Customer Rating: 




Summary: One trick pony
Comment: Okay, let's be clear about something. The Action Sampler is not a Lomo despite it's being sold and branded by Lomography.com. It IS a toy camera. What you get are 4 frames, each timed 1/200 of a second apart on one frame of 35mm film.
You do not get focus, ASA/ISO controls, shutter speed controls or anything other than a very basic light sensor that determines whether or not the flash fires and the flash itself which is supposedly synchronized to the shutter, although I'm not convinced that it actually is.
The four frames are cool but that's this camera's one trick. It's all it does. The optics are terrible quality. If you're old enough to remember the old Instamatic cameras with the 110 film cartridges and the terrible resolution they had, well, this will make you feel all dated and nostaligic.
That said, this camera is a blast. You can take pictures of movement but because the lenses all point in slightly different directions, it's you can shoot still images and get 4 very different photos to choose from. And if you like the lo-fi picture quality or the subtle Andy Warhol-esque look of your new 4 framed pictures and don't care too much about getting a really good picture, you'll have a wonderful time.
The lenses are focused at "infinity" meaning everything after a few feet is in in focus. Close-up/macro stuff is out of the question. As far as ASA/ISO, I use 1600 or 800 and have it pushed one stop in the lab (effectively making it 1600 with artifacts) or the pictures come out too dim in anything other than the brightest sunlight. That's right, indoor shooting or shooting in the shade is out unless you use really fast film, which also degrades the detail quality.
Like the Lomo LC-A and LC-A+, there is a little vignetting but this is not a Lomo and you shouldn't order one thinking that it is. The Lomo LC-A is it's own delightfully weird little camera and takes brilliant shots that put this little toy to shame. The action sampler is also about twice as big as a real Lomo.
Think of the Action Sampler as a great nearly disposable party/road trip camera. More fun to use with your friends than alone. If I lost mine, I am not certain if I would replace it but I have seriously considered buying a bunch and giving them out as stocking stuffers next holiday season.
This is a 2.5 star camera but I'm giving it a 3rd star because of how much fun it can be. Not a serious camera but a really fun toy.