HOLGAholics Anonymous

jjstafford · May 23, 2005

Confession: I took a picture with a Holga once in college, but I SWEAR I didn't develop the film.

Seriously, I got my kid a Holga and we were both terribly disappointed: the focus was pretty much dead-on at 6 feet, there were no light leaks and the lens was uncharacteristically sharp.

I wrote to Holga and told that they had better get their lack-of-quality control in order or they would lose customers.

B-3 · May 23, 2005

Holgaholics Anonymous?

You know, you're no longer anonymous if you TELL everybody!

mtbbrian · Jul 21, 2005

Hello, my name is Brian and...
UM, I am a Holgaholic..
I, ah have been photographing with a Holga for some 11 years now.
I have three Holga's one is a pinhole one and the other is a modified one I spent extra money from holgamods.com..
I have been doing a lot of shooting lately with my Holga, and have been trying many different things with it. Including a "Holgarama" and will be soon putting a roll of 35mm film through it too..
I feel better now for owning up to my Holga problem!
Thanks!!
Brian

wfe · Jul 21, 2005

I use a Holga occasionally but if it were going to land me in a strange women's bed I would use it more often.

gnashings · Jul 21, 2005

Someone give me a Holga... and then you can sell me more for exorbitant prices for years to come once I am hooked

Rock Poper · Jul 23, 2005

you know your an addict when all your pictures look like they were taken from the inside of a brown paper bag ...

k_jupiter · Jul 27, 2005

I have thought about passing off my 6x6 pinhole shots as Holga material, to see if any of you would catch it, but after I seen whatcha did to poor Donald Q, I guess I'll keep my much sharper lensless chromes in the box and let y'all go on your Holga-Merry way.

tim in san jose

Donald Qualls · Jul 27, 2005

Tim, there's no way a pinhole image would pass as Holga -- it's the same sharpness all over, and there's actually *less* light fall-off from a 45 mm pinhole focal length on 6x6 than a Holga's 65 mm lens gives. Only a poor film holding design will get you anywhere close to Holga quality.

However...

You could probably convert any 6x6 folder to Holga-like glory by taking the lens out of one of the cheaper box cameras and mounting it to the better camera's shutter. Stop down to f/11, set the best focus at about 14 feet (as it was in the original box) and you'll get much of the same quality (but more even illumination and fewer light leaks, unless you punch a few holes in the bellows).

Of course, if you're going to do that, you may as well leave the lens in the box camera, use it as you would a Holga, and convert the 6x6 to pinhole (assuming it's already toast relative to original configuration).

k_jupiter · Jul 27, 2005

Donald,

My 6x6 pinhole is not a folder, it's a tube pop out camera that I use the 'b' setting to make exposures using it's crappy single leaf shutter. I have carefully fine tuned the pinhole so it is pretty dern sharp. It has one delightful vignette on one corner, probably from the shutter not opening just quite all the way. I feel no remorse in converting this camera, it's one of the crappiest things to come out of Germany. A Balda Baldinexxe or something. Some days, I feel like sending it to you just to see what you could do with it photographicaly. Send me your snail mail and I might do it some day.

tim

Donald Qualls · Jul 28, 2005

Hmm. That's a potentially interesting possibility, though I'm currently on hold for processing, hoping to be able to get interior temperatures below 75 F sometime again (it's been well up in the 90s recently and humidity so high the A/C spends most of its power draw condensing water instead of cooling air).

However, I've got a Speedex 4.5 that's been honing for pinhole conversion for a couple years -- non-parallel film and lens, which didn't seem to improve with reseating the shutter in the front standard, and then a series of bellows leaks, have tempted me to just hack off everything forward of the film gate and mount a pinhole in the original shutter on a flat board, to get about a 25-30 mm focal length.

smiling gecko · Mar 21, 2006

...yessssssssssssss, i do ilke my holga and my diana or to put it another way: Tengo gusto de mi holga y de mi diana...or...J'aime mon holga et ma diana...in a couple of languages besides english i fumble around with.

...as others have mentioned above, i also like the approach/sensibility to the process of photography with the holga and/or diana.

...the results are markedly different/unique - better or worse, ehh? - from those i get from either my mamiya 6 or rolleiflex slx or 6002 or minolta autocord or crown graphic or anything 35mm. whether a spontaneous "grab shot" or a more contemplated "study" the results are, usually, satisfying...well...

