5 Medium Format Frames at the Happiest Place on Earth – By Eric Norris

I’ve been going to Disneyland in Southern California for… well, for a while. Suffice to say that when I started going with friends in high school, digital photography was decades in the future and if we took pictures, we used film.

My wife and I still enjoy Disneyland, and we try to get there as often as we can. A trip in 2020 was cancelled due to COVID, but in 2021 we got vaccinated, the park opened again, and we set off again for Anaheim, CA.

When we packed, I put several film cameras in my bag. It seemed right to focus such an iconic place on film, the way I did as a kid.

The park is of course a fantastic place to take photos–the designers paid close attention to sight lines, vistas, architecture, and design, with the result that almost everywhere you look is a great photo. If you have trouble finding a great shot, there are signs posted at especially iconic spots to help you take the perfect vacation snap.

Much of Disneyland remains pretty much as it was when I started going years ago–Main Street, the Matterhorn, and so many other places. A lot has changed, most dramatically with the addition of the California Adventure in 2001. Interestingly, and perhaps of interest to readers of 35MMC, the Main Street Photo Supply Co., a shop on Main Street, has transitioned fully away from film. I had plenty, but I stopped in just to see if they had any extra film. The very nice staff inside happily informed me that they don’t have any film (this despite the interior decor, which included numerous old film cameras up on the shelves behind the counter, where they lent an “old timey” air to the place). Pro tip: If you go to Disneyland, bring your own film!

I carried two cameras with me–35mm and 120. The photos below were taken with my Lomo LCA-120 medium format camera. I shot one of my last rolls of Fuji Pro 400H, developed at home with CineStill’s C-41 kit, and scanned on an Epson V550.

I like the LC-A 120 for several reasons. It’s light and easy to use, durable enough to toss in a handlebar bag on my bike without worrying, and the Minigon XL lens makes great images with nice contrast and saturation.

There are reasons to dislike the LC-A 120. It’s expensive, it’s fully plastic, and the light meter is easily fooled by bright areas in the image. I’ve heard rumors that it suffers from the same propensity to electronic problems that also affect the smaller 35mm Lomo LC-A, although mine still works perfectly.

But it’s so rare for a camera of this quality to even be manufactured today, and the pictures are so nice, I’ve decided it is worth the cost. I carry it with me a lot.

Now, on to the photos:

I hope you enjoyed the photos. For more of my images (mostly film), check out my Instagram page.

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