Holga camera - is it worth $20?

Tough question. Is it worth 10 ? 20 ? 100, 1000 perhaps ? Impossible to say, because it's all about how much it's worth to YOU.

How would you value something that (for instance) makes you think and do photography in a way you never thought about ? Or something that expands your creativity to where no man has ever been before ? :)

I'm not saying that the Holga is going to do that, but if people uses the 'why not' base to spend $1000 on a <put something expensive here> camera, then, why not apply the same to the Holga ?

I'm still amazed of how much I enjoyed my almost toy-like plastic $40 Lubitel and how much I like some of the results from it. A cinema ticket and some pop corn will keep you entertained for some hours, why not spend that on something that you may enjoy for years?

:)
 
Well, I got my first roll from my Holga back and only three pics came out at all... I think I must have really spaced out with the lens cap :bang:. Anyway, two pics were motion blurred and one pic was disappointingly sharp, although still soft. I can definitely see the fun factor, though, because it just doesn't get much simpler than this. I'll probably keep it in my bag just to remind myself to lighten up and have fun while I'm taking pictures.
 
I just had my first roll developed from Holga. Although I sealed all the seams, it still leaks light from somewhere.

20425339_689d8cac77.jpg
 
i love my holga. it's held together with velcro and some duct tape. when i get anything good out of it, i feel like i got a present. it is definitely alot of fun. randy at holgamods did modifications on mine and was great to deal with. here are some pictures from my cheap but wonderful camera.
 
Keep experimenting with it, try things you wouldn't usually try, odd compositions, absurd scenes, points of view, etc. I'm sure there are many good examples on the internet.
 
I have to admit to being a bit of a plastic lens fan - mostly holga, but some coronet 4x4 mk11s as well. they are a great way to pair down and escape the technicalities of more refined cameras ....
 
Leon, that was EXACTLY the kind of shots I was talking about, thanks !!! :)

Geessh, I'm even thinking of getting a Holga myself !
 
It was the pictures with a Holga by Leon that got me interested in getting one, but so far I've resisted. I feel a GAS attack coming on as the force is very strong :D
 
thanks guys - and Tony, you should heed the force - resistence is futile (oops, mixed up sci-fi references ...)
 
Hmmm... I may be straying to the digital dark side here, but have you guys heard of the lensbaby ? It's only for SLR as it would'nt be possible to focus one with an RF but the idea is to get the result of a holga on a DSL :)

www.lensbabies.com

This little toy had the same effect on me as holga's apparently have on other people: it enabled me to get more creative with my photographs without always concentrating on perfect sharpness and exposureand all that junk :D Anyway, for you few DSLR freaks here, be sure to check it out :)

Here is a shot taken with one of these, on a nikon d70 (photoshopping was involved, but I'e kept it nice and crappy, even left the stains on the car windshield I shot this through :D )
 
Is it worth to shell out $20 for a Holga? IMO, yes, but I also shelled out 2500 euro for an R-D1 so perhaps I'm not the best adviser on the block. :)
 
I'm not above photoshopping (or gimping in my case I guess), but if you're gonna photoshop beyond level stretching, usm, etc.. (I tend to draw a line between whole image operations and those involving only a portion of the image. Not that I haven't erased leashes, telephone poles, even a hose real once (made possible by the repeating leaf texture behind it). If you're gonna go that far - why worry about the holga in the first place. Dodge, burn, blur. presto - you got a holgafilter.

If you want the flash, I'd say skip the one with the flash and get the hot shoe.
 
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XAos said:
I'm not above photoshopping (or gimping in my case I guess), but if you're gonna photoshop beyond level stretching, usm, etc.. (I tend to draw a line between whole image operations and those involving only a portion of the image. Note that I haven't erased leashes, telephone poles, even a hose real once (made possible by the repeating leaf texture behind it). If you're gonna go that far - why worry about the holga in the first place. Dodge, burn, blur. presto - you got a holgafilter.

If you want the flash, I'd say skip the one with the flash and get the hot shoe.
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If you're referring to the picture I posted with the lensbaby blurb, I only used photoshop for the RAW extraction and BW conversion ;) The lensbaby brings on the blur, distortion, chromatic mess and general crappyness itself :D
 
In case I can tempt anyone down the path...

Calumet Photo has the Holga 120S w/ five rolls of Ilford HP5 for US$29.99, just follow the link here.

:)
 
T_om:

If that's the worst of my obvious shortcomings, I'll learn to live with it. I've been accused of worse.

Y'all have displayed some outstanding photographic results with the Holga/Wocas. Keep it up. I think I'll work with my Hawkeye for a while longer, even if it only focuses by moving one's feet.

-Paul
 
freestyle photo is THE headquarters for holgas (http://www.freestylephoto.biz/holga.php). i took a "toy camera" class at columbia college in chicago a few years ago and it opened up the world of photo possibilities to me! our required materials included an original holga plastic camera and our first demonstration was how to make the little buggers light-tight. let's just say a roll of black gaffer's tape will become your new best friend. it's always advisable to tape the back panel to the front after you've loaded film to keep the back from falling off mid-roll. also important: cover the two holes inside the camera with gaffer tape.

freestyle has a pdf file about how to use the holga and its very well-written (http://www.freestylephoto.biz/pdf/HolgaManual.pdf).

i just bought the new holga N which has a frame to hold 6cm square as well as the original 645 holder. the original holga only had a holder for the 645 size so the film had a tendency to go a bit slack and warble-y when removed to get a full frame 6x6 shot. it also has a tripod mount and B setting. it was about $20 and i should be souping my first roll of film as soon as i can get a hold of some rodinal.

attached: original holga photo plus images of proper use of gaffer tape and the differences between the original and the "N" models. my cat insisted on sunning herself in the middle of the last pic... my apologies.
 
My Holga is the one camera that goes everywhere with me. The second slot is reserved for whatever else, but the Ho;ga has a special compartment in my Domke just for it :)
 
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