C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The LOMO Volna-3 is a 35mm compact camera produced by the Leningrad Optical and Mechanical Association (LOMO) in Leningrad, Soviet Union, introduced around 1972. It is the third iteration of the Volna (meaning "wave") series, which began as a straightforward economy compact in the 1960s and evolved through incremental improvements. The Volna-3 is fitted with a fixed T-43 lens - a Soviet four-element Tessar-type design of 40mm f/4 - and a central leaf shutter. Exposure is metered by a selenium photocell; the coupling to the shutter and aperture gives the Volna-3 a program-style automatic mode, though the exact degree of manual override available varies between production batches. Zone focus is the photographer's responsibility. The camera is a practical, battery-free tool aimed at the Soviet mass consumer market.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
Refined Leningrad compact with selenium meter refinements and continued zone-focus simplicity.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm full-frame (24x36mm) |
| Lens | T-43 40mm f/4, fixed |
| Years | ~1972 - ~1980 |
| Shutter | Central leaf, ~1/30s - 1/250s |
| Meter | Selenium, coupled to exposure |
| Modes | Auto (program); ~manual override |
| Focus | Zone focus |
| Viewfinder | Optical brightline |
| Weight | ~320 g |
LOMO began producing cameras in the 1930s and built its largest consumer market presence through the Smena series and compact rangefinders. The Volna line entered production in the 1960s as a stripped-down compact designed for broad market accessibility, occupying a tier below the Smena-8M in complexity while sharing manufacturing infrastructure. The Volna-2 had refined the original Volna's ergonomics; the Volna-3 continued this process, adjusting the selenium meter coupling and improving the body finish. Production was concentrated at the main LOMO plant in Leningrad through the 1970s. The line did not continue into the 1980s, as LOMO's compact output consolidated around the more widely produced Smena and Vilia families.
The Volna-3 is representative of LOMO's mid-tier compact output in the early 1970s - a camera that prioritized low cost, battery independence, and maximum simplicity for a domestic market where spare batteries were unreliable. The T-43 lens, shared across several LOMO and KMZ designs of the era, is a capable Tessar derivative that renders competently in good light, with characteristic softer corners at wider apertures. The camera is less well known internationally than the Smena-8M or LC-A, which means it trades at more modest prices while delivering comparable photographic character. For collectors, it fills the middle of the Volna family sequence and represents LOMO production quality of the Brezhnev-era consumer camera market.
The Volna-3 is a fixed-lens camera. The T-43 40mm f/4 is a four-element Tessar formula covering the full 35mm frame. The 40mm focal length produces a slightly tight normal field of view, similar in character to early Olympus Trip 35 or Rollei 35 rendering. No interchangeable mount or documented accessory system exists for this camera. The "T-43" designation is shared with lenses on the Smena-8M; the optical formulas are believed identical or near-identical.
C41
Kodak ColorPlus 200 is an affordable, consumer-oriented daylight-balanced color negative film at ISO 200. Known for warm, slightly muted color rendition, fine grain, and wide exposure latitude, it is currently in production and widely available in Asia and select global markets.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →LOMO Volna-3
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