Lomography Krab Underwater Housing

Lomography Beneath the Waves

Back in the 1980's, the Soviet Union's camera industry was in full swing and a small, blocky underwater case was created for the popular Lomo Kompakt Automat camera. Crafted in solid metal, perfectly aligned with the LC-A's knobs and curves, and designed with a distinctively Russian character, this item was never produced beyond the prototype stage and is exceptionally difficult to find.

Much like their Lomo LC-A+ and Diana+ cameras, Lomography is proud to announce that they've resurrected another analog relic from the past and breathed new life into a wonderful concept that ended before its time. Re-built from the ground up, given stronger seals and a deeper effective depth, LOMO's LC-A+ KRAB - an exclusive reproduction of the original Soviet-era treasure - will take your Lomo LC-A+ 20m (65 feet) beneath the water's surface for spectacular and other-worldly undersea Lomography!

Note: The LC-A+ KRAB works perfectly with all Lomo LC-A+ cameras and select Lomo LC-A cameras. In order to use an original Russian-made Lomo LC-A cameras with the KRAB, it must have a metal exposed advance cog on the bottom of the camera. The KRAB's advance wheel plugs into this cog, and allows you to advance the camera while it's inside. See the images for reference. If your LC-A does not have this exposed advance cog, then it regrettably cannot be used with the KRAB.

History: A Cutting-Edge Improvement on the Rare Soviet-Era Lomo Original

The original LOMO KRAB is an exceedingly rare piece with a clandestine, mysterious history. After exhaustive research, the only thing that Lomography can conclusively say is this: no one knows the whole story! That said, here is the "oral history" that Lomo collected.

The original item was designed and crafted in extremely limited quantities in the 1980s. The designer and producer of this item is believed to be LOMO of St. Petersburg - however it is not actually present in their company museum archive. The KRAB was never mass-produced or widely distributed. Whatever units were produced were kept under wraps and were not exported. The original KRAB was crafted in metal, painted red and black, and rated to a depth of 10m. And the most official source, J-L Princelle's "Authentic Guide to Russian and Soviet Cameras," presents the KRAB as such:

'Although shown in the 'Technointorg' catalogs since 1985 and spotted in the 'Showcase of Socialism' in Moscow's Zenit shop in 1988, the KRAB seems to have been produced in confidential quantities until around 1993'

Taking these scattered details into account, Lomo's design team worked tirelessly to re-create the authentic look and feel of the original KRAB. While the old case was cast in metal and closed with a metal clamp, our LC-A+ KRAB is cast in plastic and sealed with a tight underwater rotating closure - effectively making Lomo's case (1) much lighter, (2) much more affordable, and (3) effective to TWICE the depth of the original.

By combining the best features (and the Soviet-style good looks) of the original case with modern-day plastics and underwater sealing rings, Lomo paid homage to and realized the dreams of the original KRAB's designers (whoever they may be!).

65 Foot Depth Rating

A combination of industrial rubber seals and a rotating secure closure allows your Lomo to descend up to 65' beneath the waves.

Access to Shutter & Advance Controls

The LC-A+ KRAB was precisely engineered to the exact specifications of the Lomo LC-A+. A shutter advance lever on the front trips your Lomo's shutter for fast or long exposures. The integrated advance wheel works directly with the Lomo's advance cog to smoothly move from frame to frame.

Acrylic Faceplate and Correct Metering

The bright acrylic faceplate transmits all of the radiant colors around you, ensuring that they're picked up by your Minitar 1 lens and faithfully spat out onto your resulting snapshots. It's also large enough to afford a full view to your Lomo's internal light meter, meaning that all your exposures will be correctly metered and right on.

Classic Design

Based upon the original Soviet-era 1980's LC-A KRAB underwater housing. The original KRAB was created in the former Soviet Union over 20 years ago and produced in very small numbers. Finding one of these rare jewels today is nearly impossible! The LC-A+ KRAB takes its basic design and features from the original Russian design and improves upon it with a high-impact plastic casing and an increased depth rating.

Wonderful for All-Weather and Extreme Action Use too!

Planning a ski trip? Chasing a hurricane? Planning to shoot in the next hailstorm? The KRAB not only protects your LC-A+ from water, but from all kinds of extreme natural situations that are otherwise camera-unfriendly.