Lomography has just released the new 2026 colors for its unique Sprocket Rocket 35mm Panoramic Camera. We have gotten used to this unusual panoramic film camera coming in new colors every year, and this year we are getting mint green and pink duotone versions, that mix it up by having different colors on the front than the back.
What makes the Sprocket Rocket different is that it exposes the full width of the film – including the two borders of the emulsion with the sprocket holes. The compact camera device can use any 35mm film and produce 1:3 panoramic images. First introduced in 2011, the camera can give you up to 18 images per roll, and has now been made in a dozen different colors and special editions.
You do need to use a specialist lab that can provide you with prints that actually show them, rather than cropping them off – but Lomography offers this service themselves, and also offers scanning solutions so that you can digitize your holey panoramic images once they are processed
The camera itself is about as simple as you can get, with few controls. Rewind and advance knobs are the only top-plate controls and there’s no shutter button. Instead, you fire the shutter by activating a small lever on the lens. Shutter speed and aperture are set via the lens, too. A reverse gear means you can creatively combine multiple exposures on the one frame.
Exposure is fixed at 1/100sec or via bulb mode and the only apertures available are f/10.8 and f/16. Focusing is similarly simple, with two settings: 0.6-1m for closer subjects and 1m to infinity for everything else. You do get a hotshoe, however, so you can attach a flash. No battery is needed, as everything is mechanical.
The Sprocket Rocket is available from Lomography and selected retailers for $69 / £45 / AU$69.
If you’re interested in film photography, check out the best light meters or the best film cameras.
