Lomography Holga Medium Format Camera Starter Kit

by Lomography

Product Details

Product Manual [48kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008Y2DX
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,596 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 24, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Get basic and go postmodern at the same time with Lomographic's Holga 120 with built-in flash. This Holga starter kit includes Mes Vacances Avec Holga photo book by Fred Lebain, 1 roll of medium format film, 2 AA batteries, multilingual instructions, poster, and 1 roll of non-residue opaque tape.

Unabashedly low-tech and ideal for beginning photographers, all the operations are completely manual, including the focus, aperture, shutter, and film transport controls. Yet the camera produces an abstract, soft-focus picture that even seasoned photographers find unique. Double exposures, streaming colors, warped vignetting, and unpredictable light leaks are all possible with this camera.

It also has a built-in flash (requires two AA batteries, which are included) to bring about even more photographic possibilities.

The camera uses 120 color or black-and-white film. Rough it out with this affordable camera and reap the rewards of distinctly daring photography. Just don't forget to remove the lens cap.

The History of Holga

Harken back to Hong Kong, 1982. The manufacturing and production hub of the world is burning at a full flame, As with their neighbours in Japan and China, photography is an intense national hobby and obsession. New camera designs and productions are churned out daily, feeding the huge domestic and import markets. From within this world of m anic creation and innovation comes the Holga, a distinctly un-modern and somewhat prehistoric throwback to the early days of camera mechanics.

The concept is simple--a minimal and inexpensive camera using medium format 120 film. It would contain only the bare necessities for photo mechanisms, and provide a cheap and accessible alternative for students and enthusiasts to dip their toes into the otherwise very expensive world of medium format photography. Reflecting the shining landscape around them, this new camera is named after the term "ho gwong," meaning "very bright." After throwing a European spin onto this phrase, the moniker "HOLGA" is minted.

This dead simple camera is met with a warm welcome, establishing a strong yet small base of Holga aficionados. Birth, death, celebration, ritual, and everything in-between is caught on lo-fi medium-format emulsions--amplified and focused through the plastic lens of this bare bones, oversized camera.

Over the next 10 years, Holga enjoys a popularity explosion. A global community of photographers, students, creative types, and generally fabulous individuals see the simplicity and ability of Holga, and fully embrace it. This cult following organizes around the Holga, praising its insane characteristics, unpredictable effects, and stunning results. Teachers and professors actively employ the Holga as a training tool--simultaneously teaching their students the fundamentals of photography while opening their minds to new and unexpected techniques. The very features that many would consider to be fatal defects in a "normal" camera have become the most treasured assets of the Holga new school.

Today, the Holga movement is expanding every single minute, with new devotees, organizations, and online sites spreading like wildfire. Photographic exhibitions are held in some of the most prestigious galleries on the planet; showcasing the work of one of the most unlikely artistic tools ever employed. Competitions, interactions, and communication are tossed around the online & offline communities, encouraging and amplifying the excellent work of the Holga obsessed. Ironically, as camera design becomes more technical, automatic, and sophisticated, Holga's low-tech appeal grows stronger and stronger for us; those who relish its quirky and unpredictable nature. While designers around the world are racking their brains to create increasingly more advanced and complex cameras; the Holga will continue to grow as a steadfast counterculture item, taking away the complications of technology and simplifying the equation to four critical elements--your eye, the lens, the film, and your subject.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorite toys, September 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Lomography Holga Medium Format Camera Starter Kit (Electronics)

i first heard about holgas about a year ago. i'm a photo student and really like unusual cameras. i ended up ordering a woca which is made by the same company and is basically the same camera but with a glass lens instead of the plastic lens on the holga. i like my woca so much that i'm thinking about ordering a holga as well. i've heard that sometimes the plastic lens distorts the image in interesting ways, something that the glass on the woca doesn't do as much. the glass lens actually is quite crisp when the focusing is just right, did you hear that you have to guess on the focusing? thats part of the fun though. either way these cameras are fantastic and both yield interesting results. but if you like perfection and consistancy in you photos don't get one of these, no wait, get one of these. it will change you for the better. and by the way, get one with a flash, these flashes are brighter than the sun. they are fun for flashing your friends and disorienting them for a good thirty seconds. (if you are a kid reading this, only flash your friends when your parents aren't around or you will probably loose your holga) plus the flash is essential if you are going to use this camera indoors, otherwise you will get thin negatives. enjoy.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WAY OVER PRICED !, October 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Lomography Holga Medium Format Camera Starter Kit (Electronics)

Holga's are great cameras, but if you look around on the net or at a photo store you can find these plastic cameras for twenty to twenty five bones. The price for this "Lomographic" Holga Starter Kit is way over priced....sure the packaging is a little nicer, but come on! Don't get suckered into this. Look around a little and you'll save big.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every cent, December 10, 2004

By 

Schatzi McGee "Lomo-aficionado" (New York, Baby!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lomography Holga Medium Format Camera Starter Kit (Electronics)

First off, the Holga is awesome. Its shots are really in a class of its own. I've done both personal and editorial work with this camera - and its images are fantastic. They have real character, great color, and a romantic feel. It is, hands-down, my favorite 120 camera.

The package has really great content. The "Mes Vacances Avec Holga" photo book is loaded with beautifully printed shots. The instructions are indispensable, and the tape, film, and batteries are certainly useful. If you're new to Holga, or buying this as a gift, it's a wonderful package.

Things like taping the sides, shoving cardboard under the film roll, and mod'ing the camera are all part of the charm. Ultimately, the Holga is a dead-simple piece of machinery. Play with it and experiment. If you want a serious and complicated 120 camera, there are plenty of used and new choices out there.
If you want a simple one that takes amazing photos like nothing else, get the Holga.