A few months ago, while scrolling through YouTube shorts, I came across a creator who took the lens from a disposable film camera and attached it to the body cap of their digital mirrorless camera. The result was successful and unique, so I curiously investigated the concept further. To my surprise, this DIY experiment was quite popular, with many other creators sharing their results of their attempts.
As time passed, the idea of trying the experiment stayed at the top of my mind. There was one issue though; I did not have a disposable camera to use for it. However, I did have an old non-functional Lomo LCA+. The camera, manufactured by Lomography, is somewhat of a fan favorite within the film photography community. Specifically, the Minitar 1 lens that comes on the camera is known for its vivid colors, high contrast, and unique vignetting effect.
I had previously attempted to fix my Lomo and even brought it to a shop, but was informed that it would be cheaper to just buy a new one. Being a point and shoot camera, it operates similarly to that of a disposable. If the concept of repurposing disposable camera lenses on to digital cameras proved possible, surely the same could be done for my Lomo LCA+ and reincarnate the beloved Minitar 1 lens.
In this article, I will share the journey of repurposing the lens from my Lomo LCA+ film point and shoot to capture film-like images using a digital camera. The process is fairly straightforward and produces a satisfying result (provided at end). For those who may not have a spare disposable or film camera to try this for, a company called PocketDispo makes high quality pre built products from this concept. Check them out here.
Step 1: Remove Lens from Film Camera
In order for your disposable or point and shoot film camera lens to work on a digital camera, you will first need to seperate the lens from the camera. The only tools you will need for this are a flathead and phillips head screwdriver.
This step may be different depending on what film camera you’re starting with. My Lomography LCA was made in Russia in the 1980s, so there was a bit more to retrieving the lens than a newer disposable camera. Fortunately, there are plenty of YouTube videos showing how to take apart disposable film camera lenses. We recommend watching this video from YouTube creator Mathieu Stern if you’re using a disposable camera.
For those starting from a point and shoot similar to the Lomo LCA+, I recommend finding a guide or tutorial on how to disassemble the camera lens. This is the video I watched to disassemble my LCA+. However, if you feel good about you’re screwdriver skills, feel free to jump straight into the disassembly.
Step 2: Body Cap Preparation
The concept of repurposing a point and shoot lens works by using a digital camera body cap. By taking the point and shoot lens and fitting it onto a digital camera body cap, the lens can then be used with a digital camera. In my case, I used a spare Micro Four Thirds body cap but you can use any sensor mount such as FujiFilm X, Cannon EF, Nikon F or Sony E.
To mount the disposable or point and shoot lens, you will need to drill a hole into the body cap depending on the size of the lens. For disposable camera lenses, a 16mm hole will be perfect. I ended up using a 7/8th in drill bit to fit the Minitar 1 lens from the Lomo LCA.
The best and most way to determine what size hole you will need to drill into the body cap is to measure your lens using a ruler or measuring tape after you removed it from the camera.
Step 3: Attach lens to body cap.
Once you have drilled the appropriate size hole into your body cap of choice, you are now ready to fit your lens. Fitting the lens is simple as all you need to do is glue the lens while it is through the hole. For disposable cameras, fit the lens through the underside of the cap to ensure the proper distance to the camera senor. In my case, I had to attach my Minitar 1 lens from the outer part of the cap for proper distance to my cameras sensor. I believe this was due to the lens being slightly larger than that of a typical disposable camera lens.
To see whether the lens will be best out the outside or inside of the body cap; temporarily attach it using duct tape then test it by fitting the body cap-lens hybrid to your camera and carefully take some test shots. If the images come out too out of focus, switch the position of the lens then test again.
To mount attach my lens, I used Gorilla Super Glue, but you can use any super glue or high strength epoxy you have available.
Step 4: Shoot with Digital Camera
After you have let the glue set and dry completely, you are now able to attach your new lens to your digital camera and confidently shoot.
To get the best focus in your shots, I recommend using this lens for landscape shots or subjects greater than 10 feet away.
Below are results of my experiment with this project using an Olympus OM-D EM10 mark iii body. The images are unprocessed and use my Minitar 1 body cap setup.
