cameras that are similar to holga????

hello

 

i'm trying to figure out what old vintage cameras may have the same effect

that Holga has...the surreal painterly light leak photograph. Any ideas?

Maybe old Kodaks??

 

thanks

Any number of old, cheap, folding cameras should work.

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I've got a Sparta Fold V that is just missing the vignetting the Holga can produce.

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<img src="http://phule.zoto.com/img/30/aafc973bead5746e21e8f3c6670eac7c-.jpg">

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<img src="http://phule.zoto.com/img/30/8c0af2dc0829eaf100519c34edb33c15-.jpg">

Perhaps check into the some of the cameras available at the Dollar Stores. Also Diana and it's clones- see Ebay. Seems like there was an Agfa Clack that was pretty basic as well.

Hi Jiorji,

 

For many more ideas, haunt eBay's Cameras&Photo > Film Cameras section (especially its Other Film Cameras subsection.

 

Enjoy the hunt!

 

Sincerely,

 

Dave

Check out www.toycameras.com for all old (and new) cameras that are Holga like. Kodak Brownies can be very holga-like...

thanks for the replies

 

eBay is where i'm browsing now for some camera stuff. I have my eye on a baby brownie special Kodak camera and a duaflex kodak. Not sure if they'd work, but they're old enough and worth a try.

 

I'm going to look to a folding camera too. That's a great photo there :)

check out:

http://www.lomography.com/

Many of the old Kodaks would take pictures crappy enough to rival the Holga, but some of them are actually quite good. Any of the Imperial brand cameras would take very Holga-like shots, as they were all quite bad. These cameras are quite cheap and fun to look at, but be be aware that they would use obsolete 620 or hard-to-find 127 film. If you are looking for something to use, try to be sure it uses 120 film. There are many old folders and box cameras that do. One such camera is the Foldex 20, also marketed as the Rollex 20 and Tower 20. It is unique in that it is made to accept both 120 and 620 film, and I've read on some websites that they can be used to roll 120 film onto 620 spools, although I have never actually tried it. They have a solid, well made metal body, and are quite beautiful, but I think the lens must be made from an old bottle or something because the pictures are truly horrible. There is no focus or adjustments of any kind...the only exposure control you have is in the type of film you use. Because of this, it is one of my favorite cameras. They usually go for about 10 bucks on eBay.

Aso check out junkstorecameras.com

That's a good point about the film, I think the duoflex uses 620.

 

One thing that makes the Holga special is that it is moderately wide angle- an that also helps with the vignetting. Most of these older cameras (such as the duoflex) may use a similar image size but slightly longer focal length.

 

Also, many of the older cameras don't have a hot shoe. And some old cameras will give a color cast on color film.

i was thinking of using 35mm in those 120 film cameras just the way i use for my Holga

You could try a Lubitel twin-lens. You can find them second-hand for the same cost as a basic new Holga. They are a Russian plastic camera with a glass lens. Weighs a little more than the Holga. Unlike the Holga, you get shutter speed and aperture controls and you can focus (just about) through the viewfinder, so there's a lot less random-ness about it. Shot wide open (with the aperture set to f4.5 or a little wider) on subjects close to the camera, shots from the Lubitel can look a little soft. If you close it down to f8, it's pretty good, so in a way, it's like an ordinary camera with a Holga mode. I have a small gallery <A HREF="http://homepage.mac.com/jptarrant/images/lubitel/">here</A> and some others I should really get on with scanning, sometime. If you google for "lubitel", you'll find plenty and there are thousands of photos on Flickr tagged with Lubitel. There isn't a "Lubitel look", but you can use it to get certain effects, which may be what you're after.

I've found that the Brownie Hawkeye Flash model will take 120 film spools. That is, the film roll holders are large enough to take the wide 120 spool rims.

 

I have heard that the newer plastic 120 spool rims can be trimmed to 620 size with judicious use of a cuticle scissors or toenail clipper. Has anyone heard to tried this? If so, there's a Kodak Duaflex 620 waiting for me.

Yes, all of the modern 120 spools that I've seen are plastic, and trim very easily!

 

Dave

Jeff, I have done some trimming and it works with many 620 cameras.

 

The Brownie Hawkeye is a good choice for a Holga wannabe.

 

Why not just buy a Holga. They're not expensive. Check here for some interesting Holga options:

 

http://www.holgamods.com

I have a Lubitel but have not tried it. Seems too sharp! (^U^)

 

The Holga is a bit wide angle for 120 film, but I'm also using a Holga lens on a digital camera body, and that is a bit too telephoto, which loses some of the Holga charm.

 

I'm starting to do some Holga Digital photography in a very close-up mode. The photo below is with an Olympus E-300 digital and Holga lens assembly. The tree branches are beyond the spider-wind-spinner, and I focused on the branches, but the illusion is that the branches look closer.

 

There are many possibilities with any of these cameras.<div></div>

PS, I use folding cameras, and I have found very few that produce the Holga image. These cameras are so often of good quality and produce fine sharp images.

 

I strongly suggest looking into the Kodak box and brownie cameras. They are also much less expensive than most of the good folders and don't have a bellows light leak problem.

 

My favorite is still the Brownie Hawkeye.

Here is some from a Kodak Hawkeye 620 that I converted to 120 it though seems too sharp so some vasoline on the lens may help.

 

Efke 50 120

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=613547

 

Larry