Oh damn that's a sexy ass lookin' camera!
This baby was a birthday gift from my girlfriend and she went through so much hell to get this amazing little camera for me. First of all, this model is a Japan Only model, meaning you can only get this camera specially ordered from Japan. Secondly, Lomography managed to have the camera in stock for special order... only if you're ordering from outside of North America. Somehow, Chloe found a way to "hack" the website and make an order from the General European Store site. But when a month passed with no word from Lomo, we figured something was wrong. Sure enough, the order wasn't put through. After a few calls with the Brooklyn office and enduring the poor customer service of the Customer Service Rep., the camera order was remade and the camera was received in 2 weeks, after flying to random states like Kansas and Memphis according to UPS Tracker. But I knew from all of my research that the camera was totally worth it!
Dang! Wish I knew where to find this package!
Before I got into the D-SLR game, I was playing around with cheap 35mm cameras, like the Lomography Fisheye Camera or Disposable Cameras. While nothing beats the abilities of a D-SLR, it's nice to shoot with a point and shoot every now and again. Digital point and shoots don't really do it for me, and although film is expensive and not nearly as convenient as digital, it's fun and different! So the hunt was on, and after cruising numerous forums I came across the Fuji Natura Classica. What makes the Classica stand out is that it is specifically developed to work with Fuji Natura films which start at ISO 1600. What does that mean? Well, the film is super fast and picks up more light then the average point and shoot 35mm camera. This means that you can shoot with this camera and any film < ISO 800 without the use of a flash. When a film of at least ISO 800 is loaded, the camera enters "natural photo" mode. This means the camera is using the natural light to create sharp, detailed photos. That's right, this baby loves shooting in the shade, indoors, or at night during moments that you normally wouldn't dare shoot in. This thing eats up available light like it's going out of style!
Sample shot © Fuji Natura Microsite @ Lomography
Now, I've had this puppy for nearly 2 months now and have shot about 5 rolls to learn what I can about shooting with it. Did I mention that the instruction manual was entirely in Japanese?! But this camera is great. The lens is super sharp. It's pretty easy to understand the functions, for the most part. It's very light and fairly small, making it a breeze to carry around. It's ninja silent. And all you gotta do is point and shoot! You don't have to meter for the light, adjust your white balance or set your aperture. It allows you to be in the moment and freestyle without any thought! It's so much fun shooting with this camera because every shot is a surprise! You never know how they will turn out. I'm quite the film waster now a days, even though a roll of colour negative Fuji Natura 1600 or Ilford Delta Professional 3200 B&W film average about $10 a roll; not including development or prints! I can't help it though, it's so much fun!
Sample shot © Fuji Natura Microsite @ Lomography
You might notice that there is a bit of noise and grain in the sample photos above. For most digital shooters, these characteristics are huge no no. But for me, and other Natura addicts, the grain and noise add nostalgia and personality to the photos. It's just another fun aspect of this camera which I love!
Sample shot © Fuji Natura Microsite @ Lomography
Unfortunately, I don't have any of my own examples to post. I will get on that soon, I just have to get to work on my Mom's scanner. Hope this post peaked your interest though and that you're looking forward to my own examples from this pint-sized savage. Keep posted!
Loves,
stv
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