Lomography Belair Medium Format Camera

In this digital age, no one preserves the integrity and mainstream appeal of analog film cameras quite like the Lomography community. Thanks largely to their efforts, medium format has seen a resurgence in popularity among contemporary photographers. Many of Lomography’s cameras, in addition to classic medium format models, utilize 120 film to its fullest creative potential. Yielding a larger negative than 35mm, 120 film comes wound on an open spool with a light-tight paper backing. Unlike the more serendipitous nature of popular plastic cameras (such as the Holga or Diana), Lomography’s Belair X 6-12 gives you a greater sense of control. It walks a perfect line between borrowing from the classics, and being a pioneer of its own.

The Belair X 6-12 is an impressive jack-of-all-trades for medium format. With interchangeable film masks, you have the choice of selecting 6 x 6, 6 x 9, or panoramic 6 x 12 formats for 120 roll film. Depending on what size mask you choose, one roll can record between 6 and12 images. Frame windows on the back of the camera allow you to keep track of how far to advance as you shoot, ensuring you never waste or overlap film in the process. Despite its capacity for the larger 120 film format, the Belair X 6-12 is a relatively compact unit. A system of durable folding bellows collapses when not in use, turning the camera into a very portable companion for travel.

For those who enjoy an additional light source, a built-in standard hot shoe allows you to use any shoe-enabled flash unit on the Belair X 6-12. Creative photographers will be pleased to experiment with long exposure (in Bulb mode) and even multiple exposures, recording more than one image in a single frame. For regular shooting, an electronic automatic shutter ensures consistently accurate photos dependent on which film speed (supported ISO 50-1600) is in use. Practically any shooting condition can be covered with an auto-exposure range of EV 4-15.

Each camera also comes with a set of interchangeable lenses. The 90mm standard body, which ranges in aperture from f/8.0-16, has a 35mm focal length equivalency between 32- and 52mm. Depending on which film mask or format you select, your angle of view changes. In 6 x 12 format, it reaches up to 65°. The 58mm wide, which also maintains an aperture range of f/8.0-16, offers up to a 90-degree angle of view in 6 x 12. Depending on format, 35mm equivalency is between 21- and 35mm. Both lenses utilize a simple 4-step, zone-focusing system at 1 m, 1.5 m, 3 m and infinity.

Several versions of the Belair X 6-12 are available in different, but equally retro-chic body styles. The City Slicker is a stylish and discreet black plastic unit, while the Jetsetter has true vintage appeal with a metal body and brown leather band. The eye-catching Trailblazer is a limited edition model in sleek, silver plastic with a dark-brown leather band. For the innovative “Lomographer,” this camera brings a fun, fresh element to film in a world otherwise overloaded with pixels.