holga - film wont roll tight

Hi I have ruined every role of film that I have tried to shoot

through with my holga--3 so far. I have done the little piece of

cardboard under the roller but when I am done they are all still

loose.

 

 

any other tricks.

If you have removed the film insert to get 6x6 format, it might be the culprit. Without that gate in there, it is hard to keep the film taught when advancing. You can get the 6x6 film gate from Freestyle.biz for a few bucks (be aware that they have a minimum order) or you can cut away the 6x4.5 gate to 6x6. Either of these will help with tension and prevent light leaks create by removing that gate.

 

Also, if you do not already have it in place, try gluing some foam in the areas where the film sits, on both the exposed and unexposed sides. This is put some pressure on the spools and help with tension. If you still have problems, try using a changing bag to unload the exposed film.

 

- Randy

Dan, when I got my WOCA (glass-lens holga) I saw the cardboard trick used too, but I went instead with a little thin camera seal foam underneath both rollers for a neater job and to provide constant resistance. Any reasonable thin foam or neoprene ought to work, use contact cement to hold in place. I've never ever had any problems with the film getting loose.

Foam is good. The new all-singing all-dancing Holga 120N has foam to correct this very problem.

 

If you're still using the spool that comes with the Holga, don't. It's not the right size, and can move up and down.

<< If you're still using the spool that comes with the Holga, don't. It's not the right size, and can move up and down. >>

 

Shouldn't that have been used up after the first roll?

 

<< I have done the little piece of cardboard under the roller but when I am done they are all still loose. >>

 

You could use need more cardboard, a replacement mask (as has been mentioned), or just more practice loading/winding. I use the cardboard trick with a cut-out mask and usually the spools are jammed so tight I think the film is going to break during winding. It hasn't (yet) and I've not had a problem with loose film. I also use a dark bag to load and unload film when I'm out and about.

"..try gluing some foam in the areas where the film sits, on both the exposed and unexposed sides."

 

Forgot to say I also use this tip that Randall mentioned, a couple of foam strips on the camera back to act as a kind of pressure plate. A velcro'd patch covers the red window on the outside. I kept the 645 mask myself, as the WOCA had so much vignetting/falloff anyway I couldn't see any advantage in opening it to 6x6. I did all my modifications first before starting to take photos with it, using tips from others. I may be lucky, but I never use a changing bag and the WOCA has never leaked light, scratched a film nor ruined a single picture in a year of regular use.

"the WOCA has never leaked light, scratched a film nor ruined a single picture in a year of regular use."

 

That must be very disappointing, Glen. Don't people usually buy Holga family cameras because they *want* some randomness in their photography?

It depends on what you want, I suppose. Taking photos in the bright contrasty Southwestern light as I do, I decided that random effects such as light leaks and reflective triangles wouldn't help my pictures, while the slight extra center sharpness of the WOCA lens would be a benefit. But i still get the soft edges and heavy vignetting/falloff typical of a Holga, and have taken some very memorable photos with it.