HOLGA! HOLGA! HOLGA!

[bmac]

I have been thinking about buying a Holga... hell, after investing a few grand in my RB system, ans about the same in my Nikon gear... whats next?!

Are there any other Holga fans out there? I'm thinking of setting up a virtual holga gallery, anyone interested? Maybe the APUG guys would be willing to donate a little server space for this on the site?

Brian

 

[Sean]

Sounds good to me

 

[Robert]

I've got to ask why the Holga? I'll tell ya what I really like is my old folder. It was even cheaper then a Holga-))

 

[bmac]

Maybe just a junk camera or toy camera exhibit?

 

[Sean]

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bmacphoto.com @ Nov 1 2002, 12:50 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Maybe just a junk camera or toy camera exhibit?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
I did add a toy/plastic lens camera section to equipment (in our link portal) the other day. Someone from the NY institute of photography added a Holga Link...

 

[Jim Chinn]

Yes I am a Holgaphile. It is a nice change of pace from shooting 4x5 or 8x10 where you have many decisions to make before exposing the film. With the Holga just shoot. One aperature, one shutter speed, only one really effective film speed, and range focusing via little symbols on the lens barrel. Mine (I have 3) cost about $12 a piece.

It is like any other camera, be it a coffee can pinhole, a Leica M7 or a Sinar 8x10. It is not the cost of the gear, it is the image it produces and how the photographer fits it into his own photographic language. For me it produces the right image for certain subjects.

The other great thing is it returns a certain sense of mystery to image making. You never know exactly how an image will turn out. Not exposure wise, but depth of field, how much is sharp how much is softened, differences in contrast due to the intensity of light.

After working with subjects where you leave nothing to chance and pretty much know how the finished print will look, a little mystery is good.

 

[Robert]

No what I meant to ask was why you're interested in the Holga? I'm just curious what draws you to it.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

When I have the low-tech urge, I usually go pinhole. My usual pinhole setup is a pinhole lenscap on my Canon EF, high speed film, and an old Voigtlander shoe-mount framing device. I do feel somewhat more free using this kind of thing. It injects a certain random factor into the "capture" end of things, and moves the creative part more to the editing stage.

The old Voigtlander finders are clever. To use it, you keep both eyes open. Your left eye looks at the scene, and your right eye looks through the finder at a framing mask. Your brain puts the two images together so that you see a frameline in midair, without really looking through an optical device other than your eye, so no distortion, no light loss. They made one for use with a normal lens and either 35mm or 6x9 and one for a normal lens with 6x6.

 

[mystique]

Ya know Brian, Jason is a holga nut also...
Dead Link Removed

 

[LD Horricks]

Some good sites for Holga lovers...

www.theverb.com ( you could spend a day on that site)

www.holgamods.com (Randy has some intersting Holga modifications)

www.e3gallery.com

There is also a Photographer named Ray Carofano who shoots landscapes with a holga...dont have his URL but you can find him on Google.


LD Horricks
Prague, Czech Republic

 

[G O&#39;Connor]

I LOVE my Holga!!! I find using tri-x with it and then over developed by a good 5 min. gives me the best results. I remove the battery cover so I get 6x6 with vignetting (If you do this make sure to tape the batteries in because they're bound to fall out mid roll). Oh yeah, you only need batteries if you have the flash so maybe theis wont effect you. And get this, FreeStyle photo supplies now has a whole line of Holga stuff. They make the Woka with a glass lens, and the Holgaroid, a polaroid attachment for it!!! How great is that? it's $100 so I'll wait a bit. Anyway, just get the camera, for $15 you cant lose.

 

[mediumformatphoto]

I just bought a "Windsor" 6x6 Diana clone on eBay. I really wanted to get one after seeing many of the toy camera image galleries on the web.

Heck, a photographer who uses toy cameras almost exclusively was shown in the January issue of "B&W Magazine," the big glossy mag for collectors.

Can't wait to try it!

 

[ken s]

Hello, I shoot quite a bit with a Holga. The soft dreamy effect is what draws me. I have done lots of graveyards and also some nudes and am very happy with the results. Ilford Delta 3200 is my film of choice. Ken

 

[bmac]

Cool, why not post a few to the gallery here on APUG?

