Lomo camera. Lomography

Yes, I do not want a soap dish! And I don't need a mirror. All these boring, “licked” photos… I would like a lomograph with Fisheye and filters, then I would!.. But where to look for them?

In fact, anyone can buy a retro camera with some unusual lenses and filters. Where? Abroad. How? Order yourself or through an intermediary. I gave away only a hundred dollars (or even less), got some kind of cool one there and went aimlessly, and took pictures of such a thing ...

Well, let's see what real photography gurus shoot for in the 21st century?

Lomographs La Sardina: take color!

Top - Flash Analogue Camera, bottom - Flash DXL Analogue Camera

The next step is when flash appears on your camera. New horizons and opportunities are already opening up here. But La Sardina does not stop there and offers to complement flash effects with paints: each camera comes with 4 color filters. By the way, what do you like more:, or, in which the grandmother keeps family jewelry?

Diana: Lomographs of the 60s

Left to right: Diana Dreamer, Diana F Zebra, Diana F Neptune

More unusual lomographs? Ok, let's look at the next brand. Diana releases, exclusive crazy 60s style lomo cameras. Guest #1 from the past - . How is it different from others? You can take endless panoramic shots, adjust the shutter and aperture, plus a removable lens. Film - 120 mm.

Kill everyone on the spot with a bright design? Take (film - 120mm). She also knows how to take wide-angle shots. For a bright life, she always has color filters with her. She loves to experiment with exposure and shout loudly that her owner is not a bore. If Zebra is too bright for you, a model with the same abilities, but in a different color - .

Diana Gold and Diana Novella

For 120 mm, Diana also has another guest from the 60s: the camera. She is renowned for her penchant for atmospheric images with glow effects, noises, and other romantic wear. Luxurious - an analogue of the Novella, but with a flash. Both are capable of producing panoramic shots and increase the attractiveness of their owner by 70%.

Lomography Diana F+ Flash Mini Camera

And finally, the line Diana Mini: miniature lomo chambers , and . 35 mm, flash, but the main highlight is that whole frames can be turned into halves, combining pieces from different scenes in one picture. Photo vinaigrette provided! The leopard also comes with a set of color filters.

Fisheye: dynamic depth of field

Lomography Fisheye 2 and Lomography Gold Fisheye 2

fisheye effect(fisheye) without hesitation can be called the best way to turn an ordinary photo into something special. A fisheye can add carousel dynamics to even the most flat and static shot. One can only guess how real fish look at this world. But while we are not fish, it is better to buy a lomograph with additional lenses or even a lens. A couple of stylish options - pastel blue and glamorous. 180-degree view, 35mm film, built-in flash and hot shoe - the best set for a party!

What if a masterpiece doesn't work? It doesn't happen

Someone will say that you can never take a normal photo on a lomograph. But what is this norm? What do you need from super-clear shots where everyone is standing at attention and smiling forcedly? No emotions, no memories, longing. It's time to breathe life into photography! Add noise, glare and scuffs (hello Instagram!), make the pictures crawl on top of each other, use unusual effects. One word... Lomography! Here's what you need.

Digital cameras have made a real revolution in the photographic world and art. Before, people were fond of photography, but it required certain efforts, because the film photo process was not fast. And now photography has become an occupation "nowhere easier." From a technical point of view; nothing has changed with creativity, and it pleases! The passion for photography has become available to a huge number of people. However, for all its attractiveness and accessibility, digital photography is devoid of its charm and charm inherent in film photography. So the Lomographic community believes that the days of the "film" are by no means numbered and the world should know about it.

A feature of lomographic survey is the method of photographing. This is done without using the viewfinder - pictures are taken from the position "from the shoulder", "from the hip", "from the knee", from behind the back, on the outstretched arm - whatever, the main thing is quickly and "not aiming", and the shooting itself is carried out on simple automatic film camera.
The name of this direction comes from the name of LOMO cameras, produced by the Leningrad Optical and Mechanical Association. At one time, these cameras were produced in millions of copies and were available to every Soviet family. So, there is a very high probability that compact film "LOMO" is still stored on the mezzanine in many post-Soviet families.

