If you’ve been looking at photography trends lately, you’ll notice that there is serious interest in the looks and equipment of yesteryear. From the resurgence of digicams like the Canon G7X or new entries like the Yashica City 300, it’s clear that the photography community is pining for the nostalgic looks of a bygone era and the creativity that it can spark. But what if you could spark that same creativity without buying a new camera? Enter the DispoLens Swiss Army Lens.
What’s a DispoLens Swiss Army Lens
The simplest explanation of what the DispoLens Swiss Army Lens is, it’s a plastic toy lens with three lenses meant for full-frame cameras. However, it’s far more important to demonstrate what this lens does rather than what it is. For this reason, this won’t be a traditional review, but I will make use of this space to tell you a little bit about the lens. The lens is a 3D-printed plastic lens for full-frame cameras and is available in Sony E-, Panasonic/Leica L-, Nikon Z-, and Canon RF-mounts. As you’ll immediately notice, this lens has three lenses arrayed at the center of the lens. That’s the secret sauce that makes this one of the most unique and creativity-inspiring lenses that I’ve tested in years.
Wiggle, Wiggle
The three-lens array serves multiple purposes. Each lens is the same 28mm f11 salvaged from disposable cameras found in the original DispoLens. Where the original was intended to recreate the lo-fi analog aesthetic of disposable cameras, the Swiss Army Lens is designed to recreate the 3D effect of cameras like the Nimslo 3D. For those unfamiliar with “3D” film cameras, the resulting frames could be scanned and keyframed to create a short wiggle effect that creates a 3D optical illusion – making you believe you’re seeing a 3D image. I’ve been a long-time fan of an event and street photographer who goes by YungFrizzle on Instagram – her signature style incorporates this look using analog film.
DispoLens further simplifies the process of creating those 3D effects with their Wiggle Maker website. Simply upload a JPEG taken with the Swiss Army Lens, dial in your settings (fast or slow wiggle, video clip length up to 10 seconds), and you’re done. The resulting is either an MOV orMP4 which could easily be converted into a GIF if that’s what you’re looking for.
Below is a sample image created using the Swiss Army Lens and the Wiggle Maker site:
What else can you do with the DispoLens Swiss Army Lens
While the 3D effect is quite novel, there’s so much more that this lens can do. I’ve used the wiggle effect quite a bit over the end of the summer and into the fall, but it’s all the other lens functions that really made me rethink what can be done with composition alone. As you might have guessed from its construction, this isn’t a perfect lens by any stretch. It’s slow. It’s soft at the edges (and even at the center if the lighting isn’t just right). But thanks to the internal attachments, it can work for a myriad of creative looks.
When shooting without the perspective splitter, you get a unique lo-fi look that’s not quite analog but has tons of character. Depending on the scene, you could amplify the effect by using an on-camera flash to help your center subject stand out. This is one of the effects on this lens that is dependent on how much light is hitting the sensor and the direction of the light. Keep this in mind when creating your compositions.
Here are some images taken with the DispoLens Swiss Army Lens without the splitter:
It creates a ghosting effect that could be used for more surreal compositions. There’s a dual lens splitter that covers the center lens, allowing only the sides to capture an image. This can create a really pleasing effect for architectural scenes and even unique portraits. There’s another 2-lens splitter that has a very similar effect while also introducing light leaks. In terms of use, this was the attachment I’ve used the least, but it has helped me rethink composition as I learn to make better/more interesting images with it.
Again, this is a lens that encourages you to embrace the imperfections and have fun with it; here are some samples:
Additionally, if you really want to spend some time in Photoshop, you can take an image made with the dual-lens splitter and create something of a panorama effect:
Lastly, the disposable camera attachment covers the two side lenses, leaving only the center lens available. This creates the analog adjacent look of the original DispoLens, effectively turning your full-frame digital camera into a digital disposable. This is by far the most used attachment in my day-to-day with this lens. While I’ll keep the 3D effect splitter handy at parties and when hanging out with friends and family, the disposable camera lens attachment is what I have on when I’m just walking around shooting.
It’s a solid lens for street shooting, for everyday snapshots, and will even come in handy if you want to shoot portraits with that early 2000s look:
Creativity is why you’d buy the Swiss Army Lens
This isn’t the sharpest lens you can buy, it’s not the fastest, and it’s certainly not weather-sealed. But it is by far one of the most interesting lenses I’ve had the opportunity to review. Unlike many lenses available today, this one does something that’s far more important to me as a photographer—it sparks the joy of creativity, even on my “boring” Sony a7III. The joy of using this lens is in its ability to completely change the way you look at the world. Each attachment not only changes the kinds of images that you’re able to capture, but also completely changes the way you even look at a scene. What was once boring or plain, become whimsical landscapes that are only bound by your imagination.
Behind the scenes, I’ve been talking about upgrading my work camera, the same a7III used throughout this article, and one of the considerations I have for it is that it has to be boring enough that I’d only use it for work. That means it must be reliable, sturdy, and have access to the lenses I need most for events – fast autofocusing lenses with fast apertures. But this lens has me reconsidering what a “boring” camera is, and how something as simple as an inexpensive “toy” lens can turn something drab into an absolute delight.
You can purchase the DispoLens Swiss Army Lens on the DispoLens website for $99.