 

[jmcolberg]

Alright, my first post here. Just signed up. Anyway, I *love* the Diana and use it a lot. I also have a bunch of Holgas - one of which I use for 35mm work. Those plastic cameras are great. I prefer the Diana over the Holga, though. You get slightly more control over what you do and even though many hardcore toy camera fans would shun me for this I think you need some control. Shooting random photos and hoping for the best certainly isn't my approach. Maybe I'll post some Diana pix here - once I find out how this site works... ;-)

 

[Ed Sukach]

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (jmcolberg @ Mar 16 2003, 04:48 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Maybe I'll post some Diana pix here - once I find out how this site works... ;-)</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
I think you'll find APUG far more pleasant than the other "Free to bash those less worthy" sites that offer some sort of "cleansing" criticsm.

Good bunch here. I've never read anything like "Absolutely no talent. You would do well to quit"
The critiques on the other sites wind up as sounding like the babbling of idiots.

I, and I think I speak for everyone else here, look forward to new talent posting images.

 

[Aggie]

..

 

[Donald Miller]

I concur...

 

[sleazesells]

Other than ebay, is there anywhere to get a cheap Holgaonline, or any stores in the UK?

 

[reeveso]

what about toycamera.com

For toy enthusiasts, check out www.toycamera.com . We've got an active and supportive forum/international community with galleries, tips and publications aplenty.

Search lulu.com for "toy camera" to see the publications. I've just posted one of my own . . .

JOhn
www.lulu.com/johnreeves

 

[gandolfi]

Alright, my first post here. Just signed up. Anyway, I *love* the Diana and use it a lot. I also have a bunch of Holgas - one of which I use for 35mm work. Those plastic cameras are great. I prefer the Diana over the Holga, though. You get slightly more control over what you do and even though many hardcore toy camera fans would shun me for this I think you need some control. Shooting random photos and hoping for the best certainly isn't my approach. Maybe I'll post some Diana pix here - once I find out how this site works... ;-)

The Holga camera doesn't apeal to me at all..
as I use "his" mother, the awesome DIANA.
(I once saw an add for HOLGA that said:
"HOLGA!!....The Son of DIANA"... so it must be so...

I LOVE the Di. the control/lack of it and the way it distorts the negs is so superior to the Holgas..

and I am in the process of making a Di with a Compur shutter in front of it..
It is almost finished, and I'll upload some examples as soon as images are there..
(imaging: fast shutter speeds - B - T - and place for cabel realease as well as flash syncro.. can't wait. It looks neet too..)

I also have had a broken Diana, so I removed the lens, and wouldnt you know: it fits in many shutters for LF...
So I am going to make a "Diana image" on a 13x18cm film...

forget Holga. Go for the "real stuff"

 

[Fulvio]

and I am in the process of making a Di with a Compur shutter in front of it..
It is almost finished, and I'll upload some examples as soon as images are there..
(imaging: fast shutter speeds - B - T - and place for cabel realease as well as flash syncro.. can't wait. It looks neet too..)

many HOLGAs already have B exposure and flash sync - at least mine has both of these features and cable release modification is quite simple

I also have had a broken Diana, so I removed the lens, and wouldnt you know: it fits in many shutters for LF...
So I am going to make a "Diana image" on a 13x18cm film...

...what about image circle?
I would be surprised if is it big enough to cover 5x7"!

Fulvio

 

[gandolfi]

many HOLGAs already have B exposure and flash sync - at least mine has both of these features and cable release modification is quite simple




...what about image circle?
I would be surprised if is it big enough to cover 5x7"!

Fulvio

The Di also have B and I can use manual flash with it.
but never the less.. it looks cool..

about the 13x18 "di"..
the circle - it absolutely can't cover that area - that's the beauty of it.
nice round Diana like images - gotta look cool (?)

 

[Bob F.]

Other than ebay, is there anywhere to get a cheap Holgaonline, or any stores in the UK?

IIRC, Mr Cad stocks them.

Cheers, Bob.

 

[gnashings]

Love the Holga. Nothing like it!

Not to mention I got mine through the generosity of an APUG member - and what a gift of countless hours of fun it is! Get one, put in some film, any film - poin it and shoot it. Its darn right liberating.