Review of the Holga Camera

If have been taking pictures for years and are hopelessly addicted to your digital here is a quick way to break up the monotony; buy a Holga. What is a Holga? It is a small, all plastic film camera that costs less than fifty dollars. A Holga is also your ticket to a new photography adventure.

This is a simple camera; some have even called it a toy camera. Holgas do not have an adjustable lens, frequently let light leak in, and even have a plastic lens. Based on how simple all this sounds consumers like yourself might begin to think that you have better things to do than waste your time and money on something that could not possibly produce decent pictures. And that is where you would be mistaken; even though the camera is priced low the pictures it produces can be out of this world.

The Holga has a hand full of unique features. The Holga's shutter has a 'bulb' setting that allows the photographer to take exposures for as long as they deem necessary, although the cable release for that function can cost up to $20. The camera is also capable of taking multiple exposures, as the film does not need to be advanced to take an additional photograph. The camera also comes with masks that allow the photographer to determine the size of the negative on the film.

Despite the odd features of the camera, it still retains the trappings typically associated with higher end cameras. The camera has a 'hot shoe' flash mount. This means that it can accept any flash you want, old, new, basic flashes, and even the most technologically advanced flash you can find. It also has a universal mount on the bottom. This allows the camera to be attached to a tripod, monopod, or any other accessory that has a universal mount. Granted the small, plastic camera does look funny mounted on a big tripod.

The camera only has a handful of drawbacks. The first is the light leaks that can come in through the film viewer and around the sides. The camera also has a fixed lens, so the only way to zoom in or out is to walk it. The final drawback is really more of a draw; the camera uses 120mm film. This means that there is more room for a more detailed picture, but the film is considerably more expensive than 35mm, and few places develop it on site.

Drawbacks aside, the Holga camera is a fantastic addition to any photographers bag of tricks.