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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slr-35mm
The Almaz-102 is a 35mm SLR produced by LOMO (Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obyedineniye) in Leningrad, introduced around 1983. It belongs to the Almaz (Russian: diamond) series that represents LOMO's attempt to produce a higher-specification SLR than the mass-market Zenit line from KMZ. Like its successor the Almaz-103, the 102 uses the M42 universal screw mount and features a vertical-travel metal-bladed focal plane shutter - a meaningful engineering step above the horizontal cloth shutters found in most Soviet SLRs of the era. The body styling shows clear Nikon F2 influence, with a similar top-plate layout and finder hump profile. TTL center-weighted CdS metering is match-needle in the viewfinder. The Almaz-102 is distinguished from the Almaz-103 primarily by minor refinements to the meter circuit and body finish; the two cameras share the same fundamental mechanical architecture.
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.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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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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Before you buy used
About this camera
The earlier sibling to the Almaz-103 - LOMO's refined M42 SLR with vertical metal shutter and TTL metering.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | M42 universal screw |
| Years | ~1983 - ~1989 |
| Shutter | ~1s - 1/1000s + B, vertical metal |
| Flash sync | ~1/125s |
| Meter | Center-weighted TTL CdS |
| Modes | Manual |
| Weight | ~860 g |
| Battery | 2x PX625 / SR44 |
| Focus aids | Split-prism, microprism, matte |
The Almaz series emerged from LOMO's ambition to compete with the more technically accomplished SLRs being produced in Japan and East Germany in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Almaz-102 was introduced as part of this effort, preceding the Almaz-103 which followed shortly after. Both cameras share the vertical metal focal plane shutter design that set the series apart from the horizontal-cloth-shutter Zenit cameras produced at KMZ in Krasnogorsk. Soviet camera production at LOMO was always secondary to the factory's primary military and precision optics work, which constrained production volumes and development resources. The Almaz line did not see extensive variant production or accessory development, and the broader decline in Soviet camera investment through the late 1980s ended the series without a clear successor.
The Almaz-102 occupies the same niche as the Almaz-103: a Soviet SLR distinguished by its vertical metal shutter and evident Nikon F2 design influence, produced in modest numbers for the Soviet professional and advanced-amateur market. For collectors the 102 is arguably rarer than the 103, as it preceded the more widely documented model. It represents the height of LOMO's SLR ambition before the factory's camera program wound down. The M42 mount gives it full compatibility with the large ecosystem of Soviet, East German, and Japanese M42 lenses, which contributes to its usability for film shooters today despite its scarcity.
Mount: M42 universal (42mm x 1mm pitch screw). Full compatibility with:
No dedicated Almaz accessory system is known to have been produced.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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