Review : The Konica Wai-Wai

It’s tough not to examine any toy camera today in the context of Lomography. As practiced toy shooters pick up a camera not just because they want to but because it is the right tool for the job. What the lens can do, the eccentricities of the build and the history of the equipment all mean something god damn it. A Holga is a Holga for a REASON. No matter what you call the Ultra Wide & Slim it is still the Ultra Wide & Slim.

And so we examine the Konica Wai Wai in the post LC-W world. Like so many, I knew what the LC-W was going to be before it was released. Once it arrived I scratched my head and thought “What the shit?” A clumsily hashed together camera it did many things poorly at once. It’s use of a mask for half frame functionality recalled the caustic failure of the Diana Mini. LSI still has not released a fun half frame shooter. The curved of the Krab casing in every LC-W shot reminded users that Lomo had released the camera without reverse compatibility to LC-A accessories in mind. The LC-W instant kit cemented that. And finally the viewfinder. Look, we shoot toy cameras. An eccentric viewfinder is often part of the relationship but the LC-W’s viewfinder is the byproduct of rushing hurriedly through the design process. Sloppy.

So the Wai Wai. I’d been hunting one for a while. Since before the LC-W release. The arm length self-portraits and pictures of shoes that now populated Lomo’s catalogue of 17mm wide images made me want to get behind the lens of the Konica Wai Wai. The departure of Konica Minolta from the camera and film game and the original disposable function of the camera have prevented this little shooter from ascending to the same lofty pedestal as the Ultra Wide & Slim and that’s a shame. And here’s the part where every modern toy camera review is conextualized in a Lomo world. The Konica Wai Wai is everything the LC-W is not.

Accounting for inflation the price of the Wai Wai is $11.75 in 2011 dollars. The LC-W is $389. Let that sink in. Even at $50 the Wai Wai is still a great deal because despite it’s unfortunate designation as disposable it is anything but. I found it’s build sturdy and resiliant and I am on my fifth reloading of the camera. There are cameras that are intended to be reloaded like the Jazz 207 and Walgreens Free Film For Life Camera that even after one or two uses I found almost spongy to the touch. Not cut out for a long life of plucky shooting.

One of the first design features that caught my eye with the Wai Wai was the loop for the wrist strap. It’s like some friendly, knowing engineer knew this product was too good and that camera nerds would be unable to turn over this 17mm soft plastic lens to some uncaring photomat goon. A loop for a wrist strap doesn’t say “Use this camera to document one boring birthday party.” It says “It’s adventure time baby.”

Once you’ve actually got the thing in the field shooting with it is a pleasure because the aforementioned awesome engineers designed an extra wide body with finger guards that prevent rogue forefingers in photos. I love my UWS but I can’t tell you how many times I have been shooting with speed in mind and caught a finger in frame. The Wai Wai frees up the toy shooter to go fast and wide because the design will corral your fingers out of the way. Simple and pleasing ergonomics. The way LSI spoke to rogue fingers on their most recent addition to the wide fray, La Sardina, is adding needless moving parts. I’ll take Wai Wai’s finger bumper any day.

After you realize you ain’t photographing your finger the question arises ‘What am I shooting?’ With a shutter speed of 1/100th of a second and an aperture of f8 the answer is “a lot” with C41 films. C41 process is already forgiving and the speed and aperture of the Wai Wai will allow you a lot of latitude. I’d suggest sticking Ilford XP1 or XP2 in this little baby. It treats the film well and the C41 process of the film really supports the Wai Wai’s “no harm, no foul” middle ground settings.

But if 400 speed black and white ain’t your thing some of Kodak’s recently recalibrated Portra 800 will give you handsome results. The camera was originally shipped with a roll of Konica’s crappy consumer grade ISO800 film and so feeding it some nice fast color film will net you great results.

The viewfinder is pleasingly accurate and parallax only seems to become a major concern within 2 feet. You will know with some level of accuracy what you are shooting when you look through the finder. If you are the kind of guy who is driven take pictures of himself at arm’s length the camera does have a built in mirror which offers a more than passable level of accuracy.

So what do the pictures look like? One a bright day or with the flash (yes kids, there’s a flash and it isn’t external and connected by a hokey proprietary prong) you will get supersaturated color or nice rich blacks. The center of the frame can get tack sharp but the edges give away to that friendly toy camera fuzziness that highlights the nature of the lens. One thing I found impressive was the 30cm focal distance. You can definitely get inside of one foot and shoot dramatic and intense portraits of a subject while coloring a lush world around them. Coupled with the sharpness of the center of the frame and the focus drop-off around edges adds a dreamlike quality to the pictures. But lot like the slurped cough-syrup fugue of the Holga. This is an overcaffinated, fast rush of a dream. Like a Baz Luhrmann movie.

If you are the type of shooter who’s gun shy on doing any serious modding or prodding to his cams the Youube videos of people reloading Wai Wais in broad daylight might intimidate you. FIRST insert the screwdriver. THEN insert the sliced up credit card. FINALLY stand on one foot. Here’s my radical suggestion. Just buy a damn dark bag. Changing rolls with this thing in a dark bag goes very fast and is much easier than the bizarre juju ritual of the daylight change. And let’s face it. You probably already have one from when you unload your Holga with 135 film.

So what’s my suggestion in a post LC-W world? Shell out 400 hundred bucks for the LC-W or hunt all over the damn internet for a disposable camera that rivals a unicorn for rarity? Hunt that unicorn true believers. The Konica Wai Wai real McCoy and well worth what you spend on it.