Having fun with a new camera is great, but I really needed to find a way to get a better handle on a painful situation…(pun intended)
My Lomokino Rig
Hello Lomokino:
A few weeks ago, the Lomography store in LA had a Red Carpet Event party for their latest camera, the Lomokino Movie Maker. Like the movie film cameras of old, the Lomokino shoots sequential frames with a manual wind of its take-up crank. What’s neat, aside from being able to shoot a series of continuous frames, is that it uses 35mm film! For just under $80, I saw it as a great buy that would be fun to try out.
The Lomokino
Throughout the party, the folks at the store were running around taking pictures of the event with Lomokinos in hand, but since it was night, they used the Fritz the Blitz flash, cable and adapter to get their shots. I took notice of the way that they were holding the cameras and the flash while cranking away at the Lomokino and…it looked kind of uncomfortable. I didn’t think much about it since we were having a lot of fun…so much fun, that I bought a La Sardina camera with the Fritz the Blitz flash and the optional adapter kit, to boot.
La Sardina - El Capitan Edition
The Problem:
The next day, I unboxed my Lomokino, loaded some film into it and started shooting around my apartment. For the dark spots, I mounted the Lomokino on the Fritz the Blitz adapter and hooked up the camera to the flash unit. I then set the flash to it’s lowest level and was able to get three to four lit frames off of one solid charge on the flash. Using either of the two other higher settings on the flash sucks up the charge too fast and makes you wait for the next full re-charge.
Well, after about 5 or so minutes, my hands were getting tired. The square shape of the Lomokino isn’t the most ergonomic design that Lomography has put out. That, plus having to hold the adapter and Fritz the Blitz flash, as well, didn’t make things any easier either. Then I remembered the Lomography staff and how they had to keep cranking away all night taking pictures of the event. If they were in pain, they hid it well (or had plenty of breaks in between).
…and that’s when I went to Google…
The Parts:
Since I already had the Fritz the Blitz adapter, Flash and Lomokino camera, the only thing I was missing was a handle. I figured that someone out there had a handle with a mount screw that would fit the adapter, so before I worried about any other little parts I had to find the right grip.
Once found and ordered, this is what I ended up needing to build out my “rig”:
- One Barska Accu Grip Hand Held Mount – It’s contoured and shaped for a good solid grip and has a nice rubbery coating that’s easy to hold.
Barska Accu Grip Hand Held Mount
- One Fritz the Blitz adapter kit – You’ll need the hot-shoe adapter cable and the adapter arm with the attached swivel for the flash.
Fritz the Blitz Apapter Kit
- One #12-24 x 3/4″ machine screw and washer – Used to mount the Accu Grip in place.
#12-24 x 3/4" Machine Screw and Washer
- One roll of black electric tape – You’ll be making two washers with the plastic tape.
Electrical Tape
Tools needed are:
- One Phillips screwdriver – For screwing the handle to the adapter arm
- One pair of scissors – Too cut the electrical tape without stretching it
- One very pointy object – You’ll need to punch a pencil sized hole through electrical tape
- One drill with a step bit – You may need this particular bit to widen the hole on the end of the adapter arm if you don’t have a thin file
The Solution:
Just so you can see the finished product before the assembly notes, here’s what I ended up getting:
The finished Lomokino assembly
The Good Stuff:
This whole assembly wasn’t built step-by-step; it was built by trial-and-error. I’ll reference the different parts of the rig according to the picture below and give you a general idea of what I had to do to put it all together.
One thing first. Since I didn’t have any rubber washers, I had to make my own out of the electrical tape. Till I (or you) find just the right ones, do this…
Cut out a couple of three inch pieces of electrical tape from your roll and fold the first one over itself so that you have a square. Do the same with the other, only fold it over itself with the sticky side up. Now punch a pencil sized hole through the center of both of them. You’ll need these “washers” for the assembly below.
* Note that three inches of the tape is not a definite. You may have to add or remove tape till it’s the right thickness. It all just depends on your folding skills… 🙂
- The handle has to be mounted upside down, which is fine. The built in screw on the handle wasn’t long enough to reach through the provided hole at the end of the Fritz the Blitz adapter arm.
- Fortunately, the other end of the handle has a hole with the right sized threading with which you can use a #12-24 3/4 screw and washer to mount the handle. You may have to widen the given hole in the adapter to fit the bolt. If so, be sure to use the washer so the screw head doesn’t slip through. Also, you’ll need that “sticky” washer we made and put it between the grip and the adapter arm. The flexibility of the tape and the stickiness of its glue will keep the handle from spinning around while your shooting.
- The given knob that’s used to mount the camera on the Fritz the Blitz adapter arm doesn’t fit too well in the Lomokino. It only goes in so far. Without the right size spacer, the camera wobbles around. This is where the second “non-sticky” washer helps out. Just place the washer between the camera and the adapter arm and run the bolt through it. You won’t need too many turns to tighten it, so be gentle. You don’t want to strip the camera’s thread.
- Connect the hot-shoe end of the adapter cable to the Lomokino and plug the other end into the flash.
The Finish:
When all is done, adjust the handle so that it sits at a comfortable angle and give the screw and knob one more easy twist. At this point you should be good to go. Here’s what the finished rig should look like…
Positioning the camera and handle on the adapter arm this way gives me pretty decent balance as I turn the take-up crank and snap my pictures. Also, my other hand is in a much more comfortable position as it doesn’t have to hold up the camera, the flash and the adapter arm at the same time.
Filed under: Analog Life, Reviews, Tip, 35mm, frtiz the blitz, la sardina, lomography, lomokino, rig
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