Customer Reviews

Lomography Holga Red Starter Kit (Red)

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Many people will complain that this camera is junky or imprecise, made only of plastic parts. I advise you now that not only is that the point of this little beauty, it is also what makes it so much fun!
The images that this camera produces are distorted and dream-like (an overused term, you will come to find, in reference to all things lomographic) and give you pictures reminiscent of your grandparents' photo albums.
One of the great things about the camera is the number of things you can do to it to experiment with your images. It definitely allows you more freedom to adjust and modify than, say, a thousand dollar digital would. Being that it's small and plastic you can feel free to do just about anything to it, as picking up another one is fairly cheap and easy to do.
Despite being made of plastic, these things are tough. I took mine overseas to Japan for 2 weeks and dragged it on planes, trains and everywhere. It uttered not a single complaint and kept snapping along, resulting in some lovely images that will always bring back fond memories of places like Kyoto and Okinawa. It held up in a suitcase and a messenger bag, being knocked around during the rush hour commute in Tokyo.
The main downside to these cameras is the amount of prep work necessary to keep them in good shape before use. Spraying down the inside with black paint to keep the reflections at a minimum and taping down the outside to ensure the back doesn't come off were time consuming, but also make sure that I'll have the camera for many years to come. For the record, the back doesn't come off of my personal Holga unless I bear down on the metal clips holding it in place. If they get loosened over time they can always be bent back down again with pliers to correct the issue, a response to some who have complained of that. Still, better safe than sorry, I tape mine shut with gaffer's tape and seal the cracks to prevent unintentional light leaks.
This is a piece that you'll feel a lot more free to mess around with in terms of shots. It will also allow you to hone the basic skills of light metering, distance, exposure, film speed, etc. that are often taken care of for you in both digital and recent 35 mm film cameras. Getting the basics down allows you to turn to other tools of the trade and improve your images as a result, so for that reason alone I adore this thing. I take it with me when I go anywhere these days and have been pleased with everything I've attempted. From quick snapshots to time-lapses of the moon, it has delivered what I've envisioned each time... unless I was in low light and forgot the flash.
As an aside, unless it is very dark, the colored flash on this doesn't come out very pronounced and will only give a slight tinge of that color to the overall image. I stick with yellow or white when I need to use the flash, as the blue has tended to create an overall dark image and red just turns everything a touch pink. Still, I enjoy the options.
If you are looking in to Lomography as a hobby or simply want to add another tool to your photography repertoire, I would highly recommend this device. It is easy to use and maintain, it will force you to see your subject matter differently, allow you to see photographic evolution in action and also give you something unique that not every photographer already has in their bag.
In addition there are several different accessories to use with the Holga such as filters, shutter cables and fisheye lenses to let you play with your images.
Also, you can't beat the fact that it is bright cherry red and looks like an item to just goof around and have fun with. All the seriousness of black and silver devices go right out the window.

Length:: 2:40 Mins

This is the first video of unboxing a Red Holga 120CFN starter kit! Enjoy!

I ordered this camera mainly because I love developing 120 film more so than 35mm. I chose to go with red, because I loved the color of it. Other than that...I knew nothing about Holga really, but I love this camera! It is a very fun camera to take pictures with, so take the plunge and buy it! I promise if you love the look and feel of film photos you will not regret buying this.