Here in the picture is the camera "Amateur" of the association "LOMO". My grandfather had one, though broken; it became one of my first childhood toys. There was no talk of any photography at the age of four. I just liked the way the shaft doors opened with a dry crack. Yes, it has a shaft viewfinder. And much later I found out that this device is medium format - it is designed for wide film, and negatives are obtained in the size of 6x6 centimeters, and this is considered cool in our time! We know that medium format Hasselblads cost sky-high prices and are almost a status item! And then a simple "Amateur"! 🙂

How lomography originated

Lomography as a new photographic and very creative direction emerged in 1991 in Austria. Lomography refers to the type or method of photographing and the final photographs, the artistic value of which is not so much a single image in the picture as the total number of photographs, a certain series of them, united by one, global idea.

One day, two Austrian students of the Vienna Academy of Arts were on vacation in Prague. One of them, in a commission shop, for fun, bought a “hellish machine” for 12 dollars - a LOMO-compact automatic camera. While traveling around Prague, friends took pictures of everything without bothering to look into the viewfinder.

After returning home and printing Prague photographs, friends laid out panels from them. What happened as a result greatly impressed them: the colors of the photographs were brighter and more intense than usual, and invisible but palpable waves of warmth and kindness emanated from the pictures.

Due to the fact that the camera transmitted images with significant color and geometric distortions, it turned out, as it were, a peculiar and non-trivial view of the world around. And the lack of thoughtful staging of the frame documented everyday life events "as they are." The successful combination of technical imperfection and photographing life "as it is" was given the name "lomography" by the Viennese students.

The friends decided that the exhibition of lomographs (photographs taken with the LOMO-compact automatic machine) simply had to take place. At the same time, the students did not have money to organize and hold the event. Friends got out of the situation by registering themselves as an official organization and turning to the Vienna authorities for help. In such a simple way, in 1991, the International Lomographic Society appeared in Austria.

Currently, the Lomographic Society is the most powerful organization, with its offices in 70 countries. The ranks of lomographers are constantly replenished, and the photographic direction itself is spreading around the world by leaps and bounds. Lomographic offices help novice lomographers, distribute the latest news from other countries, organize and hold lomo contests, lomo parties, and lomo parties. The motto of the lomographic society is the phrase "love and motion" - this is how the Austrian creators deciphered the name LoMo - "love and motion".

Cameras for lomography

Not every camera, even if it is produced at the LOMO factory, is suitable for lomography. A peculiar and specific "lomo-frame", in most cases, can be achieved only with the help of "LOMO-Compact automatic". This becomes possible due to the fact that the device is equipped with a wide-angle lens (due to which the pictures are obtained as if vignetted, with the effect of darkening the corners) and an automatic exposure meter, which quite often does not work very accurately. Photos taken with this device are sharper, more saturated and with characteristic darkening at the edges of the picture.

However, the Lomography Community also distributes other models of cameras designed exclusively for lomography.
Among them:

disposable devices with loaded film for 24 shots;

underwater cameras;

four-, eight- and even nine-lens cameras (at the time of shooting, several mini-frames are obtained, asynchronously lying on the photograph. This allows you to capture actions in motion);

cameras with built-in flashes, which provide interchangeable multi-colored filters to highlight the subject in the process of shooting;

panoramic cameras with a viewing angle of 120 and 170 degrees;

cameras with fisheye lenses;

and etc.

Scrap projects

Organizing and holding their numerous photo exhibitions, lomographers, as creative and creatively thinking people, very often hold unusual actions.

For example, collages-lomostens are created and stretched over many meters, which are a collective stream of consciousness. To create such collages, more than one hundred photographic films are snapped off. The lomographic community sends free lomo cameras all over the world, which are intended not only for famous personalities - pop stars, theater, cinema, politicians, athletes, public figures, but also for ordinary people: workers, employees, teachers, educators, etc. From the returned films photographs are printed and collages are created, many of which are exhibited at world-class events. Like, for example, at the world-famous book fair in Frankfurt am Main, where a giant lomosten was created.

You can find out about all the events and lomographic events taking place in dozens of countries on the official website of the Lomographic Community, where news about current or upcoming projects, promotions and exhibitions is published.

