Helga (?!) Cameras?

[moshe_silverstein]

Anyone ever heard of these? A friend and I were recently talking and

he mentioned (I believe) a camera of this name with cult-like

following... plastic lense and crummy aperture settings, no shutter

settings; sells for less than $20. Anybody ever heard of such a

(wink nudge) beast? Believe it takes 220 film.

 

Tahnks

[brian_c._miller]

Holga. It takes 120 film, and is available from Freestyle Sales Co.

[dennis_adams]

Someone I know keeps three or four of these beasts. She loads each

with a different speed of B&W film and choses the camera for the

exposure. Her results are spectacular. She claims that the

individuality of each camera contributes to her art. Of course, she

does have a good hand held me

[martin_f._melhus]

B&H Photo in NY also carries them. The bodies have some light leaks, the lenses are plastic, and probably 2 or 3 elements at most, the

shutter speed varies by perhaps 50% from shot to shot, and the film

advance is incosistent.

 

It's kinda the modern version of the Diana. Cheap, but can take

pictures that are recognizable. Forget about sharpness. Soft and

artistic is what you'll get (if you're lucky.)

 

Regards,

[michael_roark]

this site has some pictures taken with a holga <a href="http://www.b-son.com/index2.html"> holga </a>

http://www.b-son.com/index2.html

[alex_b.]

I have one. It's grrreeeeat! When you're sick of accuracy, you just take it, load it (and that's the joke - the film swings wildly inside, so I use a small clip of the film box to support it each side) and go about just firing without looking through the viewfinder. Kinda like Lomo. Of course, when you want you can deliberately use it with a specific effect in mind. It's actually a 6x4.5 camera, but the insert goes out and you ge 6x6 with brutal vignetting. It has f/8 and f/11 stops, focuses from near to far via icons (one person, some persons, a group, mountains, if you know what I mean) and has a hotshoe. The only shutter time (the shutter is operated by a tiny spring) is about 1/100 of a second +/- 5 values. Winding is manual, you see the frame # on the back through a reddish screen (like Mamiya Press backs). It's ultralight, fully plastic and a real trendy toy. People usually get them in 3- or sixpacks because every one performa differently. German FotoMagazin ran an 8 page article (and got Germany literally in a Holga craze) on Holga and then later, because of the enormous response, on Diana as well. Happy exploring!

[ulrik_neupert]

Maybe I am a snob. But why should I use a Diana or Holga when I have the finest 6x9 cameras, an Agfa Synchro Box and the final result of box camera evolution:the famous Agfa Clack which I bought in excellent condition for 15 DM (8 $US). I have to admit that these cameras are reliable and lighttight and have (I think) glas optics. But if the results are too good you can always switch the Agfa Clack to close focus.

 

Ulrik

[michael_moon]

My Holga is perfectly at home in a dumpster.

[alex_b.]

Ulrik, you ask why... It is not a camera for anything else but expressing your emotions. It is not a camera for pictures as such, but a MEDIUM for creative conversion of intimate thoughts and ideas in existence. It's a really horrible camera and I think they should put a warning on a box saying it's not going to produce quality pictures for the family album. But in this turbulent post-modern times many found out its potential as a tool for something special, highly subjective. If a photographic project with Holga is well concieved and well made, it can be as emotional as pictures of Anton Corbijn or films by Wim Wenders :-))) The problem is actually not everybody is capable of getting these emotions out of it, or rather through it on film.

 

Holga's simplicity is stunning and you can 100% concentrate on your subject. I think you must be able to see such pictures with an open mind, which is hard because they taught us about perfection in pictures and we (as the first consumers of our work) are certain about such lousy pictures going to the bin. We don't let ourselves get drawn to them because they do not fall under the rules of ye olde modernist picture making.

 

Not every picture Holga makes is art, of course, but when we see one and feel something, it's worth a second look.

[russ_arcuri]

The Holga has a <b>single</b> element plastic lens. (a.k.a. a child's magnifying glass). $19.95 from B&H photo. All Holgas are 'defective' in some way, so don't think you'll be returning one if it doesn't perform up to your standards. <p>

 

You get what you pay for. They really are pieces of garbage. I have some way, way past expiration (like 3 years past) 120 film; it's the only film I'm willing to run through a Holga.

[pook_laroux]

I picked up one to see if it would be useful in teaching darkroom basics to my cousins. The larger format B&W negatives would be easy for them to see and understand. The contact prints from such negatives are really fun. After shooting two rolls with it, I decided that I like it. It is what it is -- the only other cheap medium format cameras are "vintage" and "collectible" models -- older cameras are heavier, some are touchy and difficult to use. If it breaks? I buy another one. Buy 'em in multiples -- you'll get a discount from most suppliers.

 

I think that if you focus on the technical imperfections and obvious weaknesses of this TOY camera, you are missing the point. The best kind of toys are the kind that teach you as you play with them -- that are fun to play with! If my cousins develop an interest in photography based on the fun they have with this cheapola camera -- it will be my great pleasure to buy them a "real" SLR system or a decent P&S (depending on what they want to achieve and how they shoot)

[matt_baum]

I can't help but think that the Holga-haters out there missed

something. Perhaps Walmart botched the processing? A word

of caution: they're not used to dealing with roll-film.

 

The Holga is not for the faint at heart or for the obsessively

controlling photographer. What's more, it will not garner the

oohs and ahhs of other photo-sumers that a fully accessorized

Nikon F5 will. And indeed, image-wise, you will rarely get what

you expect when shooting with the Holga.

 

In my experience I have found that I quite often get a lot MORE

than I expected from my Holga negatives. At its best, the Holga

is capable of adding something dream-like and surreal to the

scenes it captures. To get this, you must learn to think like a

Holga.

 

A preferred strategy of mine is to stick with Tri-X 400, run rolls

really fast (all exposures in the same light conditions), and then

modify the developing based on an accurate light metering of the

situation. For example: set another camera's light meter to f8

and 1/125 (my Holga's permanent settings) and then adjust the

meter's film speed until those exposure settings are "correct."

Then push or pull the roll's developing to match this new

exposure index. The results are nicely printable negatives of

predictable density.

 

But first things first: get some good, opaque tape. The stuff you

want is called "Gaffer's Tape." It's made for the job. Electrical

tape is a poor second-best. Load your film, shim the feed spool

with a little cardboard (helps keep film plane sort of flat), and

then tape all points where the back meets the body. Most of the

completely distorting light leaks I have had were results of the

Holga's flimsy binding "mechanisms," a nasty design flaw.

Tape fixes that.

 

As for shooting, abandon all notions of composition you have

had before. The Holga's viewfinder is, at best, a rough

approximation of what will be recorded on film. Put subjects in

the dead center of the viewfinder. Let the Holga's inherent

vignetting qualities do the rest.

 

Enjoy your Holga and take it with you everywhere. Never expect

too much; always be pleasantly surprised. And know, for certain,

that God intended the Holga to be used as a 6x6: remove that

stupid 6x4.5 plastic thing and never ever question why.

 

-Matt Baum

[rob_n.]

I've shot some surprisingly good stuff with my HOLGA...I tend to think that the people who are slamming them here are more like technicians than artists.