Low Tech Wonder - Lomography Sprocket Rocket and Nikon Flash at an Indoor Event!

 

Making the Mochi (Rice Cakes), by Reed A. George

Lomography Sprocket Rocket, Nikon SB-30 Flash

iso400 Color Print Film

 

I've mentioned in the past that I find myself only using my film cameras in easy shooting situations. This post takes me out of that limitation a little. My family and I attended a Japanese New Year celebration in Washington, DC. Having been to this event before, I knew that the lighting was weak in the hotel meeting rooms. Weak and kind of yellow - you know, like attending a convention at any other hotel.

 

I wanted to take my new Lomography Sprocket Rocket and give it a try. But, with a maximum aperture of f10.8, how could I pull it off? Simple! Use the hot shoe on top to mount a flash. I used an old Nikon SB-30, a tiny little flash unit. I knew I'd get huge light dropoff with distance, using a small flash like that. But, I decided that was what I wanted.

 

Nikon SB-30 Flash

Image Source: http://reallyrightstuff.com/mmrrs/Others/Newsletter/newsletter4.html

 

I loaded up a roll of iso400 film in the Sprocket Rocket, set the SB-30 to the automatic setting for f11 at iso 400 (third row down in the little table on the back of the flash shown above), and went to town, literally.

 

Another Form of Mochi Maker (Automatic), by Reed A. George

Lomography Sprocket Rocket, Nikon SB-30 Flash

iso400 Color Print Film

 

 

Outgoing Vendors, by Reed A. George

Lomography Sprocket Rocket, Nikon SB-30 Flash

iso400 Color Print Film

Parallax Correction? Well, Not So Much, by Reed A. George

Lomography Sprocket Rocket, Nikon SB-30 Flash

iso400 Color Print Film

 

When you shoot up close with the Sprocket Rocket, parallax can be a real problem. I thought I had this young man's face almost in the middle of the rangefinder in the vertical direction. As it is, he ended up with a sprocket hole over one eye. Sorry about that, kid.

 

I had a blast walking around the event with the Sprocket Rocket and flash. With these types of toy cameras, the normal "no-no"s, like using a tiny flash and small aperture almost add to the images. I am thoroughly enjoying dropping all pretense and shooting for pure fun with this camera. More low tech wonders to come!

 

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