...got a fsu (formerly soviet union) "schkolnik" (sp?) and an agfa click - both 120 -
awhile back and haven't had time to personally print anything from them.

...if/when you get past the light leaks, scale focus, "iffy" viewfinders, etc these types of cameras are another way to see/interpret/capture the world around you.

...hey, it's fun too!! oops, almost forgot, i need more film for my holgaroid : ) hah!!

kenneth

"...patience and shuffle the cards." miguel cervantes

boyooso · Mar 21, 2006

I too, must admit for my sinful love of holga and the holga called woca is a wunderful delight to be had in my opinion

Please give me some holga yummyness ...

corey

Markauf · Mar 21, 2006

I too am a holgaholic.
I've been using the junk for a few years now and I'm concerned 'cuz people are tellin' me that continued use will lead to..... holgaroids.
Ouch!

Gotta start laying off the plastic!

Mark

PhotoPete · Mar 22, 2006

I'm into the hard stuff...Holgaroids, stereo Holga, camera body modifications, Holgablads, etc. and I don't want to stop- not that I could.

winger · Mar 22, 2006

I also binge Holga. I can go for awhile without it, but then it pulls me back down again.

I do actually have one light leak that I don't like and can't find/cover. But it doesn't stop me.

forksphoto · Mar 22, 2006

Hola,
I have a Hogla, I'm just not addicted to it yet, but I will try to be more abusive in the future. Hows that?

Forks

Shan · Mar 23, 2006

I bought a holga about a month ago and then went to get one for a friend and got the new modified version with the B setting and the 6x6 mat. Kept the newer one and gave the other to my friend. Am sinking fast into addiction....

terri · Mar 23, 2006

I have a Holga. One of my all time favorite shots is from a Holga.

I carry the Holga whenever I go shoot somewhere - even if I have no intention of using it. It just seems to end up in my bag. I open my bag and.....there it is. So I pick it up.

It's kinda of freaking me OUT!

There. That's all you're getting out of me.....for now.

Valerie · Mar 24, 2006

Problem? I don't have a Holga problem. I can put it down anytime. Really. I just don't want to, that's all. But if I did want to quit, I could. Just like that. Cold turkey. Really, I could..............no problem. Yea.

Russ Young · Mar 25, 2006

I have to admit to being put off by all of the marketing hype for the Lomo line. There are lots of alternatives out there that in various ways might outshine (but perhaps not out-leak) the Lomo.

Some have already been mentioned; my favourite is the 6x9 Afga Clack- unlike a Holga, it is truly a simple camera with no focus (although a really crappy swing-in close up lens is built in). Another sterling 6x9 simple camera is the Kershaw "King Penguin" , a lovely fold out bellows camera having two apertures and both B & I shutter settings (same as the Clack). Additionally, both have a tripod mount.

Come on- you can do it- break out of the 21st century hype and try an all metal 6x9 simple camera!

b1ltr1te · Mar 26, 2006

Mine is a camera addiction; the Holga is part of that addiction.

My best photos of friends are from the Holga after a few too many rounds of beers.

Sometimes I wake up and feel very hungry for a different camera, then begin looking on that damned auction site for something at least 30 years old, worn, and just a little tattered.

This is one addiction I think I'll hold on to!

mtbbrian · Apr 24, 2006

I guess I haven't seen this thread..
So here ahhh here goes...
My name is Brian, and ahhh, I am a Holgaholic.
I have four Holgas, one standard, two modified ones, one of which I have painted red, and one PinHolga..
I shoot with it regularly.
Brian
HOLGA ROCKS!

Claire Senft · Apr 24, 2006

An ounce of prevention.

Being a recovering alcoholic and addicted to cigarettes I am nit going near one.

Markok765 · Jun 24, 2006

Im an hp5+ in rodinal Stand addict

narsuitus · Jun 25, 2006

Hello, my name is Narsuitus and years ago I was a hooked Dianamaniac.

Now that I have medium format cameras, the thought of using a 120 roll in a Holga, Woca, or Diana seems wasteful when I could use that same roll in a better quality camera.

However, I must confess that I nearly fell of the wagon when I recently put in a low-ball bid on eBay for an Agfa Clack.

HOLGAholics Anonymous

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