Vintage alternative to a Holga?

MDR · Jun 25, 2015

The czech pyoneer and it'S french source of inspiration the photax are both wonderful to look at really some of the most beautiful camera designs and the lenses also give you Holga like results. As for american made cameras Kodak made some very very good cameras and lenses but if you want crappy the Kodak Brownie Chiquita (made for the spanish market) is a good choice love the name the Kodak Brownie Cresta 3 is another great choice this time a camera for the english market

cl3mens · Jun 25, 2015

I bought a Agfa Click I for the same reason. But it has several downsides compared to the Holga:
* Fixed focus (I belive that 4 meters is the closest)
* No bulb setting
* No usable flash sync (unless you are using the dedicated bulb flash)
* Mine is not very sharp anywhere, compared to the Holgas relatively sharp center. Its just an even unsharpness to it.

However, it is not useless. Some pros:
* 1/30 shutterspeed and f/8.8 makes it about three stops less hungry for light than the Holgas 1/100 f/13.
* I like how it looks
* The lens' character might prove useful for B/W landscapes. I've given up on it for portraits though.

Regarding Kodak Brownies I've only used a Six-20 E. I like it a lot but it is far from a Holga or even lofi (imho). I'm not clear about you wanting the Holga look or just the ease of operation.

Pros:
* 1/30 and f/11 makes it roughly two stops less light hungry than the Holga
* The 100/11 meniscus lens is really good. Not mural prints but have a look here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cl3mens/tags/kodakbrowniesix20e/
* Built in portrait lens (3-6 feet) and yellow filter
* Bulb, cable release and tripod socket

Cons:
* You have to respool your film.

An older Brownie might give you a more lofi look, but remember that these cameras (and many others, like Agfa) were made to perform as good as possible in factories with higher QC than Holgas (and they did not stick a wide angle lens on them that barely covers the format). But I like Holgas, don't get me wrong. A Holga with a 80 or 90 mm lens would probably be a lot less fun (fun fact: they are using a 90 on the 120PAN for 6x12 - and it looks like it struggles to cover 6x9).

02Pilot · Jun 25, 2015

There are countless options, as can be seen above. My personal recommendation, as long as you don't mind trimming 120 spools or respooling, is the ubiquitous Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. One aperture, one shutter speed plus B, fixed focus - couldn't be simpler. Try to find an earlier one (glass lens) if you want better picture quality, or a later one (plastic lens) if you want more distortion. If that's not enough, you can easily reverse the lens for even more distortion; this mod is totally reversible, so you can go back and forth quite easily.

removed account4 · Jun 25, 2015

sorry for my 2nd post but ...
if you can dig up a autographic 3a folder ( kodak ) and a couple
of 122 spools they make beautiful panoramic cameras it takes barely a hard modification
for a 120 filmgate.
kodak tourist folders are quite special as well .. they take 620 film ( respool for some, but
maybe you can adapt a 120 roll to it ? ) also a kodak 1a box camera, ANCIENT like WW1 !
took large rolls of film ( 116 i think ) but maybe with a little elbow grease you can adapt to 120.
while i have an old holga 120n ( that i can't really get used to ) i'd rather use some of the things
i have, that i have mentioned in your thread .. the cameras just take a little getting used to what
kind of film they expose, adn HOW, but these old boxes and folders made HUGE negatives and beautiful prints .

good luck !
john

narsuitus · Jun 26, 2015

GarageBoy said:
Vintage alternative to a Holga?

Get a Diana!

DannL. · Jun 26, 2015

momus said:
"A crappy camera . . .That covers just about every American made camera. Of the 30,000 cameras for sale on ebay, 25,000 would be one of those".

Oh, I don't know. I think the man doth protest too much. Edward Weston and Tina Modotti made some nice photos with American cameras :} I think Ansel Adams used Polaroids himself, as did Andy Warhol. The Ciroflex, Graflex (in all their different forms), Kodak Medalist, Kodak Bantam, Agfa Argoflex....there were some innovative and very nice American cameras back in the day. The Kodak Brownie revolutionized photography, as did the Polaroid. The Mercury w/ its rotary shutter was a neat camera. Lots of wonderful Kodak folders and plate cameras that, like many I mentioned, are still around. Kodak still makes the best damn B&W film and developer combination in the world, Tri-X and D76. How many years has that been around? 3/4 of a century probably, and still going strong.

Perhaps that's why there's so many on eBay. Lots of people owned them, they were popular, and they were built to last.

Maybe try a good 'ol Clack or Click camera?

