Post your recent Holga 120N shots here~!

Donald Qualls · Aug 5, 2021

I'm not where my Holgas are at present, but I'm pretty sure the shutter release shouldn't rattle. There might be something loose inside the front of the camera.

If you've got some tiny cross-point screwdrivers, an instruction video/Instructable, and some confidence, you can open the thing up and check if there's a broken part rattling in there. It's possible you got one of the rare ones that actually has the second aperture stop, but it's loose inside instead of glued on the aperture slider as it should be...

jay moussy · Aug 5, 2021

Hum Baba said:
Hi all, this is a small, irrelevant question but can anyone help me check if the shutter button rattles if you tilt the camera up and down? thanks

No shutter button move. Only a tiny, tiny internal click noise while giving the camera a vigorous shake, here - my hearing isn't the best. Probably a spring lightly moving against a resting surface, not a loose part.

ericB&W · Aug 6, 2021

My Holga arrived a couple of week ago, the small metal
plate that act as diaphragm inside the lens was broken and rattled.
I shaked the camera and could see it appear and disappear moving inside.
Then it finally disappeared completely and the noise stopped.
I've put an old XP2 film inside and after some shoots the noise
is there again . In the weekend i'll develope and see whath comes out.

Donald Qualls · Aug 6, 2021

Uh oh. Sounds like you'll need to open up the camera and (carefully) glue the aperture plate back in place. It's a simple machine, but the tiny screws that hold the front end on the body were extremely tight in mine...

Daire Quinlan · Aug 7, 2021

Marlay

I'd forgotten about this thread :-D
In answer to those queries above, no none of mine rattled, but every single one has been disassembled and made properly light tight.

Hum Baba · Aug 7, 2021

that's a really small track! The lenses bokeh so beautifully. For the rattle- I'm speaking more of a light clicking as there seems to be some play in the shutter lever when i tilt the camera up and down. is this something that happens with yours? cheers

awty · Aug 7, 2021

The distance from here to there and back again. by Paul Fitz, on Flickr

Darkroom print on agfa rc vc, dodge and burn, masking, selium, bleach refix.
120 Rollie 100 in d76,
Holga 120, orange filter, bulb.

ericB&W · Aug 8, 2021

Made a test roll with an expired Xp2 in R09 , the camera has no light leaks , works properly, apart the fact
that f.11 is unavailable.

Jeremy Mudd · Aug 9, 2021

Hum Baba said:
that's a really small track! The lenses bokeh so beautifully. For the rattle- I'm speaking more of a light clicking as there seems to be some play in the shutter lever when i tilt the camera up and down. is this something that happens with yours? cheers

None of mine do that, but like Daire I've torn mine apart and worked on them. I don't think any did from the start, but its highly likely that the "QC" may have missed something on yours. As long as it works properly and there aren't any leaks I probably wouldn't worry about.

Jeremy

Hum Baba · Aug 9, 2021

Jeremy Mudd said:
None of mine do that, but like Daire I've torn mine apart and worked on them. I don't think any did from the start, but its highly likely that the "QC" may have missed something on yours. As long as it works properly and there aren't any leaks I probably wouldn't worry about.

Jeremy

thanks for the info. I'm not worried, just fussy. would probably like for it not to have any play in the shutter. out of curiosity, when you say you worked on them, what do you mean? are you making modifications?

Arthurwg · Aug 9, 2021

These are among the best pictures on Photrio, perhaps the best pictures.

Daire Quinlan · Aug 10, 2021

Hum Baba said:
thanks for the info. I'm not worried, just fussy. would probably like for it not to have any play in the shutter. out of curiosity, when you say you worked on them, what do you mean? are you making modifications?

I've gotten a few over the years, most get at least the basic treatment, which is a coat of flat black on the inside, and the shutter mechanism disassembled, painted flat black where appropriate, and sealed around where the entire assembly meets the body of the camera. I've had light leaks from the shutter button in the past. In addition they get a 52mm filter ring glued to the front so I can put filters/lens caps/ etc etc on them.

One of the first ones I got was one of the infamous ones that didn't have any difference in the aperture openings, so I had to jimmy something up for that.

