The Monti HipstaPak, Initial Reactions

This time, Hipstamatic has found inspiration in Italy and, as per usual, I have asked a few hipstographers for their first impressions. 
Opinions vary wildly and this pak is by no means everyone's cup of tea. It's too early to say what the possibilities of Sergio and Maximus LXIX are, but in the meantime, here are a few first impressions.

Jade Deakin

"I really like the new Monti pak but my first impressions are that they work better separately and combined with other lenses, rather than together. At first, I really wasn’t a fan of the Sergio lens; I felt it was a little too blurry, and it reminds me of the ‘miniature effect’ that you find on some SLR cameras. But after experimenting with other films, I absolutely fell in love with the Sergio lens when combined with Blanko C16 or Blanko 1. The Sergio and Blanko C16 combo gives a really spooky, ghostly effect (as does the combo of Sergio and Uchitel), and combined with Blanko 1 it produces some lovely golden tones. I think the Maximus LXIX film will become a firm favourite of mine, and the border reminds me of the Ina’s films. I found it works well with the more desaturated lenses, like Yoona and Ray Mark II."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Blanko 1  • Flash: off

Markus Andersen

"I love this application, however… to be brutally honest this Monti Pak, like so many of late from Hipstamatic, is fairly bland and indistinguishable from most paks released in the last 12 months. The Maximus LXIX film is unremarkable and neutral and the Sergio lens has a very simple blur and little else. Like many, I believe Hipstamatic need to release less paks and more quality paks. Hipstamatic need to produce quality paks once again like the Nike, TinType, America etc., with films like AODLX or US1776 etc. Get back to BW paks as well. Indifference is setting in for many, as all the paks released for a very long time pale in comparison to the awesome products Hipstamatic used to release."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  AO DLX  • Flash: off

Guido Cubo Quadro

"I love the blur, so I am very happy with this new pak. The Sergio lens is very similar to the Loftus lens but the colors emphasize a variety of hues. The Maximus film is very similar to Ina's 69 but with a less accentuated border. Nothing particularly new here, only slight adjustments that make these two new tools very effective and durable. I haven’t spent a lot of time playing around with it yet, but Sergio works really well with all of the films… I particularly appreciate it with Robusta, Blanko 1, and Rasputin."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Robusta  • Using:  Oggl 

Henk Goossens

"The Monti HipstaPak is the perfect combo for low light and grey weather. It also works really well for clear blue sky, with its blurred edges and the colors leaning towards the brown tones; this combo gives dark images just that little bit more. In certain light conditions, it reminds me of sunrise/sunset. The blur reminds me of those old photographs that seem to have Vaseline on the lens. Anyway, I love the color balance in this Pack. It could be an instant classic in the Hipsta family, but Hipstamatic have to start thinking about how to proceed with their new combos, because many will end up as a short-lived hype. I’m hoping for an old-fashioned cross-processing film, in the future."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Using:  Oggl 

Donna Donato

"I'm still on the fence about the new Monti combo. While I like the Maximus LXIX film, especially combined with other lenses, I am disappointed that Sergio is yet another blurred around the edges lens. The faded, vintage, dreamy quality of the photographs is appealing but I don't care much for the sometimes greenish-yellow tones. I suppose time and use of the combo will be the deciding factor."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Flash: off

Patricia Truchsess

"When I saw the cover photo of the new Pak, I instantly thought this is just perfect for historic architecture. Since I live in an area with many historic sites, I found myself on the way from village to village shooting all those Roman forts and medieval ruins, churches and chapels. Sergio gives a warm tone and adds a lot of drama, and supports the time travel feeling. The blurry vignette keeps the focus to the center. Maximus' white frame reminds me of old postcards."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Using:  Oggl 

Annie Helmsworth

"The Monti HipstaPak is very interesting and, when the Sergio lens is paired with other films, it helps me create dreamy/magical feeling photos. Though I don't think the proposed combo of the Sergio lens and Maximus film lends itself to true-to-color shots, but more of a Sepia result, although it may work for certain results. I tried it out first on one of my favorite old cars and it was perfect for the effect I was after, but on landscape type photos I found that it produced too much of a brown tone. I paired the Sergio lens with the Irom film and liked my landscape shots much better, as it helped mute the colors more and lessened the sepia effect. All in all, I like it and think I'll enjoy seeing what I can do with this combo or variations of the lens and or film."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Irom 2000  • Flash: off

