Lomopedia: Smena 8M

2

For those who are looking for a simple, no-fuss, totally manual camera to get started with Lomography and film photography, the Smena 8M has long been a popular choice. This entry-level 35 mm camera from the 1970s Soviet Union has also been a collectible for many Russian camera enthusiasts.

Smena 8m © Oceann via Flickr, Image used under Creative Commons license

While the Smena 8M looks and feels like a very basic plastic film camera, what surprises many is its 40 mm f/4 T-43 Triplet lens -- which is a coated glass lens that produces nice contrast and saturation. It's also equipped with a leaf shutter and PC sync socket which allows it to flash sync at any shutter speed.

Other features that make it popular among experimental Lomographers and film photographers are the Bulb (B) mode which makes long exposures possible; and the manual shutter cock function — the benefit of which is the ability to take unlimited interesting multiple exposures.

Photos Taken by Our Community Members

Credits: ryszardl70, sobetion, rar01, dogma, layout, micky_s, pedrofelix, lazybuddha, adibfarhan, dikasapi & sirio174

Technical Specifications

Film Type: All standard 35 mm
Lens: Triplet 43 / 40 mm, f/4
Weight: 289 g
Size: 70 × 100 × 60 mm
Focal Range: 1 m to infinity
Shutter Speeds: B, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250
Aperture Ring: 8 blades
Apertures: f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11,f/16
Flash: PC connection only

Interested in Smena cameras? You may also want to check out our Lomopedia installment for Smena 35 and Smena Symbol!

All information for this article was sourced from Lomography Smena 8M Microsite and Camerapedia.

written by plasticpopsicle on 2014-02-14 #gear #lomopedia #35mm #review #russian-camera #soviet #smena-8m #smena #lomography #lomopedia

2 Comments

  1. alienmeatsack
    alienmeatsack ·

    I just recently purchased a Smena 8M myself and have enjoyed shooting it. I found that it works great using the Easy mode where you select the film speed (converted from GOST to ISO) and then change the shutter based on the symbols, but also gives you total control if you wish to use Aperture and Shutter settings as well. My only issue has been getting my subjects framed well since the viewfinder is offset and doesn't really reflect what's in your view. There's a little metal dot on the back that appears to be centered on the lens itself, and I find that if I aim with the view finder, then carefully slide the camera up so my eye is looking at that dot, my framing is much better.

  2. iamtheju
    iamtheju ·

    i like the 8m but because of the terrible framing I usually opt for the Symbol instead and I think it gets better results more consistently. I feel like the 8m is a little TOO lomo for me and I don't shoot a lot of doubles so that is't even something to temp me.

More Interesting Articles