Fitting a ground glass to a holga?

dslater · May 9, 2007

I have to say, I think the idea of using some scotch tape as a ground glass on your Holga is brilliant and goes very well with the low-tech mind set for Holga users.

jstraw · May 9, 2007

dslater said:
I have to say, I think the idea of using some scotch tape as a ground glass on your Holga is brilliant and goes very well with the low-tech mind set for Holga users.

And it works wonderfully!

dslater · May 9, 2007

jstraw said:
And it works wonderfully!

Cool - I may give that a try when I get around to re-aligning the rangefinder on my Canonet.

Antje · May 9, 2007

dslater said:
I have to say, I think the idea of using some scotch tape as a ground glass on your Holga is brilliant and goes very well with the low-tech mind set for Holga users.

I *totally* agree. And I found it quite interesting, actually. Thanks for soiling your karma for us!

Antje

Garym · May 10, 2007

focus test

Jstraw check out this test a Flickr member did on focusing the Holga. http://www.flickr.com/photos/squarefrog/sets/72157600108844035/ its from this site Dead Link Removed

jstraw · May 10, 2007

Thanks Gary.

His results are interesting. I have no doubts about his conclusions. It's just that his conclusions should not be extrapolated to any other Holga than the one the tested.

My results only pertain to my Holga and none other.

A scotch tape and loupe test, using the text on the end of a lit light bulb as a focusing target and a tape measure took me all of five minutes. If someone wants to know the focusing characteristics of their Holga, I'd recommend running one's own test.

I've yet to verify my results with a roll of film so I'd say the jury is still out on my method.

Nathan Smith · May 10, 2007

jstraw said:
Frankly, I don't understand the "don't learn how your Holga actually works" mindset but I wouldn't wind myself up to criticize those that hold that view.

For me, the lens does things, the shutter does things and knowing what they do helps me get more from them. How I would be better off not knowing how to focus a certain lens elludes me.

I find it amusing: "let's be different and use Holga's ... but you have to use them the same way we do, otherwise you're being conventional" which goes along with "I like Holga's because you never know what the photos will look like (except that the way we use 'em they'll always look pretty much the same)".

I like odd effects and unconventional gear, I just like to be able to use their attributes (or "qualities") to acheive the image I see in my head.

Nathan

sienarot · May 10, 2007

Cool! I've always wondered how accurate the focusing on my holga was too. Didn't know about the ground glass/scotch tape trick. I'll have to try it out. This will help me figure out the angle of the viewfinder compared to the angle of the captured image better too.

jstraw · May 10, 2007

sienarot said:
This will help me figure out the angle of the viewfinder compared to the angle of the captured image better too.

This occured to me while I was doing it. I haven't really looked into that or decided how I'd make the best, practical use of such a comparison.

nicolai · May 12, 2007

I haven't done any formal tests, but the viewfinder seems to cover about 60% of what the lens does. If I'm trying to accurately frame something, I compose in the VF, mentally add 40% to each edge, and then move the camera until the lens is where the viewfinder was.

Fitting a ground glass to a holga?

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