The Cosina CX-1 is the grandfather of Lomo LC-A, actually, the LC-A is kind of a copy of this camera. I’ve been searching for the Cosina CX-1 for a long time and now I own one.
I already knew that Lomo LC-A was inspired in Cosina CX-1, almost a copy. When I bought this camera I was astonished by the similarity between the two cameras; Size, weight and design is the same, the buttons are very similar and they are almost in the same place, even the screws are positioned in the same place.
The biggest difference between the two cameras is the front piece; it also has viewfinder and lens cover but instead of using the bottom button to open or close the slide cover, you have to rotate the whole front piece clockwise to open the cover.
The camera is superbly crafted, very well built with good quality materials and very reliable, it is a bit rougher and all the mechanisms work much smoother, especially the rotation of the front piece.
The first film that I used on CX-1 was a Fuji Velvia; it is one of my favorite films and I use it a lot with my LC-A, it was the perfect film to find out the similarities and differences between the two cameras. The results are, like the camera itself, very similar; Cosina CX-1 produces sharper photos but it looses a bit on colors, Lomo LC-A produces more vivid and brighter colors but it is only a slight difference, overall, the photos look that they where taken by the same camera.
Personally, I like both cameras; it is nice to carry both cameras loaded with different films, one with slide film and the other loaded with B&W or redscale film.
What I like in this camera:
- Optics.
- Mechanical performance and reliability.
- Overall quality.
- Lens cover.
- History.
- Sharpness.
What I dislike in this camera:
- ISO range (max. 400ISO).
- No cable release thread.
25 comments
vicuna
Great review and amazing gallery! the beach and sunset pictures are really beautiful!
vicuna
And I love the DS shots too, a fantastic beautiful car! Did you know that the name of this car is a word play as DS is pronounced Déesse and means goddess in french...! :)
lawypop
amazing colors!
herbert-4
Wonderful review of an excellent camera!! And a wonderful gallery, especially that Citroen DS21 Pallas (?)!!
adi_totp
amazing!!
satomi
ohhhh, I so want this camera!!
maximum_b
great review, great pictures!
crayfish
great colors
mephisto19
beautiful gallery!!!
dazb
Great review! I picked up one of these the other day at a camera fair :)
paper_doll
finalmente :D lovely shots indeed.
stouf
Wah ! Excellent ! And I'm a DS lover too !
panelomo
of course! :)
nicolas_noir
I'm on the hunt for one of these or a CX-2. Prices are pretty much the same as the L-CA these days. From looking at photos produced from both the CX 1 and 2, I would also say that the optics are probably "better" than the L-CA in the sense that it covers more of the frame and doesn't seem to create any vignetting.
cinzinc
a simplified and direct comparison to the LC-A! i like this review! great job, great gallery!
bongofury
Great gallery
rexhibitionist
Fantastic shots. Now I hope I can find one of these in a thrift store locally!
zulupt
@ vicuna @herbert-4 @stouf : I´m also a DS lover (Pallas), the sexiest car ever made ;)
@nicolas_noir : The optics are better, infact, the whole camera is better but an Lc-a is always an Lc-a. There are other clones (they just re-brand the camera): Petri Px-1/Px-2 and Porst 135; you might want to look for them.
@paper_doll : Podes crer, tardou mas apareceu. Obrigado.
To all: Thanks for the comments ;)
myvitaminx
wanna sell it?do contact me
zulupt
@myvitaminx : Sorry mate, this is a keeper ;) Take a look at e-bay, I bought mine there. Thanks.
afd_lsi
nice review. and great gallery.
kdstevens
Great gallery and the DS puts it over the top!
bravopires
marvellous that is maravilhoso!
xdinx
WTF!! it take beautiful pictures!! really need to get this one..
vicuna
Just bought a CX 1!! :)))