Holga designer on the future of Holga

[AgX]

The designer and manufacturer of Holga cameras

Lee Ting-mo:

"Our camera is using the film. But today there is no more [...?] film in the market. So our film-camera will also suffer the same. So I must find out some way to make our products still alive. For surviving we must do our best. Otherwise [...?] in this way we must [....?] everything possible. Of course, also must be practical."

(sorry for the rudimentary transcription)


see also here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fa0566RZQk&feature=player_detailpage

 

[zenrhino]

There's an interesting push-pull here.

I've heard from retailers and labs both that a big part of their film business comes from people using Holgas. And in return, the prospect of Holgas requires there to be that film infrastructure there.

 

[Henning Serger]

You are a bit late in the game, we've already discussed this topic here some weeks ago :

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

They are selling 200,000 Holga cameras each year, and have increasing demand from China. Looks like their customers don't have problems to find film to feed their Holgas....

Best regards,
Henning

 

[AgX]

Sorry, I only checked the listing in the "toy" forum. Next time I'll do a more serious check in advance.

 

[Jeff Searust]

hmm so the number one selling film camera... 10 million or so in the last 10 years--- I tend to doubt any changes coming.

 

[Hatchetman]

I'm guessing these things are fairly indestructable? There must be a healthy second-hand market for them. Demand for new ones may be weakening?

 

[vdonovan]

I'm a Holga retailer and an enthusiastic Holga photographer. We just hosted Holga's 30th anniversary exhibition at our shop in San Francisco. The Holga has done phenomenally well for a kind-of-hard-to-use film camera. It went though a period of being very fashionable - lots of people bought Holgas and never used them - but now the fad has passed. We still sell plenty of Holgas, but I am sure that worldwide sales have flattened or decreased slightly over the past few years.

I think Mr. Lee is not talking so much about film cameras in general as much as the reality of his own business. Holga sales have flattened after a period of strong growth, so he's going to have to find another product with a wider appeal if he wants his company to grow. They have recently introduced some iphone add-ons, and it wouldn't surprise me if they made a digital Holga. That's what I would do.

Regarding film cameras and film sales in general, in our shop we are seeing steady and growing sales, especially with people in their 20s and 30s. It's not a lot of business, to be sure, but it's alive and kicking.

 

[AgX]

I'm guessing these things are fairly indestructable? There must be a healthy second-hand market for them. Demand for new ones may be weakening?

The Holga has done phenomenally well for a kind-of-hard-to-use film camera. It went though a period of being very fashionable - lots of people bought Holgas and never used them - but now the fad has passed. We still sell plenty of Holgas, ...

Never saw a Holga on a fleamarket, neither any camera out of the Lomography circuit.

I've never came across anyone with a Holga, and only once someone with another camera out of the Lomography range.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

With Instagram and other iPhone programs emulating that cool/retro/hipster look it's inevitable the sales will suffer as many will tire of the fad or find that iPhone Holga-simulated images will be "good enough". At some point Holga will announce they are ceasing production. Time to hoard up on Holgas to sell later for a big mark up? ha!

 

[Jeff Searust]

It went though a period of being very fashionable - lots of people bought Holgas and never used them - but now the fad has passed. We still sell plenty of Holgas, but I am sure that worldwide sales have flattened or decreased slightly over the past few years.

wait 15 years --- it will be back

 

[cliveh]

I'm a Holga retailer and an enthusiastic Holga photographer.

You poor deluded person.

 

[Bob Carnie]

My wife has 6 of them, she is launching a show in Springfield Mass in two weeks and Calgary Feb with holga work.

Never saw a Holga on a fleamarket, neither any camera out of the Lomography circuit.

I've never came across anyone with a Holga, and only once someone with another camera out of the Lomography range.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

You poor deluded person.

Delude, convolute or rude.

One of my all-time best selling images is a Holga shot.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

My wife has 6 of them, she is launching a show in Springfield Mass in two weeks and Calgary Feb with holga work.

Just curious, what does she do with SIX of them? I have three. One set up permanently for 35mm sprocket-shot work, another with an attached cable-release for tripod (which makes it harder for use on the street hand-held), third one my main use one for 120 that is a custom-painted 1960's pastel job. But six?

 

[cliveh]

Delude, convolute or rude.

One of my all-time best selling images is a Holga shot.

Sorry, I did not want to appear rude. However, I can take a picture with an M2 and in the darkroom, or through Photoshop make it look like a Holga image, but believe you can't do the reverse. But then you may not want to, but at least I have the choice.

 

[Bob Carnie]

It gets worse, some fool showed her the Freestyle catalogue and she wants ever single one of them..

That fool was me , because I love her so.

Just curious, what does she do with SIX of them? I have three. One set up permanently for 35mm sprocket-shot work, another with an attached cable-release for tripod (which makes it harder for use on the street hand-held), third one my main use one for 120 that is a custom-painted 1960's pastel job. But six?

 

[Bob Carnie]

Sometimes we get caught up with sharpness , tonal range, clarity.

One of the main reasons my wife uses Holgas, is the complete ease of use, Kids get a kick out of her working with these cameras and parents are less threatened when she brings out the funny
coloured cameras.

Her work trancends time to when our grandparents pulled out the box camera and took images to record their lives. I think of it as a tool to make her work better.

I personally use some really crappy old cameras for specific reasons, and am now biting at the bit to get a 8x10 Titan from Harmon... its just a dam hole in a box , but with the right
mindset ,some magic may appear.

 

[cliveh]

and am now biting at the bit to get a 8x10 Titan from Harmon... its just a dam hole in a box , but with the right
mindset ,some magic may appear.

If you want simplicity, you may try-

Dead Link Removed

 

[Bob Carnie]

Looks like an upscale version of the poor excuse of a camera I made out of Cardboard in my first year of photoschool.

Im sure in the right hands ,,, magic would happen.... I cannot help but think of Joseph Sudek and the great imagery he produced with less than perfect equipment.

If you want simplicity, you may try-

Dead Link Removed

 

[SuzanneR]

Sorry, I did not want to appear rude. However, I can take a picture with an M2 and in the darkroom, or through Photoshop make it look like a Holga image, but believe you can't do the reverse. But then you may not want to, but at least I have the choice.

I find that the mindset I have, and how I look at what I'm aiming the camera at when I shoot with a Holga is completely different than with a more traditional camera, so even if I can make an image exposed with more traditional gear look like a Holga picture in the darkroom or on the computer may not mean I've made the best picture for that look.... if that makes any sense whatsoever...

I like the way the Holga makes me look at the world, and I like that it's a different way than I see it when I'm using a Mamiya or something.

 

[eddie]

I have at least 6 Holgas, and 8 Dianas. They're so much fun to play with, and allow me to work looser. The reason I have so many is that (especially for the Dianas) there's such an inconsistency to them. Each one vignettes differently, the shutter works differently, and the f-stop works differently. They all have their own personality.

I've sold dozens of my Holga/Diana photos. I'm glad my buyers are more open to the images these cameras can produce than some of the people here.

 

[cliveh]

I have at least 6 Holgas, and 8 Dianas. They're so much fun to play with, and allow me to work looser.

I bet they do.

 

[Alan W]

The holga has its own "feel".I got one about a month ago having laughed them off for years and was pleasantly surprised.It's good to let go of the finer technical details now and again and just shoot.It's liberating that way.

 

[eddie]

I bet they do.

What's wrong with that?

 

[cliveh]

Looks like an upscale version of the poor excuse of a camera I made out of Cardboard in my first year of photoschool.

Without having handled or used this camera you are in no position to comment.