| The Basics | |
The Holga is almost as basic a camera as you can get - not as basic as a Kodak Brownie or Instamatic - but certainly a much simpler camera than your average point-and-shoot digital model. It has just enough features to fool you into thinking you have more control than you really do.The camera has one shutter speed and two f-stops. To focus the camera, the lens has icons that correspond to focusing "zones" for portraits, group shots and landscapes. What more does a camera need? There are three basic models: Holga 120 N Holga 120 FN (with built-in flash) Holga CFN (built-in 'color' flash) |
MORE HOLGA INFO: » Photo 101 » Taping the Holga » Other modifications » Adding color » FAQs |
| Film |
 If you are a beginner to the Holga or to photography, I would recommend any 120 Kodak or Fuji color negative film and for b&w, Kodak Portra BW400CN. All these films which use a process called C-41, can be processed at most any color lab.
More traditional b&w films such as Kodak Tri-X or T-Max film require a professional lab in order to process the film. These films however, can be easily processed at home. Most of my Holga work is shot on T-Max 400 or more recently, Kodak 400CN. The advantage of the faster speed (ISO 400) is the ability to shoot in varied light conditions especially on overcast or cloudy days and still get good results. |
| Exposure |
| Photographers often ask me if I use a light meter - I don't. If I had an array of shutter speeds and f-stops to choose from I probably would be using one, but with only one shutter speed and two f-stops (which are so close that they might as well be the same) I have just shot when I felt like it was right and adjusted any exposure errors in the darkroom. |
| Format |
| On the older Holga 120S model, the first thing I would always do was to pull out the 645 rectangular insert/mask. I always shoot square. The newer Holga 120N already comes with a square format insert. If you have a 120S, there is no insert to replace the 645 mask. |