uses a metal body here, which you immediately notice by the weight (a solid 332g). It finally feels like a tool again, not a disposable camera.

The optics: Minitar-II

If there’s one thing I especially miss from the good old days of analog tech, it’s the excellent lenses. Electronics are much easier and cheaper to reproduce today. Good lenses, however, are still hard to make and therefore rare on most current cameras. That makes it all the more exciting 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 interesting sweet spot between classic 28mm wide-angle and 35mm reportage lenses. Perfect for street and everyday carry. The big advantage of the MC-A compared to the Snapic is the lens’s brightness. With a wide aperture of f/2.8, you can still get good exposures in moderate light with classic ISO 200 film. 

The autofocus: Fast and reliable

The MC-A’s autofocus works fast and precise. In low light, it delivers clearly better results than the old infrared systems of 90s compact cameras. And for old-school fans: you can still estimate manually with zone focus, but the motor does the work.

Close-up view of the focus control

Image quality: Character with quirks and edges

How does it perform in practice? The reports are clear: If you’re looking for clinical sharpness, this isn’t the camera for you (and maybe you should shoot digital). The MC-A delivers character.

• At f/2.8 (wide open): Here it shows its "Lomo roots." The center is okay, but it gets soft towards the edges (which some people like), with a noticeable 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, vignetting disappears. This is the working range for "serious" photos.

Example of the image look in daylight. Source: Lomo Instagram

Sharpness performance in close-up. Source: Lomo Instagram

Light and shadow (literally)

The exposure metering works solidly but tends (like many cameras of this type) to slight overexposure in high contrast. A small downside is the program auto mode (P mode). It tends to open up quickly to f/2.8 to keep shutter speeds short.

Our tip: Use aperture priority mode (Av). The camera sets itself to f/8 when there’s 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 think that’s technically very well done and very modern. No more searching for exotic chargers!

Conclusion: Buy or not?

If you can invest around 500 euros, the MC-A is among the best new analog cameras of the last 20 years — along with the Pentax 17 (which, however, follows a half-frame concept).

It exactly fills the gap between cheap "reusable" point-and-shoots and the completely overpriced, maintenance-prone legends like the Contax T2. You get a point-and-shoot with a warranty, modern autofocus, and — if you want — full manual control.

If you can live with the slight edge blur at wide aperture (or see it as a stylistic feature), you get a tool here that’s 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

Video: MC-A in an in-depth review

Peter Forsgård took a close look at the MC-A and shares his impressions after several rolls of film: