Lomography Konstruktor F - 35mm Film Camera

I loved the idea of a build it yourself camera and the Konstruktor didn't disappoint – it was a lot of fun to build and neither too easy nor too difficult in this regard. You can take some fairly good photos with it as well, but you have to account for its limitations. For example: because of its shutter speed, you really need to be mindful and keep the camera steady to get clear photos. I've also found the mechanism to advance the film sometimes malfunctions (or perhaps it's an issue with the shutter/spring system), but if you're willing to put up with niggles like this, it's a fun camera. Not so good for serious photography, perhaps, but if you're just looking to mess around a bit I can recommend this camera.

I was given the earlier version of the Lomography Konstruktor some years ago as a present. The only difference between this model is that mine doesn't have the flash connection. Otherwise it's identical. I am no mechanical engineer but I managed to put the kit together in about three and a half hours. What you get, for a mere £30, is a simple but functional 35mm SLR with a waist level viewfinder. The 50mm lens is plastic and quite sharp at the centre, not so good at the edges. It works great with B&W film and seems to add a bit of a vintage tint to colour films. There is a close-up adaptor available. Focusing is via the waist level finder which is helped my a little magnifying glass. The waist level finder gives a different perspective compared to a conventional eyepiece. You tend to take photos with the camera at chest height. The aperture and shutter speed are fixed with no way of altering them apart from there being a "b" setting for long exposures. A serious camera it perhaps is not, but it's fun and you can take good photos with it.

Was a great little project that kept me busy for a few hours.

Thoroughly enjoyed putting this camera together. Easily spent a few lockdown hours assembling and decorating the camera. It works very well but be delicate with winding the film forward. I have used 3 rolls so far and just waiting to get them developed.

I requested this for my birthday after spending months looking at it again and again and trying to justify why I needed one (I already have some nice posh SLRs and TLRs). Eventually I decided I wanted one purely for the joy of building an SLR camera. It didn't disappoint! Instructions are easy to follow and I'd advise using a magnifier with the instructions and screws themselves to make sure you're identifying and using the correct screws for the correct part. Took me a couple of hours to put together but then sadly I found the shutter wasn't working properly when I tested it by holding up to the light with the back open. I worked out that a internal spring must have come off in the light box. The light box had come as a pre-assembled part so this wasn't any error on my part. Again happily the instructions included a section of how to assemble the light box for those who were interested, so I was able to dismantle the camera and the light box and re-attach the offending spring. I'm not quite finished putting it back together yet but I've definitely had my money's worth of enjoyment from it even before taking my first image. I'd absolutely recommend this kit.

I’m taking my first steps back into film photography. I don’t really know what I’m doing but I sat down with this over two hours and felt very proud of myself. It’s taught me well about how cameras work and it’s really fun to use! Still waiting to get the film developed but great kit!!

Only buy this if you consider yourself handy.

Instruction book is really unhelpful and there's barely any detail. All 4 type of screws are just bundled up together and there's no proper description for which screw is which, despite three of them looking incredibly similar in size and shape, so you're left guessing.

If you put one step the slightest bit wrong you'll end up with a broken camera.

The website could also make a bigger deal of the fact it's a build-your-own - it's only once you click in and read the small-print description. I was scrolling through 35mm cameras and saw a picture of a good solid looking camera, no mention of the build-your-own in the title.

I bought this as a birthday present for a nine year-old boy. He was absolutely made up with it. I’ve not seen any of his pictures yet.

The camera kit is so much fun to do, it's simple and not too fiddly even if some pieces are small. I had loads of fun making it and shooting on it afterwards!!