Oh Pop 9, I guess it wasn't meant to be

It was an accident; after years of not buying a Pop 9, I finally took the plunge. After all, I already had every other multilens camera that Lomography produces. Why not get the last one on the list.

I loved the idea of nine shots exactly the same on one frame, I don’t know why I hadn’t bought one sooner. Every time I’d picked one up in the store, I always put it back. It’s like a voice was telling me not to bother.
Not today. I was buying that damn camera by hook or by crook. I walked into the shop and went straight to the Pop 9, picked up a brand new unopened one and marched without hesitation to the counter. Paid more than I should have (but that’s another story) and briskly walked out of the store to await my destiny.

“Take That! voice in my head” I nearly thought out loud, “Today the Pop 9 wins.”
I couldn’t wait to get home but I had a few other errands to run. By the time I got home it was time to make lunch for the boys so I put the package down and went about my duties but not once did my new toy leave my little brain.
The boys came home from school and we sat down to eat.

I ripped through my meal like ravenous lion; I couldn’t wait to show the boys my new camera as they , like me are avid lomographers.
“Want to see my new camera?” I asked.
“What did you buy now?” they replied, almost in unison. How well they know me.
I reach for the package, and gleefully ripped off the plastic wrapping.
“You bought a Pop 9!!”
You could see the excitement on their faces, or maybe it was the look of ‘oh crap another camera to be shoved in our faces’. It doesn’t matter, I wasn’t really looking as I was already opening the box.

One of the things I love about Lomography products is the detail in the packaging, the posters and books, the overall care in which a package is designed. Today, however it was my downfall.
The Pop 9 like many other Lomography camera’s is held in place in the container by plastic. This plastic prevents the camera from moving during transport and in the case of the Pop 9, the Diana F+ and others so you can see it through the outer packaging before you buy.

Maybe it was too tightly packaged or maybe I should have washed my hands after eating. Maybe I shouldn’t have been in such a rush. Maybe it’s a combination of all three. In any case, I fumbled with the packaging, forcing the camera out of the plastic and almost held it proudly for the first time.
Almost. In my haste, it slipped from my hand and onto the ground with a dull thud. “Not to worry” I thought, I’ve dropped my LC-A from higher heights and had no issues.

Wrong this time weedos. I could almost hear the voice that had told me not to buy the Pop 9 so many times say “I told you so” The front of the camera case was badly scratched. Cosmetic damage? I hoped so. Undeterred, I put a battery in the camera and loaded a roll of film. I flicked the flash on and waited for the familiar whine of a flash powering up and for the light to come on. And waited. And waited.

“At least I have the receipt,” I thought. I grabbed the bag from the store and the only thing in it was my card receipt. No actual product receipt. Remember how I briskly walked from the store? Haste makes for lack of proper paperwork. Return was not an option.

The flash worked for the first four shots although the light never came on. After that nothing. The boys wished me luck and went back to school. After, I went outside and took a few more shots but I was growing upset with myself.

I put the camera on a shelf and left it there for a couple of weeks; I was thoroughly unimpressed.

One morning, I went for a walk and decided to finish the roll off and see if I could maybe fix the camera.

After finishing the roll, I took the camera apart and discovered that when I dropped it, it sheared the flash connecter. The metal bits had bent and broken. Oops. My bad. They must have been knocked loose when I dropped it and by using the flash a few times, it had completely ripped them off.

I have since loaded another roll into it and I’ll use it outdoors as I really love the shots I’ve gotten so far. Sorry world: no party shots from weedos’ Pop 9.

Here’s my favorite from the first roll.

Thanks for reading.
Cheers!

written by weedos on 2012-11-29