When I was preparing this article and looking at lomophotos on the Internet, I couldn’t help feeling that the venerable photographers were right: it’s not the camera that shoots, but the person. A photograph that tells a story can also be taken with a lomo if you know how to look at the world. And vice versa, a big, black and heavy camera with the most frightening lens will only help you look solid and cool, but is unlikely to bring any sense, again, if its owner does not know how to look at the world. I strongly advise you to look in Yandex for pictures by searching for “lomography”, there will be something to think about. in a creative direction.

On the other hand, lomo-style photos can be taken with an inexpensive digital camera. Although it will already be “not according to the rules” (according to the rules, lomography, it’s still a film), but it will help you learn to think creatively and see creatively.

And yet, although this could have been written at the very beginning. Lomography, of course, has nothing to do with the photostock business. Some pictures can be accepted for stocks, but as a curiosity. This industry is turned in a different direction. Lomography can already be called a kind of art. If I had the opportunity, I would try! More and more I find myself doing this. 🙂

LOMO "Instant cameras are represented by several models with large (8 x 10 cm) and small (5 x 9 cm) frame sizes. Both types of cameras work on cassettes and differ from the original Fujifilm products not only and not so much in a pleasant and high-quality design, but how many useful settings for the most demanding photographers and simple lovers of experimental photography.

In Lomo cameras, you can manually set the shutter speed, control exposure, change shooting modes. Also included with cameras are interchangeable lenses and multi-colored gel filters. Thus, shooting on lomo is much more fun and interesting!

The cost of lomo cameras is about twice as high as the cost of seemingly similar Fujifilm Instax cameras. But the amount of money spent generously pays off with wide shooting opportunities and unforgettable photos. Who should pay attention to LOMO: people of creative professions and just creative and creative individuals who are ready to spend a little more than 10 thousand rubles on their passion for photography.

Such a genre of artistic photography as lomography, which appeared in 1992, brought to the world not only a new look at everyday things, but also a large number of interesting gadgets for film photography, many of which are produced to this day, and even available for purchase in our country. If you want to learn more about the history of occurrence and the basic principles of the flow, we recommend reading the article "", and in the meantime we will consider various lomographic devices, of which there are not so few in the world.

ActionSampler

The first stand-alone product created by the Lomographic Society was the ActionSampler camera released in 1998. Its fundamental difference from other cameras is the use of four lenses at once, which fire at an interval of 25 milliseconds. The images taken with the camera are four mini-frames in one, taken with a slight delay.

The main purpose of ActionSampler is to capture moving objects. An alternative technique would be to move the operator towards an object. As planned by the developers, the viewfinder is not required here, so it has a removable design and is made in the form of a small plastic frame.

ActionSampler Flash

The advanced modification of ActionSampler received a slightly different design. It differs from the original model by the presence of a four-segment flash that works synchronously with the lenses, and the presence of a full-fledged viewfinder. The approach to shooting has remained the same, but the possibility of night photography has been added.

Supersampler

In 2000, another device of the Sampler family appeared, this time with the Super prefix. It uses all the same four lenses, but arranged not in a square, but in a row. At the same time, the optics used in them is wide-angle, but the view is set not horizontally, but vertically. The image obtained in this way looks like four photo strips glued into one frame.

Oktomat

The emergence of Oktomat was a logical development of the idea of using multiple lenses. The camera is equipped with eight optical systems that allow you to get a small mini-movie in one image. The mini-frames are arranged in two rows of four, and the time required for all eight shutters to operate is two seconds. Like the ActionSampler, the viewfinder looks like a plastic frame.

Pop 9

The latest camera with a similar concept, developed by the Lomographic Society, was the Pop 9. It has nine lenses that create images in the style of Warhol's Marilyn Monroe, as the pop-art-inspired name clearly alludes to. The device received a flash and a full-fledged viewfinder.

Fisheye

Next in line is the fisheye, a fully automatic ultra wide-angle camera with a 170-degree field of view and a distinctive round image caused by uncorrected distortion. Like most lomographic devices, Fisheye is made in a lightweight plastic case and has a single shutter button. True, there is also a viewfinder with a flash.

