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Lomo Kompakt Automat (LC-A) ... Where to buy?

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macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jun 26, 2005
2,643
10
Toronto
Does anyone have any idea where I can get a LOMO Kompakt Automat (LC-A)? I'd like to avoid eBay and the like. It seems like all the people shipping them on eBay are from the USSR and are rather overpriced.

Ideally, if anyone knows of a place I could get one in Toronto, that would be fantastic! I looked at Henry's. They only have the Horizon (which is wildly overpriced) and some multi-lens action snappers.

I just want a nice fun camera to tide me over until I save enough money for an XTi! :) Plus the LC-A takes FANTASTIC photos. I'll keep it for a long time.

Either that, or does anyone have any experienced with the LOMO Holga? Or the K200? The K200 is very inexpensive (about $20 on eBay), but I haven't seen many photos taken with it. I love the exposure and colours of the LC-A the best.

Thanks a bunch!
 
I used to shoot B+W with a Holga all the time. I was having trouble with it until I slathered it in Gaffer's tape. After that, the pictures were incredible. Something about putting a $400 flash on a $15 camera gave me dirty pleasure.
 
cleanup said:
Right, but if I ordered from them, I'd still have to pay customs fees. That's the thing. There's tons of places to order them in the U.S., zero in Canada (that I can find).
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What exorbitant fees are you speaking of? There are fees, but it sounds like you don't have a handle on what they are.

If the item is subject to duty (it won't be covered by NAFTA if the country of manufacture is Russia) then you will pay a customs duty rate of somewhere between zero to 3% and 9% depending on the classification.

You have to pay GST and the appropriate Provincial tax, just like you would on a local purchase. This is calculated on the duty paid value.

If you have it shipped by USPS (mail) then Canada Post will charge you $5.00 brokerage fee for collecting the GST, unless the item is under $30 (i think) when they generally don't bother.

If you are foolish enough to have it shipped UPS courier, then you will pay $16 - $30 brokerage fee. Check with the seller first to make sure you have some options for shipping and are not locked into UPS International Standard.
 
CanadaRAM said:
What exorbitant fees are you speaking of? There are fees, but it sounds like you don't have a handle on what they are.

If the item is subject to duty (it won't be covered by NAFTA if the country of manufacture is Russia) then you will pay a customs duty rate of somewhere between zero to 3% and 9% depending on the classification.

You have to pay GST and the appropriate Provincial tax, just like you would on a local purchase. This is calculated on the duty paid value.

If you have it shipped by USPS (mail) then Canada Post will charge you $5.00 brokerage fee for collecting the GST, unless the item is under $30 (i think) when they generally don't bother.

If you are foolish enough to have it shipped UPS courier, then you will pay $16 - $30 brokerage fee. Check with the seller first to make sure you have some options for shipping and are not locked into UPS International Standard.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I just recall years ago when I ordered a laptop battery from the states that was valued at about $110. I think it was shipped Purolator. I ended up paying $60 in customs fees or else I'd have to ship the battery back. Ever since then I've been very wary of ordering things from overseas.

The official Lomography shop says that they ship either UPS or DHL, so I think I'll avoid them. So far it seems that my best bet is eBay. All the sellers are from Hong Kong and for some reason their prices vary from $20-$60 while the retail price of one is far above that. Anyone know why that is? Seems a bit sketch!

Thanks for all your help!
 
I know this is an old thread but it comes pretty high up on a google search for 'where to buy an LC-A'.

Buying one on eBay is certainly cheaper, but you take a big risk. There's just no guarantee that the camera is in good condition or been checked by a professional, and you may not get your money back if it turns out to be broken or faulty.

That said, the refurb cameras that lomography sell are far, far more expensive. Overpriced in fact. But the camera will have been properly serviced and does come with a 2-year guarantee.

So it's risk of broken camera vs. paying premium for one you know will work.
 
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