Fun with Holga

[terri]

I got a Holga for Christmas. Like a silly child I immediately popped in some Tri-X 320 and blew off a roll without taping up the back, as all Holga owners are advised to do. :blulsh2: There is a distinct light leak on the upper right corner (which I am told is actually coming from the bottom, it's reflected), and a more subtle side leak not visible on every frame. These 2 were the best from that roll. Just scanned from the contact sheet!

Mill ruins at Sope Creek:

Bike shop at Silver Comet trail

 

[voodoocat]

Those kick ass terri! I should read :roll: So you did nothing to correct light leaks? Looks better than most holga shots i've ever seen.

 

[vonnagy]

despite, the leak, those are some cool photos Hey you could even so you photoshopped 'em for that effect!

I really like the second one, it just looks rich in tone and detail. The blurred sides draw attention to the building.

I am still trying to get my digitals b & w's to look as good as printed b & w's! You are making my job more difficult terri

 

[Geronimo]

Very nice terri. I would not ever of noticed the leaked light unless you said something. With Voodoo, the do look alot better then most I have seen.

 

[terri]

Thanks, guys! Oh, I promise I have taped it now! Handed over the camera, along with my contact sheet, to a buddy of mine who is a Holga freak and takes amazing shots with his, B&W and color. He put tiny little squares of black tape on the inside and advised just taping up all the sides of the back. Some black cloth tape that comes off cleanly.

I was happy to see the vignetting effect just on the contact prints, this can easily be enhanced in the dark room (or PS, you're right Mark!).

It's a crazy little $29 camera. Hard to adjust to things like turning the "focus knob" which shows no visible effect. My buddy says he pretty much keeps his at infinity unless he's really close in.

 

[Dew]

those are cool ... i was just inquiring with the hubby about the holga camera last week ... he's trying to talk me out of it :?

 

[terri]

Trying to talk you out of it?! Aw, gee! For thirty bucks (and black cloth tape) you can go out and have a lot of fun and snag some cool stuff. I would think it would be right up his alley! Go for it!

 

[ksmattfish]

These are great, Terri! I hope you'll print them up. I think that first one has a lot of potential.

Dew - Not trying to knock Holgas, but I think that the reason that they cost $30 is because they are trendy and have somewhat of an ad campaign. You can buy many forgotten vintage cams that use 120 film (and even 620 film is usually workable) that are basically the same as a Holga for $free to $15. Besides light leaks you can get the wonderful effects of lens fungus, etc..., if that's what yer into. And in my opinion, they are twice as hip. So buy an old cam and tell Doxx it's just shelf decoration, and then you can try it out on the sly.

 

[terri]

Thanks Matt! mmmm, maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but all the vintage cameras I've come across still cost several hundred dollars. My husband is a bit of a Rollei freak and he DID get a great deal on one some years back. I love the look and feel of it, still just somewhat intimidated by it. I've wanted to play with a MF camera that handled like a 35 to get past the newbie fear factor. Tried to bid on a Norita 66 that was great looking but it got up over $500 so I backed down. :? I've no intention of stopping the search, but in the meantime I'm learning to love black tape.

 

[Dew]

he just got two old cams, a Kiev 4A (used) and Voigtlander Bessa R (bought new, based on old technology)

we discussed the Holga a little further ... he said its unreliable ... it has an interesting look to it though

 

[ksmattfish]

Rolleis, Noritas, Voightlanders, and Kievs are all way fancier than what I'm talking about; some models will rival anything modern.

I mean the cheapies that are flea market and thrift store vintage cameras that were dirt cheap when they were new. They are just like the Holga: plastic body, maybe two apertures, one shutter speed, guess focusing.

Terri- the Norita 66 is a great camera. You should be able to get a decent one with the 80mm f/2 (<-super fast for MF) lens, no meter, for $350. If you have to pay $75 extra for a meter prism you'd be better off buying a hand held meter. I have one with the 80mm lens; it's razor sharp. The only feature that I wish it had is mirror lock up, but it's a great camera for the price. The shutter button is jammed on mine right now, but I'll get it repaired someday. That's another consideration on price, no matter how clean, old cameras that get put back into regular use may need a CLA, so keep in mind that it may cost another $150 or so down the line.

The Holga is definately unreliable, but that's supposed to be part of it's style. I have two with broken shutters. I gave one to my 1.5 year old daughter so she can have a camera like dad.

 

[voodoocat]

I thought about a holga too... but I ended up paying a whopping $50 for a yashica. Terri, you should look in antique, thrift stores and garage sales for cheap old cameras. Hey you might get lucky and find something worth even more! With the proceeds from my enlarger selling, I am going to send my Rolleiflex away to get cleaned up with a new mirror and ground glass.

 

[terri]

Yep - $350 was about my price limit for a camera that I figured stood a fair chance of needing some kind immediate repair, so I backed out on the Norita. They look great, though, and I think the pros outweigh the cons, considering that price range (I've heard of shutter sticking as a common problem) and for such a fast little lens. I've seen some broken up Dianas and such in my wanderings that didn't tempt me. But looking at them is really part of the fun, and I am keeping the faith that I'll stumble over a deal sooner or later.

 

[oriecat]

Terri, those shots are great! When I didn't tape, I also got that leak at the top, but much brighter - big white triangles on every frame. I now have it taped up for the first time, but I haven't finished that roll yet. I am excited to see how it comes out.

Also, you can get a basic Holga for under $17. It's totally worth it. It's not an investment, so it doesn't matter if it's unreliable. Try it out. It's just fun.

 

[photojunky]

I like the light leeks. It adds mood to the photos. I had a Holga but always shot with color. I never liked any of my shots. Holga’s have gone high tech . You can now get one with a flash.