Question about Holga camera?

Question

Question about Holga camera?

Answer 1

Get it from http://www.freestylephoto.biz (in Hollywood, California). It's far cheaper there.

Answer 2

the holga camera has very little to do with the 'vintage' look you're talking about. the vignetting (dark borders around edges of picture) are a unique characteristic of the holga but it's not uniform from camera to camera. the 'vintage' look actually comes from cross-processing color film in slide film chemicals. that's how you get those weird/cool blue and green color casts. but that means you have to buy all the chemicals yourself and have a place to develop them. if you drop your film off at walmart it's going to look like any other color film from any other camera. you can actually replicate some of those color casts by incorrectly processing color film in regular color (c-41) chemicals. fluctuating chemical temperatures during processing generally leads to color casts. while i love holgas, they're not the most practical camera in the world. if you have the money to buy the chemicals (repeatedly) and the time and space to process it i'd say go for it. if not i think you'll be disappointed with how 'ordinary' your film comes out.

Answer 3

You won't need the chrome mount - the included plastic one will do.



As for prices, $70 is a lot to pay for a $1 toy camera.



The following stores charge 'just' $47 for the Holga CFN120:

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_search.php?rfnp=2200&q=holga&rfnc=2202&

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/369379-REG/Holga_146120.html



They also have some Holga filters and the plastic holder, but not the whole filter kit together, and the filters aren't any cheaper than at lomography.com



These guys also have Holga filters but not the CFN120

http://search.urbanoutfitters.com/?q=holga



Or make your own color filters - just tape some transparent plastic over the lens. Lomography is all about wacky photography techniques and craptacular image quality, so I personally don't see any reason to spend $35 on official sucky filters.



Btw, that second link, bhphotovideo.com, is a huge camera store in NYC. If you're interested, have a look at their wide selection of 120 film: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=2545&N=4289304359+4289268856

Any 120 film will do. You do not require special 'Lomography' film. In fact, there is no such thing... yet another genius marketing stunt by Lomography.com.

Answer 4

The Holga 120CFN is a good camera. The filter set will work without the mount. The Holga 120CFN uses 120 film. If you have a photographer friend who can help you out, or if you have worked with film before, this will be fine, but if you are new to film photography, I suggest you start out with a 35mm lo-fi film camera. Why?



1. Lower cost of film. You get more frames per roll, and if you are a beginner, the way to get good at shooting with film, is to shoot lots of it. I find that when beginners use 120 film, it's higher costs and higher cost of processing keeps them from shooting because they are very much aware of how much each shot costs.



2. Easier to find. 35mm film is much easier to find than the 120 film used in the Holga 120 cameras. I see it in the drugstores, as well as few grocery stores (although that is becoming a much rarer experience).



3. Easier to get processed. Most drugstores and large big box stores like Target or Walmart still have 1-hour labs, but only for 35mm film. You will have to find a local lab to process your 120 film, or send it out.



4. Lower cost of processing. It cheaper to get your 35mm film processed. If you skip the prints and just get the roll processed and put on CD, you can cut the cost down even more. Tip: If you want prints, then you only pay for the ones that came out. This keeps the cost of processing down.



Once you get the hang of using film, then think about moving up to one of the 120 film cameras.



Take a look at one of these 35mm cameras:

Holga 135 or 135BC Similar cheap lens and operation as the Holga 120 cameras. 1 aperture setting (yes, the camera has 2 settings, but they are identical), 2 shutter settings, N (1/100 sec) and B (Bulb setting) tripod mount, cable release socket If you want the corner vignetting like on the larger format camera, get the Holga 135BC. This is a good camera to get if you plan on upgrading to a Holga 120 film camera. Many of the accessories, like wide angle, telephoto and filter sets will also work with both the Holga 135 and 120.



Sample photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/holga135bc/



Superheadz Black Slim Devil

This is a clone based on the popular vintage Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim. It has no exposure controls and no flash option, but with it's wider than normal lens (22mm) it is capable of taking some outstanding photos.



Sample photos: There really isn't a good Flickr group for these cameras yet, so the sample photos are from the Vivitar UWS http://www.flickr.com/groups/57074580@N00/



The Diana Mini

Lomography took the Diana camera, and shrunk it down to 35mm format. The Mini, while it lacks the interchangeable lenses of the full sized Lomography Diana+, is still a feature packed camera (at least compared to the Holga and Black Slim Devil). The frame format is unusual. They stuck with the square format of the Diana camera, but it is centered on a standard 35mm frame. The reason for floating the square on the 35mm frame is that be using a standard 35mm format, most 1-hour labs will be able to more easily deal with making scans or prints, since they are set up for regular 35mm film. You can also set the camera to half-frame 35mm, which is 2 vertical 24mm x 17mm images. This translates to 2 images on a standard 35mm frame. Currently a favorite of mine, it lives in my camera bag so it is handy where ever I go. 2 aperture settings, 2 shutter settings, N (1/100 sec) and B (Bulb setting) tripod mount, cable release socket This camera is unusual in that it offers square format,24x24mm on a standard 35mm frame (24x36mm). It also offers a half frame option, 17x24mm frames (it doubles the number of exposures you get on a roll of film)



Diana Mini sample photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1232275@N22/



The Diana Mini is nice, but I find that unless I am working close and with a flash, the images tend to be on the softer focus side, to the point of being blurry. You might want to consider the sharper lens of the Superheadz Slim cameras (Black Slim Devil, White Slim Angel or other variant, all the same camera in diff colors). Take a careful look at the sample photos on Flickr to help you make a decision.



Whichever camera you choose, remember that the point of lo-fi photography is to have fun and don't sweat the details!



For tips for lo-fi cameras, check out my website:

http://www.dianacamera.com/



For how-to videos for Holgas and Diana cameras, check out my youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/kaituba