Holga & Toy Cameras

Our Thoughts on Holgas

Holga has been around since 1981. The first cameras were highly flawed, producing constant light leaks and prompting the photographer to carry rolls of black tape. The newer models are more sound and the tape is no longer a necessity. The beauty of the camera is the chance to work with medium format film. The 120 negative even in a plastic camera affords incredible image quality and can be enlarged up to 40 inches wide or more with a fine grain film.

Tips

Shoot the 12 exposure format only. If you use the 16 frame mask you get 4 extra shots, but the neg becomes smaller and to us it's all about a square image.

When loading the film create tension by keeping your thumb pressed down on the spool as you guide the film into the take up reel. They say you must use 400 asa film, but we've shot 100 asa and been fine as long as you ask the lab to "push" one stop in processing.

Use the camera in bright light, if not use the "bulb" setting for longer exposures. Feel free to experiment with bulb even on a bright day. You will need a tripod or a flat surface to rest the camera to avoid movement. This is silly, but along with REMOVING THE LENS CAP, a common mistake is made by not returning the camera to the "n" setting after using bulb. Remember that this camera is all manual and has no brain to remind us that we are making a mistake. If you do leave the lens cap on, don't worry because you can take it off and shoot over the same frame as you've exposed nothing.

Once you are comfortable with the basic operations, try the Holga pinhole camera. Some of the best photos we've shot have been with the pinhole Holga. Just point it at anything moving and you can't miss. Also, the new 35mm BC (bent corners camera) is worth a look as it comes with built in vignetting. Finally, try using slide film and cross processing to a negative. This will overexpose the film and add to the fun!

Modifications

The Holga was meant to be modified. The easiest way is to remove the mask completely from the camera. This will allow more film coverage, vignetting and random light leaks.

Try loading 35mm film. To do this, remove the mask from inside, place some black tape over the film path on either side so the film does not scratch. Use two soft earplugs to hold the film canister in place. Cover the frame counter with black tape. To advance, click 32 times for a complete frame, anything less will make overlapping exposures which does look cool so try some variations. The results will be image on the sprockets which looks great. When the roll is finished, you will need to open the camera in the dark and manually wind the film back into the canister.