Fisheye 2

The second version of Fisheye, like the compact version of Fisheye 2 Baby, received an improved design and more features. There was an infinite shutter speed, which allows you to "draw with light" and multiple exposure, designed to overlay several pictures on one frame. The not very convenient viewfinder used in the first version was replaced with a new one, which not only has a removable design, but also shows the picture the same as it is being shot, that is, with the fisheye effect.

All this is complemented by the appearance of a “hot shoe”, to which one of the proprietary Colorsplash Flash is supposed to be connected, coloring the frame with a certain shade. The usual modification is made in an aluminum case, while the Baby model is made of plastic, has reduced dimensions and works with 100 mm film.

Frogeye Underwater

The Toad Eye is the only lomographic camera designed for underwater photography. It has a waterproof design and built-in flash. The viewfinder, made in the form of a sight, is folded away from the rear of the body. Everything is controlled with one button.

colorsplash

The main idea of this camera, which came from the Colorsplash Flash, is to tint the image in a certain color. The camera has a non-standard design, where the same flash protrudes from the side of the body. The kit comes with 12 color filters, making it easy to choose the right shade. To achieve interesting shots, it is not necessary to wait until dusk, interesting effects can be achieved during the day, when not the entire image is highlighted, but only foreground objects.

It is also noteworthy that the flash can be used not only synchronously, but also by starting it manually. Especially attractive results are obtained when using a slow shutter speed with tinting at the very end.

Sprocket Rocket

The original panoramic camera with an ultra-wide viewing angle. She has several interesting differences. First, by removing the special plugs, you can shoot over the entire area of the film, including the perforated area. And secondly, the design provides for the possibility of rewinding both forward and backward. This allows not only to make panoramas of any length, but also to shoot with multiple exposures, overlaying as many layers or incomplete overlays as you like. Of the controls provided: exposure switch (1/100 second or manual), aperture selection (f / 16 or f / 10.6) and distance selection (0.6 - 1 m or 1 m - infinity).

Diana+

Like the original LOMO LC-A, Diana is a camera from the past, only not Soviet, but Chinese. It appeared back in the mid-60s and was positioned as one of the most budgetary solutions for amateurs. Over time, interest in it faded and production was discontinued, but in 2007 the Lomographic community revived Diana again, releasing first Diana +, and then a whole family of similar cameras.

The main differences of the device are the special pinhole design, the use of 120 mm film for shooting and the availability of a wide range of various accessories, including five interchangeable lenses, a cable release and even a special back for mounting 35 mm film. In a word, a very interesting lo-fi camera with its own signature style.

To date, there are many different configurations and colors on sale, but the main modifications are the classic Diana +, DianaF + with a flash installed, and Diana Mini, which shoots on a half-frame format - 1/2 35 mm, which allows you to get 72 frames or make square images.

Holga

Another gadget from the Chinese past, reanimated by lomography lovers. Holga is similar in design to Diana and also has a set of characteristic distortions that make the shots shot on it unique. The camera is designed to work with medium format film, which can take images of 4.5 x 6 or 6 x 6 cm. The lens of the basic version, like the body, is made of plastic, but glass can be optionally installed.

Also, due to the fact that the camera has a pinhole design, it is possible to shoot without a lens at all, which allows you to get very unusual pictures with a soft image. Holga has many modifications: with flash, color flash, glass lenses, for creating panoramas or even with two optical systems. There are, however, fewer accessories for her than for Diana, but the resulting shots are no less interesting from this.

Spinner 360°

Spinner 360° is a very entertaining mechanical device for creating 360-degree panoramas. You can shoot on a regular 35 mm film, while using the entire field of the frame along with perforation. The camera is mounted on a special handle, inside which is placed a tape drive that rotates it around its axis. All you have to do is simply pull the pin and wait for the device to make a full circle. If you want to get into the frame - hold the gadget in front of you, if not - raise it above your head. The set of settings is traditionally minimal, there is no flash and viewfinder. One panorama takes 8 frames.

