sllɐqǝʎǝʎzznɟ

The metal editions of the La Sardina proved too tempting and I picked both of them up from ThirtySix this afternoon. From the online images I saw of them … I did have a little doubt … that it will be just some cheap flimsy ‘metal’ covered with some gold paint on? I couldn’t wait to get home to unbox them and this is one rare occasion I decided to take some photos of the unboxing process.

The two metal babies waiting to be unboxed!

Unlike the plastic versions, the metal ones came in wooden carton boxes. Awesome!

Do note that the cameras in these photos look very shiny because of the crap lighting in my room. The real thing (luckily) looks a little different.

You actually unbox it by sliding out the bottom of the box. Neat!

Once the bottom cover is removed … *drum roll*

There are two booklets containing some cool photos taken with the La Sardina. I don’t remember seeing the black one (photo below) when I bought the plastic versions though.

Nevermind the books. Let’s get to the camera! The camera is fastened to the packing using some wires. Clever!

Even the lens caps have different designs on them!

I didn’t bother taking many photos of the front views etc since you can find very nicely done ones in Lomography’s website … but I did take a shot of the bottom (of the camera).

These two metal babies are sleek!

Apart from the lens caps, the … ermm … back of the flash comes in different colors. One in black and the other is brownish in color.

The actual cameras look slightly different from these in my images as I didn’t bother to try get the white balance right (as usual). Let’s just say it is just a little less warmer in color in real life.

Oh … last but not least … the flash diffusers now has come designs on them! The red & yellow ones look similar to the designs on the lens caps.

So are they neat? You bet they are! No … I ain’t being paid by Lomography or ThirtySix to say these but … if you are planning to get a La Sardina … you should consider topping up a bit (on the price) and get the metal edition! Not only they look neat … they weigh a lot heavier than their plastic cousins! To me … it does feel like it is as heavy or even slightly heavier than the LC-A+! That’s even without having a battery installed. Sorry I ain’t got any device to weigh them and that’s just what my old hands tell me. 😀

Also … my doubts went down the drain when I unboxed these babies. They are not the typical oh-so-boring smooth and perfect shiny cameras. To me … the ‘gold’ is more matt than glossy (so says my old eyes). Some parts especially near the viewfinder ermm … how should I describe it … ermm … looks a little ‘patchy’. Hmm … ‘patchy’ sounds like a wrong way to describe it. LOL! Nevermind … I give up trying to describe it. Let’s just say … they do give me an impression like I’ve just bought this from an antique shop. Ermm … you know … ermm … just go down to a shop and take a look at the real thing and you will understand what I am trying to say. 😛

Excuse me while I go put a lens up for sale to raise funds to pay off these two babies and also my X10. Grrrr!