New Holga

Okay, I just ordered a new Holga but have been reading that its not taking

photos like its used to(!) Any helpful advice out there that a beginner could

use with my Holga. I'm open to any kind of advice.

Thanks.

I think you will get more help if you expand on what you mean by "not taking photos like it's used to".

 

Do you mean that new Holgas are taking worse/better photos than older Holgas?

The newer Holgas, the ones with G after the 120, have glass lenses, so they are a bit sharper than the older plastic lens models. You can still alter the lens to make it softer, it just takes a bit of work now to get them like the older models, but you can still do it. Rubbing the edges of the lens will scratch it and make the edges softer, working the center will do the same, but keep in mind that you can only go one way with the alterations, once you soften the lens, you can't go back if you go too far.

 

- Randy

I swear that Holga is out to ruin their reputation. Their hardware gets better with every

revision. Moving toward quality is like just so wrong!

Some time back, I ordered a couple from Freestyle. They had the Holga with glass lens, or the Woca, an identical camera with glass lens. I've never been able to tell the difference between the top in terms of picture performance. I wouldn't worry about it. Don't try to ruin 'em, just go shoot and see what you get.

I meam I got the 120N, I assuming that this model does not have the glass lens.

Here's the link I was talking about:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JNyP

 

Thanks for any feedback.

This reminds me of the interview of the editor of Punch magazine a few years ago. He was reacting to the question about his thoughts of people who say the Punch is not as good as it used to be. His reply was "Punch was never as good as it used to be...."

Can I use my SB-600 with my Holga 120N?

If you read the thread above you'll notice a recommendation for putting the lens in the microwave... From my short experiments so far the results are pretty damn cool. Just remember: Just the lens!

 

I broke out one of my old Holgas to compare and there is quite a bit of difference with the new ones. Who ever told these people that we demanded quality?

 

: )

 

Happy Holgaing!

Thanks to all who responded. It was a big help>.

I have both the early 120S model and recently obtained a 120N model. The newer model has a bit better lens (maybe?) and the film baffles have eliminated some of the vignetting and internal light leaks. The Chinese also put foam in the film chambers to make the film roll tight. The back can still fall off. There's a velcro fix for that.

 

You can remove the film baffle to create more vignetting if you want. Be sure to buff or cover the film frame edges with tape to prevent scratching.

 

The photo below was taken with the new 120N with no alterations.<div></div>

What do you mean to prevent scratching? I just ordered a Holga 120N ...I got it for only 20 buck but its not too cheap is it?

Sometimes a Holga photographer will remove the removable 6x6 0r 6x6.45 film frame insert, and not use it at all, to give a slightly wider view on the film, more vignetting, and a bit looser film fit to increase the desired Holga effects. If you choose not to use the frame insert, be sure that the plastic the film slides over is smooth and will not scratch the film.

 

I use my 120N with the 6x6 film frame insert in place and get nice effects. I don't remove it.

 

Also, the latches that hold the back on can move easily and the back can fall off. I use velcro scraps around the sides to hold the back on securly.

 

I will take some photos of my camera later and post them. It hard to describe all of this with just words.

 

You might also want to put a piece of tape over the red window, which you can lift up when advancing the film, since, if you use 400 speed film there is a chance that the sun can produce a small dot on the film when the sun comes through the red window.

 

Again, I'll post some photos later today to show some of these suggestions.

Also, below the lens you will find a sliding switch on the 120N which allows you to use the camera in a "B" (time exposure) mode. this is new for the Holga. This can be handy in a very low light situation. However, this switch moves too smoothly and it is easy to slide it accidently. I also tape this so the camera is not on "B" to avoid accidentally sliding it. When I want "B" I just remove the tape.

 

After all, these are $20 toy cameras and some modification are useful.

 

Check out the HolgaMod site here: http://www.holgamods.com

 

Look at the "tips" section.

Thanks a lot Todd...your a big help! The "B" postition the setting that lets you hold down the shutter as long as you want right? I also look foward to the pictures.

Sebastian,

 

Here are some photos showing a few ways to adapt your camera.

 

This first photo is the front of the camera.

 

It shows the use of velcro type fasteners (Velcro is a trademark) to insure that the back does not fall off. The long piece is a cloth velcro strip with hooks on the back. Two of those are needed. On the camera there are four velcro squares with the fuzzy covering. These squares are self-adhesive. Two squares attach to the front and two to the back. You can do this with gaffer's or black plastic tape but the velcro looks so much nicer.