Horizon Compact

A simplified version of the Horizont-202 panoramic camera, the production of which was launched by the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant by order of the Lomographic Society in 2005. The original Horizon first appeared back in 1967 and has gone through many changes since then. The camera works with regular 35mm film, producing 24×58mm panoramas.

The lens used is a four-lens "MC Industar" 8/28, focused to infinity and mounted inside a drum that rotates 120 ° during shooting. The vertical wrap angle is 45°. There is a non-removable viewfinder, the use of a flash is not provided. There is also a slightly modified version of the Horizon Perfect that has a similar design and features.

lomolitos

Our review is completed by a disposable camera produced by the Lomographic Embassy for those who just want to try their hand at alternative photography. Inside - 24 frames, outside - red, blue, green or yellow body and shutter button. The rest is just your imagination.

In the Soviet Union, sometimes they did downright unique things, today a story about one of these products, about a camera of the LOMO 135 series. Two versions of the camera were produced - 135BC and 135M.

LOMO-135VS was developed in the 70s of the XX century and was produced at the Leningrad Optical and Mechanical Association named after V.I. Lenin, abbreviated "LOMO", from 1975 to 1982.

Camera LOMO-135M very similar to LOMO-135VS and was produced at the same plant from 1981 to 1984. The differences between these cameras are very minor, so it makes sense to combine the reviews of these cameras into one.

From 1975 to 1984, 175,400 cameras were produced, many of which were exported under the COSMIC 135MS brand.

What is so remarkable about these cameras? Consider the pros and cons in more detail

These are scale cameras. The cameras do not have a rangefinder and any automation. The shutter is central. The exposure is set according to the corresponding icons based on the calculator built into the camera.

The state of the sun and the atmosphere determine shutter speed:
Sun -1/250, Sun in a haze - 1/125, light cloudy - 1/60, cloudy - 1/30, rain 1/15, there is also a shutter speed "B" - by hand.
The shutter speed values are in no way tied to the film speed, unlike the Sunny 16 rule, in which, on the contrary, the shutter speed is set based on the film sensitivity, and the aperture based on the state of the sun and atmosphere.

The location of the plot is responsible for the aperture, while taking into account the film sensitivity: mountains, beach, open area, shaded.

In some ways, the exposure calculator is similar to the calculator of the famous and most massive USSR camera "Smena 8M", but still it is more advanced, because in addition to the state of the sun, it also takes into account the location of the subject, making exposure compensation. The camera also seeks to cover the aperture as much as possible in order to minimize focusing errors, offering fairly long shutter speeds but heavily covered apertures. The photographer may well shift the exposure couple depending on the creative tasks.

Fragment of instructions for the camera Lomo 135

In terms of determining shutter speed and aperture, everything is done ingeniously and very simply. For fans, that's exactly what you need to do. An inexperienced photographer, using these simple icons, can quickly and easily understand the basic concepts of exposure, the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, ISO and current lighting.

I photographed three films on these icons, and as you can see, I got an excellent result. The films are evenly exposed, the percentage of defects is minimal.

Lens

These cameras have a built-in Industar-73 lens, made according to the Tessar scheme (4 elements in three groups), a focal length of 40 mm, aperture of F2.8 - these are typical characteristics for amateur cameras of the 70s of the last century. The very first photographic films pleased me, the lens is very sharp and contrasting at almost all apertures. The lens is the highlight of this camera. The photos come out amazing! The lens has 10 aperture blades and creates an almost perfectly round aperture that bokeh lovers will love.

Focusing is carried out either on a metric scale on the lens barrel, or on a simplified arrow indicator with icons in the viewfinder ( front portrait - 1 m, bust portrait of two people 1.4 m, full-length portrait of a group of people 4 m, building - infinity).

With focusing, I also had no problems, almost always I got into focus. But here, probably, many years of photographic experience affect.

I liked the optical viewfinder a little less, it does not have the brightness and clarity that I would like. I compare, for example, with my Olympus 35DC, and in this matter LOMO loses to the Japanese. But in general, you can live.

spring mechanism

Now about the main feature of this device, about the spring mechanism for cocking the shutter and rewinding the film. On top of the chamber there is a large round flywheel of the spring engine winding. Turning it counterclockwise activates the spring, thanks to which you can take up to 8 frames at a speed of 3 frames per second! And pay attention, this is 1975! It's just super! Both of my cameras consistently give out 8 frames from one full spring, and the cameras are almost 40 years old!