See there, that just proves that Great Photographers can do outstanding work, even with crappy cameras. Wouldn't you agree?

Bill Burk · Jun 26, 2015

Get a Hasselblad and just tape down all the settings.

M Carter · Jun 27, 2015

Google "Brownie Hawkeye Lens Flip". Kinda cool look.

I have a holga for nikon lens. Most of the coolness is outside the 35mm frame though.

I have a tilt/shift device designed for my RB that can use zone plate, holga, or hawkeye lenses. Just need to get the files to shapeways… with all my free time!

UnknownBOB · Jul 3, 2015

There is a simple 120 camera that has been left off the list and a good example with good leather case can be had in the UK for about £12

A lot better than £30-49 Holga, The Ilford Sporti 120 film.

Here is a old Flickr group
https://www.flickr.com/groups/ilfordsporti/pool

Try rockycameras.com if UK or here http://www.rhodonscollectables.co.uk/ourshop/cat_794310-Photography-Cameras-Equipment.html

http://www.rs-photographic.co.uk/

and Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/art-an...=more-cameras-&-accessories-art&p-23-apr-2015

Have fun hope t helps..

UnknownBOB · Jul 3, 2015

http://www.rs-photographic.co.uk/product/3265/coronet_6x9_folding_camera_with_case

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Coronet_Rex

SMBooth · Jul 6, 2015

Kodak Cresta 3

Jeff Bradford · Jul 6, 2015

Here are four cameras which can be had for $15 or less. All are 6x6 on 620 film and have optional flash attachments if you can find the bulbs. ASA 125 film is best, but anything from 50 to 200 should give good results. 400 if you're brave. Re-rolling 120 film onto a 620 spool is a breeze.

The Imperial Mark XII (the American Holga): Somewhere around 75mm f/11, approximately 1/45
It is almost a novelty camera, but it really works. No double exposure protection. Curved film plane. Definitely a "snapshot" camera. Everything farther than two meters is "in focus".

The Brownie HawkEye: 75mm fixed focus, f/16, 1/30 or B
A solid bakelite camera with no double exposure protection. Buy two and flip the lens in one.

The Argus Super 75: 65mm, f/8, f/11, f/16, 1/40 or B, zone focus 3.5 feet to infinity
After focus-calibration, this is actually a really good camera. It has double exposure protection and a tripod socket.

The Anscoflex II: 75mm, f/11, 1/60, focus is "close-up" 3.5 - 7 feet or "normal" 10 feet to infinity.
This is a really cool looking camera, but functionally it is more like the Brownie Hawkeye with a built-in close-up filter. It also has a built in yellow filter which can be deployed to enhance contrast. It has a beautiful large view-finder, double exposure protection and a tripod socket.

jeffreythree · Jul 6, 2015

Here is one I don't see on this list, a Universal Meteor. It can be found cheap, 6x6 format, shutter speed is somewhere around 1/30-1/50 sec., f/11, 16, 22, and 32 aperture choices, and the aperture is square. I clip and file the 120 film's spool to fit since it is a 620 camera. The extinction meter on mine is even accurate enough for decent black and white photography using the attached scale(matches sunny 16), but my viewfinder is hazy/crazed plus only shows about 60% of the scene it will capture. It doesn't vignette like a Holga since it holds the film in an arc if you are looking for that feature. The collapsible lens tube locks the shutter from firing when collapsed, kind of handy a times. I kind of like mine for the wacky square aperture and it seems pretty sturdy and simple.

ericdan · Jul 7, 2015

Holga 120 is the best.

johnnyh · Jul 7, 2015

For good quality in the classic style, look at the Zeiss/Goerz Box Tengor series. For curvy bakelite style, the Agfa Clack as already mentioned.

AgX · Jul 7, 2015

Fort Bakelite style I rather would advise the Photox.

naramri · Aug 24, 2015

No. 2 Agfa Ansco box camera - the ultimate point-and-shoot. Two viewfinders, meniscus lens, time exposure if you wish, otherwise only one shutter speed. Uses 120 film. Just be sure to cover the red window; piece of cardboard taped over it seems to work well enough. Got mine (a model from around 1925, I think) unused in its original box for about $10. It's been a lot of fun, and the resulting 6x9 negatives are decently clear. I like their kind of soft, vintage-y je ne sais quoi.

Vitoret · Aug 28, 2015

Try the nice Bencini Koroll II... it's an italian 120mm camera (half-frame) made in Milan

I own one and is simple and fun

Vintage alternative to a Holga?

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