 

Below the lens is the "B" switch. This is where you hold the shutter open and release it to close the shutter for time exposures. I put some sticky velcro on that to be sure I will not move the switch accidently. I can remove it if I want to do a "B" exposure.<div></div>

On the back, the straps come around the Holga fasteners to keep the back on and tight. You will also notice that I have another piece of velcro over the red film number opening to keep light out with 400 speed film. I would also recommend using 400 speed film with these cameras. It's better to err on the overexposure side than underexpose the film. You can make the window cover with just tape if you want.<div></div>

This next photo shows the back with the film size insert removed. The 6x6 insert is shown.

 

As mentioned above, some people like to use the camera without the insert to expand the image size a bit. Some will also cut everything away from the film insert except for just a small thin frame and snap that on with rough edges to give the borders a rough look. If you do any of that, you will need to cover two small holes inside the camera on the top side with tape since light can come through those holes.

 

On the 120N the film frame insert has a tunnel which prevents interior light leaks.

 

I find that the camera works quite fine with the insert in place and I recommend that you use the insert, unless you do this adaptation to a second camera to experiment.<div></div>

This is a photo of the camera back with the film insert in place. Besure to notice the position of the prongs on the film insert for proper positioning. The insert will fit tight.

 

When putting the film into the camera, it may be difficult to insert. This seems to be normal and a bit or force is required, but, be careful.

 

You will also notice on the front of the camera on top of the lens housing there is another sliding switch to cloudy and sunny days. This doesn't do much of anything at all, and I just keep it on sunny all the time.

 

The shutter speed is about 1/100sec and the aperture is between f/8 and f/11. All of this can vary from camera to camera. 400 speed negative film seems to work quite well under most lighting conditions.

 

On the focus scale, the one person icon is about 3 feet (1 meter), the two people icon is about 6 feet (2 meters), the group icon is about 12 feet (4 meters), and the mountain icon is infinity. I have sometimes forgotten to change the icon and the photos looks fine anyway! What a great camera! The 60mm lens is wide angle for 120 film, so there is a bit of depth-of-field flexibility here.<div></div>

The last photo is my Mega Holga. It has a 0.5X ultra wide angle auxiliary lens attached to the Holga lens making this a 30mm lens on a 120 camera.

 

I have not yet run any film ith this since I got it set-up just today. However, I did use ground glass on the film plane and the distance icons are the same and the image does cover from edge to edge.

 

One problem: The Holga does not have any filter threads! To solve this, do the following: buy a 46 to 52 (or 49,55,58 or whatever) step-up ring. I bought a 46 to 52mm ring since most of my filters are 52mm and the inner diameter of the Helga front is about 46mm. Sometimes the 46-52mm ring will snap right into the Holga lens or it may be too tight. If it is too tight a bit of filing on the step-up ring threads is necessary. Don't force the step-up ring into the Holga lens or you could damage the Holga lens mount.

 

Using the step-up ring also allows you to use filters.

 

Hope all this helps. I am in the process of writing all of this into a pamphlet or for an article.

 

There are many more things you can do with the Holga. Be patient and experiment.<div></div>

Sebastiano, I forgot to mention about the viewfinder. At best the viewfinder is approximate, so just try to center your subject and hope for the best. (^U^)

 

Remember, this is a fun camera and it will both callenge and stimulate your creative juices. You may become frustrated at times, but keep at it, and keep us posted.

Todd,

 

Thanks for including the illustrative photos. I look forward to seeing what comes of the wide-angle conversion. :)

Thanks for all your time Todd, its greatly appriciated! I love your portfolio as well.

Thank you very much. It's my pleasure and be sure to contact me if you have questions or problems.

 

I will try to get out and use my Mega Holga soon and will post them here in a separate thread.

 

I'm sure someone somewhere is using these wide angle converters on a Holga, but haven't seen anything as yet. This idea came to me a few days ago and looked like fun.

 

Holgas are a good break from high tech cameras.

 

Also check out David Burnett's website. He's been a top photojournalist for over 40 years and you will recognize many of his photos.

 

Look through his galleries and you will find a good share of Holga photos.

 

I mention this because many people put-down the Holga photography as a waste of time, often with much ridicule attached, but this camera has become a creative tool for many prominent photographers.

 

See: http://www.davidburnett.com/

 

Write a note to him. He will answer. He's a great guy!

One last question: how long shou;ld you hold down the shutter release button not on "B" mode. 'cause you can still hold it down as long as you like?

 

thanks