A little about the cons

Of course, this development of Soviet engineers also has disadvantages, because any product is a compromise between price and quality.

The spring mechanism works quite loudly when the shutter is released, sometimes this can attract excessive attention of others to the photographer and prevent him from taking an important shot.

But there is one trick here. In order not to draw attention to yourself at the moment of shooting with a loud sound, you can press the shutter button but do not lower it, the camera will take a picture, but will not rewind the foam (namely, this operation is the noisiest). Next, we take the camera to the side, you can hide it in a bag or jacket pocket, or just put your hand down, and only then release the shutter button, the camera will noisily rewind the film and cock the jam, but you will be out of business 🙂

It is possible that the spring mechanism is the weak link in terms of reliability. Let's see what the operation will show.

Experienced craftsmen recommend not cocking the spring mechanism of this camera to the stop, for all eight frames, but limiting it to 3-4 frames, so the spring will last longer. Also, do not leave the spring mechanism wound up if the camera is not used for a long time.

The flywheel of the factory, located on the top panel, is quite large, strongly protrudes beyond the chamber, which somewhat spoils the compactness of the device.

The viewfinder is not very large and not too bright.

The inscriptions applied to the metal body with paint are not very durable and are prone to abrasion.

The aperture control ring is located not very conveniently, around the lens of the lens. Also, the shape and design of this ring is not very ergonomic, you can easily put your finger into the lens and leave a greasy imprint on the lens surface.

The set of shutter speeds is limited to the range from 1/15 to 1/250 seconds plus "B". I would like at least another 1/500 second for shooting on modern high-speed films. Let's say in the bright sun in the mountains or on the beach with ISO 400 film, we get a one-stop overexposure even at the fastest shutter speed of 1/250 and aperture of 22.

But in the 70s and 80s, amateur photographers used films with a sensitivity of GOST (ISO) 32, 64, 125 maximum 250, and this range was quite enough for all occasions. Longer shutter speeds than 1/15 second without a tripod are practically not applicable, image blur on the frame is guaranteed. It should be noted that these issues are easily solved by selecting the film speed and are not a big problem.

The back cover is also not perfect, it is removed and installed back with a certain effort, it is not always clear whether you are clearly in the grooves, much like with the old Moskvich's manual gearbox.

Unfortunately, the camera does not have eyelets for a neck strap, LOMO 135 cannot be hung around the neck. But there is a wrist strap, but for some reason it is made from the left edge of the camera, and the shutter button is on the right, which causes some inconvenience when taking pictures with one hand.

Ergonomics and aesthetics

The body of the camera is metal, not devoid of a certain aesthetics, a kind of metal brick from the 70s. The camera is quite compact but at the same time heavy. According to the concepts of the 70s, the camera is miniature, especially when compared with cameras like FED, Zorkiy or Zenit.

The camera is pleasant to hold in hands, there is a feeling of a good and expensive thing from the past. Although, if compared with the best examples of Japanese and German camera construction, then you can find fault with some trifles, the production culture is lower. It seemed to me that the earlier model 135BC was assembled a little better, it can be seen that in the 80s the build quality began to limp.

LOMO-135 - the camera is completely mechanical, it does not require batteries, which in many cases is a serious plus, since old automatic cameras of the 70s and 80s require now out-of-print batteries of the RC-53 type, it is difficult to find analogues, with modern batteries, older cameras often do not accurately work out the exposure. For example, my Olympus 35DC, released in 1972, with modern batteries, cheats a lot when measuring scene illumination, which negates the benefit of automation.

LOMO-135 has a hot shoe, but for some unknown reason, the developers placed it on the bottom of the camera. And if you need to shoot with flash, you will have to hold the camera upside down, otherwise there will be very unnatural lighting from below. In this regard, the camera is similar to the iconic Rollei 35, but of course LOMO is not a Rollei clone, it is an absolutely unique development.

