Back in June Lomography, the purveyors of fantastically fun film and toy cameras, came out with the Konstruktor ($35). Like the plastic model airplanes and robots of your youth, the Konstruktor is a camera you build by snapping together plastic pieces. Once put together (and barring any assembly hiccups) you have yourself a honest-to-goodness single-lens reflex (SLR) film camera. Plus, it really works.
When we reviewed the camera we thought it was a good way to learn about the mechanics of a camera, especially for kids. Well, Lomography just came out with the new Konstruktor Transparent Collector’s Edition ($59), which features translucent plastic that lets you see inside of how it works.
Unfortunately, there’s some bummer news: It’s a tease. The transparent Konstruktor is purely for display, as it’s not meant for photographic use – although Lomography doesn’t explicitly say you can’t. So, even though you can see in, it doesn’t help that it doesn’t do anything. Not to mention it’s expensive. Still, it looks cool and makes a good conversation starter, and, yes, you have to build it.
Lomography is currently offering a special gift bundle you get one real Konstruktor, the transparent version, and some extras for around $96.
Click here to read our review of the original Konstruktor.
