I've been tracking this 1982 toy camera by Fuji on ebay for quite a long time. It was €49 [ + shipping], a price you shouldn't be willing to pay for a cheap piece of plastic dating 8 years prior to your birth, but well, "'tis the season to  be jolly  spend money", so mom bought it for me.

Believe it or not, this camera looks even more red in person. Also, it visually reminds me of some other cameras I own. The lens reminds me of the Holga 135 BC, its plastic body looks like a Diana, the shutter button is like the one of the Olympus XA, its color makes me think of my Russia Day and my red Konica Pop, and it feels as sturdy as the cheapest disposable. I like the feeling I get when I hold it in my hands, it's like holding all those cameras at the same time. That's silly, I know.

By the way, the camera you see in the picture is exactly the same one I bought: isn't it lovely? ;-)

I've always wanted a wide cam that fits in any bag to carry around at all times. When I started writing commissioned translations for Lomography Italia I decided I'd save up to buy the über-expensive LC-Wide. When I finally reached the necessary amount of piggies, it went out of stock, so I bought the Russia Day instead, which costed me the same money and looks cute and all, but it ain't a super-wide camera. I saved up again and again, but decided I'd rather build a collection of toys and film rolls instead of spending so much on a single item. That's how I got to buy a Fisheye, a Diana Mini, a Pop9, an ActionSampler, a Holga 120 CFN, and an embarassing amount of film [35mm, 120, instant].

I currently have about 60 piggy points and commissioned translations are becoming fewer and fewer, so I doubt I'll get the LC-Wide any time soon, that's why I'm more than happy with my brand new Popeye Camera! Also, look how funny its packaging is! It's like a spinach tin! And this camera is so tiny that it will most likely live in my bag. Or in my pocket too.

This camera is quite hard to come by, and the Four Corner Edition comes hand-numbered [mine is /150, but it basically is like any other Wide&Slim clone [22mm, f/11]... it just looks prettier!

If you didn't know about this camera yet, I'm sure you'll need one as soon as you read this post. This is the cutest, funniest, lightest, loveliest, sweetest camera ever known to mankind. Full stop.

I usually don't like elephants [and apes, I guess that's because of all that Dumbo and the Jungle Book stuff when we were young], but this time I just couldn't resist the light plum color and the sweet face of the little elephant. And the best thing about its design could be the camera back [I'll show you some pics of the camera itself as soon as I get to finish my first roll with it].

The fake straw on top works as a "shutter button": its speed is said to be 1/100, but mine seems to work on a B-setting, as it doesn't shut 'till I release the shutter button. We'll figure this out, I guess.

This tiny baby's lens is quite wide too [28mm], and I just can't wait to take it to some crowded place to take lots of candid shots of unaware strangers ['till they notice and beat me up].

If I ever get to write down my complete collection of film cameras, you'd most likely think I have some kind of a fondness for multi-lens/weird format cameras. I do actually like them, but I rarely have the carefree attitude you need to play with those. That is to say that I doubt I'll ever enjoy my Split-Cam that much, but as it, as far as I know, out of production, I thought I'd better have to grab one before they're all gone. I guess this is the sort of camera which is too weird, the kind you get bored with easily. Also, this camera is an ugly duckling. It is most likely the worst-built camera ever, and it is quite big too. It looks clumsy, but not in a cool way [like a Holga, for example]. It just looks cumbersome. Okay, now you know I'm that shallow, too bad. Will this camera ever grow on me? I don't think so, but let's just wait and see :-)

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Last week has been the most exciting time in the whole year. Dog days are over now, and they're over for good this time. New school, new people, new things to do. And then news news news which have nothing to do with it. And then Christmas presents to give and to receive, valuable time spent with my family, positive thinkers all around, the saddest year coming to an end and a new one just about to begin. A complete brush on a life that's been making me sick for months.

I don't have anything Christmas-y to share, I wouldn't even feel like. I don't feel like jingle bells and stuff, I just feel I can't wait 'till December 31st, I need something to happen. It just kills me that I can't say a thing. I'd rather climb on a mountain and scream it out. Loud.

Last night I was listening to a Screaming Trees record, and these lines caught my attention:
"I got to tell you, goodbye mama
We've taken this too far
Been trying to tell you what's going on"
I started laughing hysterically. I'm sad as fuck now that I realize this is just how this all will end. At least, I got Mark Lanegan to listen to. Which ain't bad at all. Believe me, it ain't.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year or whatsoever, y'all.
I might come back before 2012, who knows.
See ya.

LC-A+ "Russia Day" + Fuji Superia 1600 [exp.2009]

Pictures featured in my last article for Lomography.

*Click on the pictures to see them on Flickr or here to see them in my LomoHome*