Holga

The Holga 120 is a Camera cheap manufactured and sold at the origin in China. It takes photographs Moyen format: the film is presented in the form of a simple reel (in opposition to the Format 35 mm, which is contained in a cartridge sheltering it of the light). It was manufactured and marketed for the first time at Hong-Kong in 1982.

Technical data

focal Distance: 60 mm
Opening: fix f/11, sometimes modified to obtain two openings, f/8 and f/11
Angle in 6x6: Horizontal: 53.13°, Vertical: 53.13°, Diagonal: 70.53°
Angle in 4.5x6: Horizontal: 53.13°, Vertical: 41.11°, Diagonal: 64.01°
Exposure time: fix, approximately 1/100s
Format of film: film 120, sometimes modified to accept of the 35 mm

Models

Holga 120 S - standard Holga, plastic lens
Holga 120 SF - Similar to the S, but with a flash integrated
Holga 120 NR - function " Bulb" (long exposure), shoe for flash, plastic lens
Holga 120 FN - function " Bulb" (long exposure), integrated flash, plastic lens
Holga 120 GN - function " Bulb" (long exposure), shoe for flash, optics out of glass
Holga 120 GFN - function " Bulb" (long exposure), integrated flash, optics out of glass
Holga 120 CFN - function " Bulb" (long exposure), flash integrated - filters of colors integrated for the flash, lens out of plastic
Holga 120 GCFN - function " Bulb" (long exposure), flash integrated - filters of colors integrated for the flash, optics out of glass
Woca 120 GF - Holga 120 GFN with optics out of glass
Woca 120 G - Holga 120 S with optics out of glass

History and philosophy

(?) Holga was built for the Chinese fans of photography, it is the “camera of the people”, everyone can use it. With time, this apparatus was exported towards the west and became a myth in the circles of photo hobbyists in Europe and in the United States. Philosophy can be summarized by these some words: “ Reduce to the max ”. Holga is used by several categories of people:

the photographers who like to make average format (the negative one is larger than traditional the 35mm, which makes 24×36mm. The negative format means made 60×60 mm) but which has few means
the students in photography, the artists and the enlightened amateurs who want to move away from the increasing complexity of the apparatuses from today.

With Holga, one finds all the defects which the apparatuses of today seek to correct: blur, bad exposure, distorted colors, etc The apparatus proposes very few possibilities of adjustment, but leaves broad rooms for maneuver however, as for the duration, with the release of the flash, the advance of film, completely manual, which makes it possible to explore unattainable fields with a current basic apparatus… The most traditional example is the overprinting: it is enough to press several times on the release without advancing film. One can advance film from only 80% to make panoramas etc

The idea consists in exploiting the defects of the apparatus to create a particular and personal photographic style (see also Lomographie).

Description of the defects and the principal functionalities

the objective with fixed Focale is out of plastic. Lenses also. Never the plastic would be considered by a professional to build a lens of quality. That explains certain a number of traditional defects, in term of color and geometry of the image.
the objective does not return a straight line a right image, and each objective of Holga is different and will make an image different from the same scene.
the objective has an irregular surface (for an eye one would say astigmate) and thus gives fuzzy zones and the other clear ones within the same photograph.
the combination of the plastic lenses creates a loss of enough important light to a little less induce Vignettage on film, particularly when the 6×6 mode is used, in 4,5×6.
a sometimes awkward defect is the perviousness of the case. That causes net curtain on the films, which one can find artistic, or to stop thanks to Adhesive tape (to be given to each film change…)
Astigmatism, Chromatic aberration, Spherical aberration) are visible, and contribute to the esthetics of the photographs, and the single character of each apparatus.
Two masks are delivered with each model. One can thus photograph in format 6x6 cm (square) or 4,5x6 cm (right-angled). Attention, in 4,5x6, the orientation is different from usually: large vertical side, small horizontal side. Though makes some one must be able to modify that without too much evil.

In 6x6 cm, one will be able to take 12 photographs on a film roller and 16 in format 4,5x6 cm A meter is present on film itself, and following if one chooses 6x6 cm or 4,5x6 cm, it is necessary to move a small valve which opens on a window which makes it possible to directly read the meter with the back of film. It is of course possible of shooter without mask, one will thus have an effect of luminosity very attenuated on the edges. There exist also adapters Polaroïd which make it possible to use instantaneous films of this famous mark to make " Holgaroïd". One can thus combine the defects (or qualities) of the two systems for a result even more " artistique" …

The Councils for the practice

film 120 has a resolution more raised much than the 135 (traditional the 24x36), simply because it is much larger.
Concerning film itself, the 400 ISO is most tolerant and easiest to use under varied conditions of exposure. The films ISO 100 are to be used only by strong sunning, between 10:00 and 16:00.
In a general way, the negative films are much more tolerant with on and under-exposures that the invertible films (slides). Those will give better details however. One can thus advise the slides if the conditions of lights are known in advance and will vary little. That will improve bad contrast due to the objective.
If one shoote in black and white, one will be able to use filters, in particular the red will obscure the sky and will emphasize the clouds. Green and yellow will give other effects…
the films classically used, which function well are the following:

chromogene SW-Films ISO 400
Kodak 400CN
Ilford XP2

Enfin, not need to dismount Holga for shooter in 35mm (format 135, the traditional one). It is enough to put a little foam and Scotch tape while following a tutoriel or|tutorial 35 mm with Holga|http://shop.lomography.com/holga-backup/35.html oder unten, and one will obtain a sympathetic nerve effect by impressing the film on all the height of film, there or the film is bored. It will then be necessary to wind of 34 clicks to go to the following photograph.

See too

On Wikipédia

Lomographie

External bonds

http://www.h0lg4.org - the French-speaking gate dedicated to the photographs cheap and the exotic apparatuses
http://www.holga.net
http://www.bildmaterial.ch - Holga-Shots
http://www.lomography.com/holga - die Microsite DER lomographic society
http://www.apogeephoto.com/july2001/plastic_fantastic.shtml - eine Liebeserklärung year die Holga
http://www.holgamods.com/mods/order/tips/tips.html - Modifikationen für die Holga
http://www.geocities.com/markhahn2000/holga_mods.html - Mehr Modifikationen
http://www.argonauta.com/html/holga_modifications.htm - und mehr
http://www.theverb.com/holga/modification.htm
http://community.livejournal.com/allthingsholga/
http://www.pinkmessage.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=54 holga forum chi & eng]
http://www.theverb.com/holga/camera_links.htm
http://www.jlh-photo.com/holga/ - Holga FAQ
http://holga.com.hk/ - Holga-Bilder und 2 Modifikationen beschrieben/bebildert
http://www.xanga.com/pinkwork - Holga photo off pop HK artists
http://www.holganizer.com - Faking has Holga

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