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-103 is a 35mm SLR manufactured by LOMO (Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obyedineniye) in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), introduced around 1982. The body styling draws clear inspiration from the Nikon F2 - the top plate layout, finder hump profile, and control placement share evident design lineage with Nikon's professional 35mm system of the era. Despite the visual resemblance to Nikon, the Almaz-103 uses the M42 universal screw mount, placing it in the same lens ecosystem as Zenit, Praktica, and Pentax Spotmatic bodies. The shutter is a vertical-travel metal-bladed focal plane type, an advancement over the horizontal cloth shutters used in most Soviet SLRs of the period. TTL center-weighted CdS metering with match-needle display in the viewfinder is battery-dependent; unlike Zenits with mechanical fallback, the Almaz-103 relies on battery power for shutter control on some speed ranges.
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
LOMO's upmarket Soviet M42 SLR of 1982 - a Nikon F2-inspired body with TTL CdS metering.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | M42 universal screw |
| Years | ~1982 – ~1990 |
| Shutter | ~1s – 1/1000s + B, vertical metal |
| Flash sync | ~1/125s |
| Meter | Center-weighted TTL CdS |
| Modes | Manual |
| Weight | ~890 g |
| Battery | 2x PX625 / SR44 |
| Focus aids | Split-prism, microprism, matte |
LOMO was primarily known as a military optical and precision instrument manufacturer, with cameras as a secondary production line. The Almaz (Russian: diamond) designation signals LOMO's intent to position it above the KMZ Zenit line. The Almaz-103 appeared during the period when Soviet camera engineering was attempting to close the gap with Japanese SLRs; its vertical metal shutter and TTL metering reflect that effort. Production volumes were modest by Soviet standards - the Almaz-103 was never a mass-market camera. The factory's shift toward other optical priorities, and the broader decline in Soviet camera investment through the late 1980s, meant the Almaz line did not see significant follow-on development.
The Almaz-103 occupies an interesting niche: it is one of the most mechanically refined Soviet 35mm SLRs in terms of shutter design (vertical metal vs horizontal cloth), yet it remained in the M42 ecosystem when Japanese manufacturers had already moved to bayonet mounts. For collectors, it is an unusual intersection of Soviet camera manufacturing ambition and clear foreign influence. The Nikon F2 design lineage makes it visually distinctive among Soviet cameras. Production was limited enough that surviving examples in good condition are scarcer than Zenit or Praktika bodies.
Mount: M42 universal (42mm x 1mm pitch screw). Full compatibility with:
No known dedicated Almaz accessory flash or winder system was 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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