I also have on that has a proper shutter & focusing helicoid mounted on the front, with the holga's lens elements cemented in.

Jeremy Mudd · Aug 10, 2021

Hum Baba said:
thanks for the info. I'm not worried, just fussy. would probably like for it not to have any play in the shutter. out of curiosity, when you say you worked on them, what do you mean? are you making modifications?

Kinda similar to Daire - blacking out the inside, sealing light leaks, oiling shutter mech. Adding denser foam to the take-up spool area. Another source for leaks is around the bulb/normal switch on the underside. I also tape up half of the red window from the inside so that I can close the outer slider to block light when I don't need to see the frame count thru the red window (I only shoot 6x6 format on mine).

I have a Holga 120N that I made 35mm pano specific by blocking the viewfinder to represent the film area and labelling the winder with marks to roll the film on to the next frame properly, with a blacked out back with no red window.

Jeremy

Hum Baba · Aug 11, 2021

Thanks Daire and Jeremy for the information. Both your photos are great! Very technical. I think taping up the window from the inside is really smart!

Jeremy Mudd · Aug 11, 2021

Hum Baba said:
Thanks Daire and Jeremy for the information. Both your photos are great! Very technical. I think taping up the window from the inside is really smart!

Thanks so much for the kind words!

I have not had my Holga(s) out much lately - I need to shoot some more with them to flex my Holga "muscles" to get ready for the upcoming Holga Week in October.

Jeremy

Bazza D · Aug 21, 2021

Holga 135 on Kodak BW400CN that was in the camera when I got it from Goodwill.

jay moussy · Aug 22, 2021

@Jeremy Mudd on your 35mm setup, how to you work out the frame count, with your marks on film advance knob?

Jeremy Mudd · Aug 24, 2021

jay moussy said:
@Jeremy Mudd on your 35mm setup, how to you work out the frame count, with your marks on film advance knob?

I have two marks on the top of the wind knob, 180 degrees from each other. One is silver, one is red. I also have a mark on the camera for alignment. If you are shooting with the 6x6 mask in the camera for panoramic images with sprocket holes, the wind nob takes 1.5 turns to fully wind to the next frame without any overlaps. So once I load the film in the camera, I do around 2 full turns making a point that one of the colored marks ends up on the alignment mark on the camera. Then shoot, and wind on 1.5 times so that the opposite color ends up at the alignment mark. Continue this way until the end of the roll. The spacing gap between frames does get a little larger by the end as the rolled on film accumulates on the wind side, but this the easiest way to ensure there are no overlaps and not have a mind-numbing set of marks to keep track of on the nob.

Hopefully that makes sense!

Jeremy

John Phive · Sep 24, 2021

Thanks for creating this thread. I'm hoping to join the long list of image contributions:

► Holga 120N
► 3D Printed Cable Release Mount
► German Made 13inch cable
► 52mm Lens Ring w/ 3D Printed Slotted Filter Holder
► Experimental Polarizing/UV/ND filter

Andrew O'Neill · Sep 24, 2021

warden · Sep 24, 2021

Holgas are the best fun.

awty · Sep 24, 2021

Cut out all the ropes by Paul Fitz, on Flickr

Hum Baba · Sep 26, 2021

Rainbows and trees by terrence y, on Flickr

Steve Beswick · Sep 28, 2021

It's been soooooo long since I posted a photo "of consequence" anywhere! I know the negative has water spots and dust. I'm still working out my home developing setup, but to be honest, I'm starting to like the marks. ... or maybe I'm just becoming complacent. Anyway, I hope y'all like it! Yes, Ive been using 35mm film in my Holga. You should try it! It's fun!

radiant · Sep 28, 2021

awty said:
Darkroom print on agfa rc vc, dodge and burn, masking, selium, bleach refix.
120 Rollie 100 in d76,
Holga 120, orange filter, bulb.

I don't know the word for this, controversial isn't the right word. But in positive way. Blur image, misalignment on easel makes this .. perfect? I'm puzzled. Great work.

Post your recent Holga 120N shots here~!

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