Hipstamatic’s Tintype SnapPak Tried & Tested

by Pu on December 22, 2012

Hipstamatic released their holiday special in the form of a new pack, the Tintype SnapPak, comprising one lens and two films. It is evident from its name — and it was also stated on Hipstamatic’s blog — that the Tintype SnapPak was heavily inspired by tintype photography, an old-fashioned photographic process especially popular among itinerant photographers and practiced at fairs and amusement parks as it was quick and easy to develop on the spot.
Tintype SnapPak

The included lens, the Tinto 1884, features a strong creative blur effect to simulate the ghostly aura of deteriorated images. As mentioned, the pack also contains two film effects, one monochrome and one color. The D-Type Plate film, monochrome, imitates the contrasty quality of old daguerreotypes. The C-Type Plate film, cyanotype inspired and highly desaturated, aims at conveying a painterly, hand-tinted look with every shot. Both films come with a wet plate-like border.

Here are our samples for your appreciation — don’t get freaked out, ha.

Tintype SnapPak
Tintype SnapPak
Tintype SnapPak
Tintype SnapPak
Tintype SnapPak
Tintype SnapPak
Tintype SnapPak
Tintype SnapPak
Tintype SnapPak

To get Tinto’s heavy blur working according to plans, the main subject needs to be around the middle of the frame; even botched attempts however can offer interesting results with the right subject. The films are especially effective with the bundled Tinto, while they definitely look bland with most of the other Hipstamatic lenses.

The Tintype SnapPak is available in the Hipstamart for $0.99.

Lucas from Hipstamatic December 22, 2012 at 1:57 am

Hey Guys. Thanks for the review. Be sure to shoot some portraits … The new Tinto Lens has face recognition and finds eyes … totally awesome for headshots. Happy Holidays! Lucas @Hipstamatic

Alysia December 22, 2012 at 1:41 pm

Ok, maybe I will give this a try. Even though I have not used the app in ages.

Bill Tidy December 22, 2012 at 4:23 pm

Tintypes are ”quick and easy to develop on the spot.”
Have you ever tried it?
I would love to see what wet-plate photographers Mark Osterman, Ian Ruhter, John Brewer and many others would say. It’s expensive and takes A LOT of time and patience to even begin to use it with some sort of confidence.
While I enjoy using the iPhone and particularly Hipstamatic, sweeping comments like yours are ill-informed and even insulting to those whose incredible artisitc skills are used to promote tintypes. Tintypes are a craft – some would even say a lifelong obsession. The ‘Tintype SnapPak” is not even close to it

Pu December 22, 2012 at 9:51 pm

“On the spot” means on the premises, which means it could be developed by photographers in the course of public events and handed to casual people requesting their services in reasonable amount of time. Old time photographers were pioneering the craft, but they also knew about the practical side of their trade; tintypes were considered at the time more practical than other forms of photography, especially as far as exposing and developing were concerned.

What made you think we are insulting the craft or the artistic skills of tintype photographers? Nobody affirmed taking a snapshot with the iPhone and developing actual tintypes require the same ability, patience and knowledge. Are you a troll or have you too much time in your hands to go around with such ridiculous comments?

Bill Tidy December 22, 2012 at 10:19 pm

No, not a troll. Have you ever tried tintypes?
You make a statement, I disagree…no problem. Nothing personal here, I don’t even know you. Just giving my opinion even if you think it’s right or wrong – no need to start name calling.

Pu December 23, 2012 at 1:07 am

I have no problem with disagreement, it was your “insulting” part of the comment that I didn’t like. As I stated — and as anybody can read above — I have never affirmed tintypes are easy to make tout-court, but I said they were more practical than other techniques to be used by photographers AND that the SnapPak tries to an extent to imitate their visual style. Never even remotely implied they are the SAME thing. And just because you felt the aforementioned statement was so insulting, it’s not that mastering an artisanal craft, even when technically complex, makes a photographer a deserving “artist”. Unless you are thinking of art as the Greek techné: in that case you could say mastering the craft makes the photographer a capable technician. Nowadays, taking a good photo with a point-and-shoot, even with filters applied, may be more deserving and artistically relevant than developing a tintype, with all its technical limitations, thus your comment may feel insulting to iPhone photographers. Just sayin’.

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