LOMO () is a manufacturer of medical and motion-picture lenses and equipment based in St. Petersburg, Russia. The company was awarded three

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decorations by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Its Lomo LC-A consumer camera was the inspiration for the lomography photographic movement.

History

The company was founded in 1914 in Petrograd (now

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

). It was established as a French – Russian limited company to produce lenses and cameras. It manufactured gun sights during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1919, it was nationalised. In 1921, the factory was named the Factory of State Optics, G.O.Z. In 1925, camera production was resumed, and several lens designs tested between 1925 and 1929. Further reorganisations of the Soviet optical factories in several stages finally resulted in that the factory at Leningrad became GOMZ, the Russian Optical and Mechanical Factory. In the transition period 1932 to 1935 a copy of the Leica camera was developed, the VOOMP I. Today LOMO makes

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

optics, scientific research instruments, criminological microscopes, medical equipment, and a range of consumer products. Known as GOMZ (State Optical-Mechanical Plant), the company was transformed under the direction of Mikhail Panfilov, who united several industries and founded the LOMO Association in 1962. In 1990 - 1997 Ilya Klebanov was the Director General of LOMO Association. The company went public in 1993, and was renamed LOMO PLC; it is traded on the RTS Classic Stock Market. The company is

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certified and exports worldwide. Night-vision devices and telescopes account for 30% of the company's exports. Germany is the largest importer of LOMO products. Medical equipment, fiber optic cables and endoscopes, optical components and cameras are consumed mainly by the Russian market and other states of the former

. Military equipment and science research instruments make a significant share of production for export to such countries as Israel, India, United States, Canada, Mexico, and other international markets.

References

External links

*
LOMO America, Inc.USSRPhoto.com Wiki catalog of LOMO manufactured cameras. (See GOMZ/LOMO sections)
*{{Cite web , last = Dowling , first = Stephen , authorlink = , title = Did the Lomo camera save film photography? , publisher =

BBC News Online BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the U ...

, date = 2012-11-21 , url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20434270 , accessdate = 2012-11-21 Manufacturing companies based in Saint Petersburg Manufacturing companies of the Soviet Union Electronics companies of Russia Optics manufacturing companies of Russia Photography equipment manufacturers of Russia Medical technology companies of Russia Photography in the Soviet Union Manufacturing companies established in 1914 Russian brands Soviet brands Companies nationalised by the Soviet Union 1914 establishments in the Russian Empire Ministry of the Defense Industry (Soviet Union) 1993 initial public offerings Companies listed on the Moscow Exchange