Best film for that nuanced and crappy Holga look?

[Mr_Toad]

Hey, I'm not ashamed to be shamelessly trendy.

So I bought a Holga Lomo kinda camera...the 35mm Sprocket Rocket. (No....I did not get a PINK one!)

I seek the liberation of blur, confusion, and just bad taste. ...still, I fear that even the Sprocket image may be too refined.

So what's a good film for a bad picture? I ordered some Kodak BW400CN, to process at Walspleen's.

(...maybe I'll construct a filter sandwich of old glass, bicycle grease, and egg yolk...mmmmm...)

Robt.

 

[thegman]

Cross processing I think is the sure fire way to give the Lomo look. I'd say over-expose by a stop or two on slide film, like E100, and give to a lab experienced with cross processing. The best I've used is probably Lomo Lab themselves, or maybe Peak Processing in the UK. For the USA, I don't know.

I quite like the Lomo aesthetic, but I don't do that type of photography enough to use it. I think it's got it's place though.

If you want to stick with B&W, then maybe something grainy like Delta 3200.

 

[Jockos]

anything expired, or you'll have to cross process.
You may of course cross process the expired film, but then you should really get the color filters for your flash and a fisheye adapter to get the full lomo experience!

 

[Mr_Toad]

What means "Cross Processing"?

....where's Google when you need it!

 

[Pete B]

What means "Cross Processing"?

....where's Google when you need it!

E6 developed in C41, or c41 developed in E6. You can achieve a similar look by playing with curves in photoshop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5maIdfttts&feature=related
Have a look at the verious photoshop lomo tutorials too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO6i55lMOl8&feature=related
Pete

 

[Pete B]

Hey, check out my LOMO landscape
Pete

 

[Mr_Toad]

Thanks, Pete and Aperture64,

Those are some great pics!

So Pete...I guess you did yours with PhotoShop......

Aperture64, that Bow Bridge image you have on Flickr is amazing! Excellent choice for the pano format.

Robt.

 

[shadowfox]

Or, go vintage.

I had a Welmy Six folder which probably had one of its glass element put in backwards. Check this picture out:

I later sold it on ebay, probably the buyer is a LOMO lover

 

[Jamie123]

Just get any expired film. If you underexpose and have the images scanned at a lab they will most likely try to ''push'' it in the software so the dark points are grey, giving you that desired low-fi look. Also, if the image is not blurry enough you can always apply vaseline to the lens.

 

[Jamie123]

are y'all aware he's talking about a Holga, adjustments aren't applicable for the most part...you get whatever the camera gives you (like a permanent 1/60 shutter speed )

He's not talking about a Holga. He's using a 35mm camera called 'sprocket rocket', which, if I understand correctly from the product description, is a 35mm camera with a wide angle lens that exposes the whole film strip including the sprocket hole area. I don't know what kind of control over exposure that camera gives you.
In any case, if he was using a Holga he'd hardly be asking for a way to achieve 'that Holga look'.

 

[Todd.Hanz]

He's not talking about a Holga. He's using a 35mm camera called 'sprocket rocket', which, if I understand correctly from the product description, is a 35mm camera with a wide angle lens that exposes the whole film strip including the sprocket hole area. I don't know what kind of control over exposure that camera gives you.
In any case, if he was using a Holga he'd hardly be asking for a way to achieve 'that Holga look'.

Damn straight dude, thats what I get from not reading through this all the way...cheese

Todd

 

[f16sunshine]

400 VC is best for the holga in color. Some of the Transperency films are also fun but, not worth the extra dough if you are scanning.
Just tweedle the sliders after scanning a CP'd look.
Anyway, 400iso minimum is best for these cameras without using a flash.
Pic something with high color saturation like the VC or classic Velvia (not F) and start firing away.
The look you want will show up 1/3rd of the time is my finding with Holga.

BTW I also like using Fuji 400H and 160S for a more pastel sort of rendering with the holga where I leave the magenta cast in.
With 160 I use a Fill Flash whether I need it or not.


400VC

160s

 

[Mr_Toad]

Sprocket Rocket is 1/100th and f10.8 and 16.

===========================================

So, if I jam a pencil through the iris, will the larger aperture afford me that beautiful Holga bokeh?

Anyway...thanks everybody for all your help! I should receive the Rocket, soon...so I appreciate the advice.

(ShadowFox, are those plants really leaning AWAY from the lens, or is it some kinda reverse tilt shift Cubism thing?)

Robt.

 

[pinkarmy]

...are those plants really leaning AWAY from the lens, or is it some kinda reverse tilt shift Cubism thing?...

i believe there are many ways to "create" (accidentally) that look...or something similar.

1. that radial blur "suffered" from a "bad" lens optic (in the lomo world "BAD is good"), like a plastic lens wide open.

2. the pressure plate (on the back door) is loose so the film is not pressed tight enough, hence the blurry "effect".

3. i think some people "flip" the lens of their plastic camera to get that look...check this


so in all, just get one of those cheap plastic toy cameras.

and for the films, yes anything expired and 400ASA (or higher) and cross-process your slide...just go free to experiment.

 

[Field]

Don't use Deltra 3200. Snooze. Daylight 400 speed films are going to give you better looks for contrast, yet grainy and all that. With color I would go with Fuji Pro because it has flatter more realistic colors. It sounds weird but using slightly more expensive color will give you a "worse" look because of the lack of contrast in the lenses. (where as low contrast lenses, cheap, would benefit from cheap color)

Processing is up to you.

Olympus OM 28mm f3.5's rear element can be easily reversed to do this... (with fingers) (maybe the f2.8 can, not sure)