The shutter button has a thread for a mechanical cable, a trifle, but nice. When shooting from a tripod at shutter speed "B" is very useful. You can take night shots of the city, or try to photograph the starry sky.

There is a standard tripod thread on the bottom of the camera, but for some reason it was combined with the lock mechanism of the back cover of the film compartment. I see a certain problem in this and I would not screw the tripod very tightly to this camera, you can either accidentally open the back cover or not unscrew the tripod without consequences for the lock.

What is the difference between LOMO-135VS and LOMO-135M?

In LOMO-135VS, the diaphragm calculation calculator is placed on the flywheel of the spring engine factory and it is made a little loose, the readings can spontaneously go astray, scroll, you need to be careful.
In LOMO-135M, the exposure calculator is located on the camera lens.
For LOMO-135VS, the film sensitivity value in the calculator is limited to 250 GOST, which is approximately 250 ISO. LOMO-135M has a maximum value of 500 GOST (ISO)
The lens frames are slightly different, the diameter of the covers does not match.
Leatherette on the camera body is slightly different in texture.
There are also internal differences, for example, in the newer version of the 135M, the spring mechanism has been slightly modified. There is evidence that it is more maintainable.
And since the cameras are almost identical, LOMO-135M is an easy upgrade of LOMO-135VS, nothing more.

Conclusions:

LOMO 135M (VS) is an interesting, charismatic camera, it is pleasant and interesting to shoot. A kind of gadget from the 70s. This is the case when the inscription "Made in the USSR" sounds proud! Having developed the first films, I exclaimed: “WOW!”. I really liked the pictures from this camera. Photos are sharp, contrasting, juicy, voluminous. In this regard, this camera is two heads higher than all the cheap soap dishes that flooded the market in the 80s and 90s. The camera is compact and easy to handle. She evokes a lot of positive emotions when working with her.
The engineers of the Leningrad Optical and Mechanical Association produced a really high-quality and somewhat innovative product of their time. Apparently, it is no coincidence that the worldwide photographic movement "Lomography" has the word "LOMO" at its root, because this enterprise has many cult cameras on its account, such as "Leningrad", "Smena 8M", LOMO Compact-Avtomat (LC-A), " Amateur”, most of which were distinguished by their simplicity, accessibility and friendliness towards amateurs.
Yes, 135VS (M) has minor flaws. But who doesn't? And given the price on the secondary, what can be a claim? I bought LOMO 135VS for 1500 rubles, LOMO 135M for 1900 rubles in perfect condition. Any imported camera in good condition, comparable in photo quality, costs many times more. LOMO is a great way to get started in the world of film! The 40mm lens is suitable for most types of shooting, it can be used for both portrait and landscape photography, it can be used for genre and street photography.
To be honest, I regret a little that I didn’t have such a camera in my childhood and youth, when I just started taking pictures using FEDs and Zeniths in the mid-80s, LOMO-135 would have simplified my life at the stage of mastering the basics of photography.
Can I recommend this camera to film lovers? Oh sure! The camera is noteworthy. But, like any old thing, it requires careful checking.

Check the spring mechanism. After the spring is fully charged to the stop, the camera must produce at least 8 frames. If the camera produces 1-2-3-4 frames, refrain from buying it. Also, the mechanism should not produce several frames in a row after one press, each next frame requires an additional press on the shutter button.
Remove the back cover, open the aperture to 2.8 and check the shutter operation visually and aurally at all shutter speeds from "B" to 1/250, looking into the lens from the side of the film compartment into the light.
Check the lens for dirt, dust, mold, scratches, clearing.
Check how apertures switch from 2.8 to 22.
Look at the cosmetic condition of the camera, it can tell you a lot, the better it is, the more likely the camera is in good condition.
Evaluate the operation of the focusing indicator in the viewfinder, whether the icons match the values from the instructions, at least approximately.

And if everything is fine, then feel free to buy! Camera for your money - super! If there are defects, then I would not contact, problems may arise with the repair and it will be more expensive than buying a normal camera.

By the way, in Soviet times, LOMO 135VS (M) was quite expensive, about 65 rubles, but let's say Smena 8M cost only 15 rubles, feel the difference. This is a premium compact of the Soviet era.