Lomography is celebrating a year of the LOMO MC-A, its autofocus 35mm compact, with two limited-edition versions: a gold-plated model and a Noir edition finished in black snakeskin-effect leather.

When the MC-A arrived last year, it replaced the LC-A as Lomography’s flagship compact, and it’s clearly found an audience. Lomography says 15,872 rolls of film have been shot through MC-A cameras in its first year, which is a useful reminder of just how much life there still is in new film cameras.

Both new versions are being made in strictly limited quantities. The Noir edition costs £499 and the gold-plated version £549, a premium over the standard model for what are essentially collector’s finishes on the same camera.

Small changes that make a difference

Alongside the new finishes, Lomography has made several improvements to the MC-A based on a year of user feedback. The camera is now easier to load, it remembers your settings when you power it up, the Auto programme chooses f/3.5 where possible, and the LCD stays on for longer before going to sleep.

None of these is dramatic on its own, but anyone who has used a film compact will know that loading and settings that reset at switch-on are exactly the kind of small frustrations that put people off. Remembering settings in particular will matter to those who like to shoot in a set aperture or exposure mode.

There’s also a new set of leather accessories: a half case with strap at £42.90, a leather wallet for the glass filter set and a leather pouch for the flash filters. All three are available individually or together as a set, and Lomography is running launch offers that bundle free or discounted accessories with the cameras.

For those of us who teach film photography, it’s encouraging to see a new 35mm camera being supported and refined in its second year rather than simply replaced. Film shooters have had to make do with secondhand compacts for a long time, and continued development is what the format needs if new cameras are going to be taken seriously.

Specifications

Price and availability

The LOMO MC-A Noir costs £499 and the gold-plated version £549. Both are limited editions, available to pre-order now from the Lomography shop (Noir, gold-plated), with shipping expected in December. The leather half case with strap costs £42.90.