Customer Reviews

Holga 167120 135 35mm Plastic Camera

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My experience with Holga cameras started with the 120N model, which is the medium format film equivalent of this camera. I absolutely love the 120N; I take it everywhere along with my digital camera and tend to get my best photos with it. I decided a year ago to try out the Holga 135. After many rolls shot, developed, and processed by me, it has consistently failed to live up to expectations.

The main problem with this camera is it's lens is too narrow. The classic Holga 120 has a fairly wide angle lens, but the narrow 135 captures only a fraction of a person's view compared to the 120 model. For this type of camera, which has almost no settings to begin with, a wide angle lens is more desirable- it's easier to either take a few steps forward or just crop the final image with a wider lens than having to take 50 steps back to try to cram all your surroundings within the narrow frame. There is a Holga Wide Angle Lens Adapter that you can buy and attach to the 135, but it causes too much distortion for my tastes.

The other issue is the 35mm film. The 120N takes medium format film, which has about 4-5 times the surface area as 35mm. So even though the lens is plastic, because the negatives are so huge, most photos (properly focused) come out very sharp and crisp in the center of the frame with the classic vignetting and blur toward the edges. The 135 produces much smaller 35mm negatives. As a result, pretty much all the photos look pretty dull from edge to edge, lacking any sort of crispness whatsoever. Because of how the 135 is designed, there is no natural vignetting and no light leaks (if you're into that).

If you're considering trying out a Holga, I'd highly recommend the 120 model. If the size and scarcity of the film intimidates you, rest assured that it is really easy to learn how to develop black and white film yourself in your own bathroom, or you can just drop the rolls off at Walmart and get back prints in 2 weeks. The 120 and the 135 are completely different cameras, and the 35mm version unfortunately does not produce any of the desirable "Holga-ness" that you may expect.

I've used this camera just as much as my other 35mm cameras. The secret is to know your camera a bit beforehand so shoot some test rolls in varying light conditions. You don't need the cable release adapter to make this work with a cable release, the filter adapter, macro and close up lenses all work correctly with this camera. I recommend purchasing the flash unit as well.

This camera will scratch the back of your negatives, which is not a big deal if your just scanning them in since it usually wont show at all. If you plan on putting them in an enlarger you'll need to glue some felt or other fine material to the film pressure plate so it doesn't scratch.

Also the sunny / cloudy setting is kind of weird, its puts a rectangular aperture over the lens that really only shaves about a MM off either side of the lens..I generally ignore it and just shoot on cloudy.

Sadly, they have improved the quality of the lenses and all but eliminated the light leaks from the newer models now.
This takes great photos, but they are nothing like the original Holgas. I've still enjoyed this almost as much as my older Holgas however, and with a little practice you can take some great photos

What I love about this camera is the imperfections you get. Don't expect perfect pictures every time you use this little camera, but that is part of the fun. It is very easy and yet hard to create good photos with it. It is nice to have minimal controls, and yet you can do so much with them. I do wish that there were more accessories for it, but the ones that are around are great!
While I was looking for a camera, I figured that shooting with 120 film would be hard, as it is expensive and harder to come by. So 35 mm is a very nice choice. I take this baby with me almost everywhere I go. And look around online for websites that give tips and tricks for the camera, there are plenty out there.
I recommend this to anyone who is trying to break free from the digital camera world.

This is a great toy camera for starters, especially since you can just use the basic 35mm film. But you might also want to look at the Diana mini (also takes 35mm), since the Diana line has a huge selection of accessories and if you want to expand later on the diana might make more sense. can't go wrong with the holga though. you can do some fun stuff with this

I feel like I am cheating on the original Holga with this new 35mm, but let me be honest... it is sooooo easy. No more fiddling with the 120 film, no taping the back of the camera shut, no light leaks. But all of those attributes gave it the classic Holga prints. After my original Holga was stolen I thought I would try out the new version.

This newer model is basically a plastic point-and-shoot camera with normal old 35mm film. This would be great for anyone who might be interested in trying out their first toy camera without the hassle of the 120 film. The prints come out grainy, fun, fuzzy, "arty" if you will, (and I mean these in the best way possible) but they just don't pack the punch that the classic does.

Purchased for my daughter, a college Digital Design Major.
She utilizes it as a fun, knock around device, and absolutely
loves it!

I liked the idea of the camera but I tried multiple speeds of film and still only got one or two decent pictures. I loved the ability to use multiple exposure, but a lot of my pictures turned out blurry. It might have been due to the speed of film I used (100 and 400) but it might have been the fact that I held the shutter too long. It's a great toy camera and if you want to take the time to really learn how to use it, I think it would be worthy. I know a lot of people who have had amazing experiences with their Holga. You just have to be aware that since it is a plastic toy camera, some do not work as well as others. If you had a bad one, try getting a new one. Or a Diana. I've only heard good things about those. Don't let this review discourage you from buying one. Just don't be upset if it didn't work. Ebay it to someone else and they might be able to get it to work. It was worth the investment. I got some good shots but a lot of bad ones too...

This camera is useless, so buy the Holga 120 instead. A previous reviewer noted that all the shots taken were blurry, but this is not a problem with the photographer: no matter what ISO used (I tried with multiple, including 800, which is quite fast) the photos will come out blurry because the shutter speed is improperly calibrated. There is only one shutter speed (holding the button down does not change the speed, it only resets the button more slowly); this is just like the Holga 120, a medium format which works very well. The problem is that the shutter speed is much too slow. From my experience, I would estimate it at around 1/10 of a second (1/50 being the proper hand-holding speed for the lens on the camera). This camera is literally impossible to use without a tripod, no matter what ISO you use, no matter how much light there is. The medium-format Holga has a proper shutter speed, so buy that instead, even if it is more bulky.

i decided to go with the nikon holga lens, this holga camera 35mm is a waste of money, why get the film developed? when you can see what your taking right when your taking it? this camera made me waste more money then i ended up wanting too.