The
Lomo Smena 8m is a simple an basic Russian camera from the early 1970s,
production has ended around 1993 and more than 2 million have been
made. So it's common and cheap. It is fully manual, a black plastic box
capable of shooting very decent photos on 35mm film. There is no focus
aid, no meter, it's all guesstimation.
Its main features are:
40mm T-43 3-element glass lens, F4-F16, zone focus, 1m-∞ Shutter 1/250 - 1/15, B, has to be cocked manually Size 100x70x60, Weight 289 gr. PC flash connector
Camera
front. There were several variants for the nameplate. This one lacks
the Smena 8m indication, maybe washed away. The F-stop setting is
linked to the DIN/ASA setting (16-250), if you want to use the cameras
guesstimation. The F-stops are real, so if you have a meter, use the
F-stops.
Camera
back. Viewer, film counter and film advance.
Camera top. Film rewind, cold shoe and shutter release.
Around the lens: weather symbols, coupled to shutter speed, shutter
cocking lever. Depth-of-field scale. Distance in meters and via symbols. Camera bottom. Tripod socket. On the lens barrel: flash socket.
Left side. On the lens barrel: shutter speeds.
Right side. Back opening slider.
Film compartment. The wind-up spool can be replaced by a Russian film canister to use unconfectioned film.
This
camera in its simili-leather case.
Case closed.
Technically
the Smena 8m is like an early mechanical camera. Guessing the exposure
via the symbols works, but it's not as good as the later Elikon/Agat
models. If you use a meter, it's fine. The lens is quite good. There
are skilled russian sellers who sell the lens adapted to M39 for a use
on modern cameras. If you are interested, I have done a test here. The link opens in a new window.
