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My dad is not set on toy cameras and film photogaphy. Color flash is just plain fun. So I begged my dad to buy me a 120CFN. The first two rolls may not be pretty, but it's fun to take photos with this camera.
The color rolls I have done are amazing with flash, especially color flash. I talked to a friend of mind, who is a big photographer, and I asked him about lomography and holga. The pictures are hard to match with a digital camera and photshop. The pictures were interesting. At first I wanted a lomographic pink Diana clone. He had a holga 120N (without flash). I was hooked. I bought a 120CFN in gold on eBay (came with extras like filters, filter holder, frame/masks).
Do buy a Holga and try it out. Okay, so basically for a year I was looking at toy cameras. I tried his Holga with a few rolls of film. It was well worth it.
Anyways this is where camera's like the Holga and Diana come in. Its the entire process that I fell in love with, not just the end result. I am one of those people. In fact you dont even need a lens if your shooting with a pinhole camera.Its nice to see that there are still people out there shooting with these kinds of cameras. My hats off to those people because film is still where its at with photography. There are really a hundred and one reasons why most people love digital photography.There is another side to this coin however as there are those out there that do not like digital or what it has done to the entire field of photography over the last 5-10 years. For the average person digital photography is a welcome advance in technology.
I love the processes just as much as I do the end result and digital just doesn't even begin to compare. These are camera's for people who are in love with film and the different looks that film can give you. These are sometimes referred to as toy cameras however that does not take anything away from these cameras or their ability to take pictures. There are even some that have given up shooting digital and come back to film. The loading of the film, the limited number of pictures per roll of film, the printing in a darkroom and most importantly the seemingly limitless creative aspects of film itself. You don't need 20 MegaPixels and a Carl Zeiss lens to shoot amazing pictures. As for myself, I still shoot film 99% of the time and My Holga and Diana go pretty much everywhere I go.
There are so many things that you can do to alter the look of the film or print and I am sorry but running your picture through a filter in photoshop doesn't even begin to compare.
No longer having to buy film, being able to see the end picture immediately, being able to make prints on your home computer, being able to shoot with your cell phone, etc.
I absolutely love photography.
The end result may appear similar but the process that got you there couldn't possibly be more different.
5 stars.
At around 40.00, you don't have much to lose in regards to trying them out.
The world of photography has changed so dramatically over the last 6-7 years that its honestly hard to put it into words.
Its not only my single favorite hobby, its also how I make my living.
I have been using a Holga for over 10 years and I can tell you first hand that if you take the time to master these cameras, you can take absolutely stunning pictures.
Just a few comments about its packaging, i love to see some improved package on this with some colorful booklet and manuals. This Camera is Amazing & Cheap. The rest is fine, the camera itself, Holga delivers dreamy Lomo Image.
If you can appreciate the strange, beautiful way the Holga views the world, and not expect it to produce high fidelity images, you can't go wrong. The only drawback is the price and inconvenience of film/development. It's ugly, cheaply made, and completely unpredictable, but for an amateur like me, just realizing the joys of photography, it was exactly what I needed. this one is just so much more fun. or print them yourself. But honestly, it's worth it. Like other reviewers here, I too had gotten a bit bored with my mid-range digital camera, and invested the low, low fee of ~$60 in this little creature. I have almost entirely stopped using my digital, and a 35mm SLR that is also a great camera.
Try to buy in bulk, and get film developed only - not printed. I'm so excited every time I get a roll back from the developers I can hardly wait, and I'm seldom disappointed. God I love this camera. I had read it could be frustrating and disappointing, but I have experienced neither emotion since becoming its owner. It'll only cost about $2-3 a roll, and you can then scan the negatives (another investment, but if you see film in your future.).
The character this camera has (pictures and camera itself) is remarkable and definitely worth every penny. The film is expired, which makes it a little on the expensive side to order/ship/print and only one camera shop within a 20 mile radius of me develops such film. However, this camera is extremely durable considering the amount of times I have accidentally sent it crashing to the ground. I recently made my own 35mm converter for the Holga (a lot more convenient and inexpensive than 120mm) and the shots are AMAZING. This camera is definitely a one-of-a-kind. I have loved every shot taken with the Holga, although sometimes I forget to secure the backing on with tape so my pictures become ruined (I easily drop things). Getting a roll of 12 shots developed usually costs me about $9, sometimes even $13.
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