* Previously posted on Toy Camera dot com

Specifications:
Film Type: 135
Lens: f/8, 29mm
Aperture: f/8, f/11, f/22
Shutter Speed: 1/10s
Film to be used: suitable for 135 type color or black/ white film with speeds
from ASA 100/ ISO 21 to ASA 400/ ISO 27
Frame Specification: 24 x 18mm x 2
Viewfinder Finder: Centre-line positioned eye level direct view finder
Focusing: Fixed focus
Dimensions: 208 x 103 x 45 mm

Pros
- stereo or half-frame
- hot shoe for an external flash
- simple to use
- bulb option and tripod mount
- reliable results, with test camera
- nice vignette in many cases

Cons
- no English instructions, but since it’s simple to use it’s not so bad
- if you don’t shoot or develop a process for shooting with the half-frame option you may inadvertently create some double exposures or find blank frames on your film
- I have accidently had the shutter fire when the camera was in my bag

I open up the box, I’m excited to see a smiley Holga starring back at me, and there it is – the toothy grin looks up at me. Now, I’m not just excited because this camera is the cutest in my collection but I am excited to try another half-frame to rival the Diana Mini which I’ve been using a lot. I take notice that the instructions are not available in English and after failing to find any online I decide the best thing to do is simple trial and error.

Loading the film is simple as it’s like other Holga 135 cameras so I quickly slide in a roll of film and look at the buttons and switches on the camera. I open one “eye” and then the other.

Using the camera is simple, open both eyes and press the shutter button. Or open one eye, press the shutter, close the eye and open the second eye, cock the shutter (the MX switch) and then advance the film.

I was concerned that I might not remember which eye I used so I started by shooting 2 photos at the same time. However I quickly develop a system where I always shoot with one eye so that I will remember next time to use the other eye. Using a post-it arrow flag to indicate which eye to use next is helpful as well.

I think what first enchanted me with this camera is the light weight and although it’s not as small as the Diana mini it’s still smaller than a regular Holga and convenient to put in a purse.

I took the camera for a walk along the Ottawa River for its debut roll. I wanted to compare results using the different aperture setting to see if there were visible differences. I found that there were visible differences and that the results were accurate.

Figure 1: On the left was the cloudy option in a sunny atmosphere which resulted in over exposed areas. On the right I used the Sunny option with correct results. Read the rest of this entry »

Many blessings and good wishes to you and yours at this Easter time!

My wonderful Holga 135BC joined me in Vienna this year. It has quickly become my favorite 35mm toy camera and has been accompanying me on my project 24 days 24 photos over at toy camera dot com. (All are welcome to join this collaborative project – all you need is a film camera and the will to take one photo every day for 24 days.)

I had fun testing it out in the city where (arguably) Holga first gained popularity.

Read the rest of this entry »

When we met Garrett Hedlund he let me take a couple portraits with my Holga 135BC. They definitely have a holga feel to them.

I took the Holga out around the office and got this picture of a performer at the farmers market.

This is one of my favorite pieces of local graffiti. I have photographed it digitally before but I really prefer the Holga version.

I really love the lens on my Holga 135BC and the accuracy I’ve enjoyed with all the settings.

Here are the old boots, again I like them a lot better in Holga form.

I apologize for the poor image quality but here are some recent results from my Holga TIM. This graffiti wall I walk past nearly every day. I think it looks great in Holga form.

Bank St.

I love my Holga TIM – read by review here.

For my birthday I got a fab Holga 135 from my sister. Until now I have not posted any results from this fabulous little camera. I must say that I love the Holga 135BC. My early results were right on and it works pretty much like my Holga 120 but just with the 135 film.

All the photos have a great holga feel, with vignettes and soft lens areas. It has a hot shoe and tripod mount which makes it very multipurpose and great for long exposures.

Specs:

- Lens: 47mm, f/8
- Aperture: f/8, f/11
- Shutter speed: B, 1/100, Mutiple Exposure
- Focus range: Adjustable Focusing
- Dimensions: 124×72x83 mm
- Weight: 175 g

Splash!

Fetch.

I really love the lightness and size of the camera. I think this is going to be my summer camera of choice with my Holga TIM.

I would definitely recommend this camera, I think like many cameras it’s great for beginners and more experienced alike. I was really happy with the quality of the images but liked that it still had a holganess to them. Definitely fetch one if you can!

Hello Blog Readers,

I apologize for my absence but my work life has taken over my life and I’ve been pretty busy. Hopefully, I will be back to my regular blogging schedule.

So the Holgapalooza poster and website have been launched and I’m very excited to get shooting! All the themes are interesting to me and the prizes are awesome!

Check out the poster here:

hp-2010-poster

In other news, I’ve had a lot of feedback and emails regarding my cakes. I’m very flattered! Unfortunately, with my current state of busy-ness I haven’t done any cakes recently. I do look forward to doing some soon!

Soccer is taking over my life – I play 3 days a week and with the World Cup starting this Friday and going to see Toronto FC soon my love of soccer only grows! Who knew I could love a team sport so much?

I will have some photography projects coming up and look forward to old friends visiting next month and my 5 year wedding anniversary. I hope to have some interesting stuff to share with you soon!

Just wanted to let you know that my toy camera review on the Holga TIM is now posted on toy camera dot com. It includes some pros/cons, details about the camera and some examples.

I hope you like it!

Last week I was using a new Holga and like with all my cameras I took a photo of Lily on the first roll. Now, this particular time she did not want to cooperate with me and decided to pout. So here is a picture of Lily being annoyed with me…and people say animals don’t have feelings…

more to come…