The Smena 8M is a b-e-a-utiful piece of Russian deadstock. With a contrasty and saturated lens, dead-easy manual controls, and a look that says, “I AM RUSSIAN, I AM AWESOME” – with a fleeting glance at the bottom of the lens barrel – “I WAS MADE IN THE USSR!”, this babe is a hot one, but she’s pretty useful as well. The Smena can be used in two ways. Just as the manual illustrates, you can set it up in what I call my “snapshot mode” where the aperture is 16, the shutter corresponds to those little diagrams, and the depth of field is set perfectly so I have everywhere from one meter to infinity in crystal clear, saturated, contrasty view. However, with a fiddle of the aperture, and an attitude that says, “Screw you, little diagrams, I can take the REAL numbers!” –heck, I just peer aside the camera and there they are – the Smena has a whole new, creative potential. And of course, with its dead simplicity, the Smena is easily modifiable with awesome behind the lens “masks”, the sensational lens is PERFECT for x-pro, and a “re-cockable” shutter makes for insane multiple exposures.
The Smena 8M is a b-e-a-utiful piece of Russian deadstock. With a contrasty and saturated lens, dead-easy manual controls, and a look that says, “I AM RUSSIAN, I AM AWESOME” – with a fleeting glance at the bottom of the lens barrel – “I WAS MADE IN THE USSR!”, this babe is a hot one, but she’s pretty useful as well. The Smena can be used in two ways. Just as the manual illustrates, you can set it up in what I call my “snapshot mode” where the aperture is 16, the shutter corresponds to those little diagrams, and the depth of field is set perfectly so I have everywhere from one meter to infinity in crystal clear, saturated, contrasty view. However, with a fiddle of the aperture, and an attitude that says, “Screw you, little diagrams, I can take the REAL numbers!” –heck, I just peer aside the camera and there they are – the Smena has a whole new, creative potential. And of course, with its dead simplicity, the Smena is easily modifiable with awesome behind the lens “masks”, the sensational lens is PERFECT for x-pro, and a “re-cockable” shutter makes for insane multiple exposures.
- joeljaik
3 comments
lomodirk
deadsock? :P :D
mephisto19
i'd love to add shots here
livi
what did you mean by "behind the lens “masks”"? I am thinking about buying this camera and I would be happy for any info about it :)