Matthew Wylie

"No, please! There's nothing new or original here, as we've seen this lens in variants before with Loftus and Americana. It just feels so uninspired and uncreative. I'm surprised that with such a variety of professionals and extremely talented amateurs who are using the apps older equipment, especially the b and w films and the early lenses (see Instagram, various FB groups, Oggl, Flickr) - that the team is putting out these "cutesy -fluff" paks so often. The "explore the world" theme was nice for a while, but it's starting to feel less and less about photography to me, and more, I don't know, gimmicky. I hope we can see a return to something that feels less like a fad and more like a serious pak that passionate and serious photographers can use for mobile photography. And really, only what, 5 black and white films in the entire Hipstamatic repertoire - could we have one more please? A Vivian Maier pak? ; ) Make no mistake - Hipstamatic is my go-to app and I expect it will be indefinitely, but I have been disappointed lately with what feels like a lack of quality in terms of the equipment offered. To each his own though - of course."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  US1776  • Flash: off

Sofia Häggbom

"The Monti HipstaPak is here. I really like this one! The blurred edges and warm colors of the Sergio lens produces really soft and slightly dreamy images. Also, blue skies get a beautiful tone, which reminds me a bit of the effect of the Libatique lens. I think this lens will also make beautiful portraits combined with a black-and-white film like the BlacKeys XF. The Maximus’ frame with its slightly blurred white edge goes well with the lens. Looking forward to experiment more with this pak!"

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Flash: off

Ale Di Gangi

"The Monti HipstaPak looks like a summer release that came before its time: it needs A LOT of light! As advertised, the tones do remind some of the qualities the light and the skies have in Italy, but to make them truly come out, you will need to be in Florence or Rome on a bright sunny July day. I like the border of the Maximus LXIX film but I am starting to feel like blurred edges have become overrated and abused. A lighter effect would have made the idea of romance work better. The desaturated colors of the Sergio lens are fascinating but I miss the blue and only see gloomy green. It may be too early to say, but trying different combos with other lenses and films doesn't seem to give satisfactory results and I haven't yet found any interesting combinations."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Using:  Oggl 

Stavros Dimakopoulos

"The new pak creates an effect similar to the Instagram "Earlybird" filter. Maximus LXIX film is a bit grainy, but not too much, while Sergio lens offers a soft focus, which in my opinion is ideal for some nice close-ups. And, as promised, the result is an “old-fashioned” feel. I tried the Maximus LXIX film with the Sergio lens and the Juicy Orange Gel Flash, in order to increase all the warm orange and brown tones and give my photos an even more intense retro feeling. I recommend trying it outdoors in the sunlight, especially before sunset."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Flash:  Juicy Orange Gel 

Eric Rozen

"In Hipstography's Ben Watts interview, he compared Hipstamatic to a box of chocolates: "It’s like a box of chocolates — I like this one, I like that one with a nut in it, and that one’s a good toffee: there’s something for everyone." And that truly is one of Hipstamatic's strong points, but I have to admit to not being a huge fan of this particular variety of Italian chocolates. I really don't like the dominant yellow/brown tinge that Sergio produces, and when combined with the Maximus LXIX film, I find the results to be too close to some of the Instagram filters. With that said, I have learned that you, Hipstographers, can lead to the changing of minds over time. For example, I used to hate Bettie XL when it first came out, but two years later, after having seen a few impressive pictures taken with the lens, I changed my mind."

Lens:  Madalena  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Flash:  Cadet Blue Gel 

Ger van den Elzen

"Today, I had the opportunity to shoot with the new Monti HipstaPak. After a few shots I decided to change the film because I do not really like the Maximus LXIX film. For some reason this film gives me an 'Instagram' feeling. After a number of film cycles, I fell in love with the Irom 2000 film. Together with the new Sergio lens this resulted in a combo that offers a beautiful blur combined with soft color tones that somehow seem to shift. For the creation of beautiful portraits, I would suggest the Sergio lens combined with the Rasputin film or BlacKeys XF film."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Using:  Oggl 

Christine Mignon

"At first thought it reminded me of David Hamilton. Using it in bright sunlight feels like a short trip to Italy. It's very warm and soft, the tiltshift effect is maybe a bit too strong."

Lens:  Sergio  • Film:  Maximus LXIX  • Flash: off

This post is also available in: French

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