Holga's and Lomo's!

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cameramad

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Hey just wondering how many of you shoot with a Holga/Lomo camera? maybe you can share you experience and some of your best Lomo photos.

I'm tempted to get one because they are quite cheap and I envy the effect that they give :D
 
I have a Holga, but never used it.. the Ensign 420 was cheaper and way better looking..
 
I did look at the 120 series however Jessops don't seem to process medium format, I can only do 35mm. I looked at the Diana Mini and the Holga 135 which both run for around £40, surprisingly the film is cheap as well when you think about it, £8 for 3 rolls of ISO 400 lomo neg film :D
 
cameramad said:
I did look at the 120 series however Jessops don't seem to process medium format, I can only do 35mm. I looked at the Diana Mini and the Holga 135 which both run for around £40, surprisingly the film is cheap as well when you think about it, £8 for 3 rolls of ISO 400 lomo neg film :D
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Why not just buy your filmstock from the poundshop? Or pick up date expired film from fleabay... it's only going through a holga after all, so it's going to look dog rough whatever you buy :LOL:
 
I often shoot with a Lomo LC-A or a lubitel. I find if they are used correctly they can give some good results some HERE
 
Never really liked the 'look' that a lot of people dig - fair enough, to each his/her own.

I've heard that the LC-A is meant to be a reasonably good snapper regardless of the whole Lomo/Holga trends, but I've just had a look at some of the prices - I'll stick to my XA/XA2 I think! EDIT: posted this after the comment above
 
freecom2 said:
Never really liked the 'look' that a lot of people dig - fair enough, to each his/her own.

I've heard that the LC-A is meant to be a reasonably good snapper regardless of the whole Lomo/Holga trends, but I've just had a look at some of the prices - I'll stick to my XA/XA2 I think! EDIT: posted this after the comment above
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:LOL: yeah I nearly choked when I looked up the price of a new Lomo LC-A+.

Originally I weren't a fan of the look but it's just appeals to me lately I think it's a retro 70s feel to it that is just so eye catching :)
 
I bought a holga for a single reason - back this time last year, the POTY competition topic was cross processing. I decided that rather than fake the cross processing in photoshop like maybe 150 out of 155 of the entries did, I'd do it the right way - with the wrong chemicals. And just to be hip and trendy, I'd buy a Holga to do it with. I shot maybe a dozen rolls of film, most of which ended up getting ruined by my mis-processing them, but did end up with a couple of frames good enough to enter for the competition. Since then, I think I've shot maybe 1-2 rolls of B&W, but it's been for a particular effect - ie a friends band wanted some arty grungy looking shots, and gave me examples of what they wanted. When I looked at their tear-sheet, they were holga shots. So I could give them what they wanted. Otherwise, the Holga would have sat in the big box of camera bits that don't get used very often!.

Now, the pinhole holga is a different beast altogether, and I do enjoy taking that out, and counting elephants for the exposures.
 
I used a Holga as my only camera for about 2 years before "upgrading" to a D700 a few months ago.

It's certainly good fun, but there is the hassle and expense of sending films off for processing and then the negs have to be scanned once they arrive back, but it's all useful experience.

I probably shot about 150 rolls in total, mostly velvia - here are a couple of my favourites.

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Yeah it's a niche product but at the same time it's one that should be celebrated, a bit like a homemade pinhole camera. Everyone should try them, and a few will use them regularly. I only want it for the cross processed 70s effect and will take it out when out with mates in the nice summertime because it's just a perfect product for it.
 
everything from the lomography store is a stupid price, just look at the russian camera section, a smena 8m is £80. I got one for 50p in a charity shop and it even came with a lovley leather case.
 
walsh said:
everything from the lomography store is a stupid price, just look at the russian camera section, a smena 8m is £80. I got one for 50p in a charity shop and it even came with a lovley leather case.
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I agree I've seen the holga 120n which sell on the Lomography store for £45 and they are selling them on ebay for £20, it's the same everywhere though it's because your buying direct from the dealer.
 
On a similar discussion like this somewhere else on the interwebs, can't remember where, someone pointed out something which I do agree with - it keeps 120 film being bought and processed, and film in general having a continued interest sought in it, which can only be a good thing regardless of whether you like the cameras and the look of the photos.
 
freecom2 said:
On a similar discussion like this somewhere else on the interwebs, can't remember where, someone pointed out something which I do agree with - it keeps 120 film being bought and processed, and film in general having a continued interest sought in it, which can only be a good thing regardless of whether you like the cameras and the look of the photos.
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:plus1:
 
freecom2 said:
it keeps 120 film being bought and processed, and film in general having a continued interest sought in it, which can only be a good thing regardless of whether you like the cameras and the look of the photos.
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Totally agree too.
Joan
 
freecom2 said:
On a similar discussion like this somewhere else on the interwebs, can't remember where, someone pointed out something which I do agree with - it keeps 120 film being bought and processed, and film in general having a continued interest sought in it, which can only be a good thing regardless of whether you like the cameras and the look of the photos.
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Totally agree with you, it was buying a Diana of eBay that got me started on film photography.
 
Just a shame that it wasn't enough to keep Neopan 400 120 film in production - never got a chance to try it :(
 
freecom2 said:
Just a shame that it wasn't enough to keep Neopan 400 120 film in production - never got a chance to try it :(
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Or kodachrome, never got to try that either!
 
TheBigYin said:
Out of date but maybe worth a punt...
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Thank you for the heads-up, but I fear it may even be worse if I buy it and like it - then I'll really have no more to shoot with!

Never got a chance to shoot Kodachrome either, walsh. I regret it (even though I came into film far too late to have actually done so).
 
I have an original Lomo LC-A and a Holga 120cfn. Both take very good pictures, in fact sometimes they are just too good! Cross processing is the answer and a good place to send your films to is HERE
Even cheaper if you get a student to send them!

You can get 35mm Lomography film too for even "better" images.

Allan
 
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I bought 4 rolls of Kodachrome 64 just after I heard the announcement that it was going to be discontinued. I'd shot it before, years and years ago, and thought nothing of it, other than it was inconvenient as I couldn't just send it to the local pro lab with my Velvia and get it back the next day. So, when it was going to disppear, I thought i'd give it a fair chance. By the end of the fourth roll, I'd just about got to grips with how to shoot with it, just in time for never being able to use it again.:shrug:

I don't regret shooting with the Kodachrome though, and to be honest, If I used fast film on my 120 camera (which I don't) i'd have snapped up the ebay stuff in a heartbeat. As it is, I've 10 rolls of Acros 100 and 5 rolls of Kodak Ektachrome E100VS in the post as it is, so I've enough to find fridge room for.
 
I just don't get the concept of "lomography film" - can't you just get out of date random film from fleabay, stick them in the glove compartment of the car for a month in summer, then process them in the wrong chemicals and save a little money?
 
allanm said:
I have an original Lomo LC-A and a Holga 120cfn. Both take very good pictures, in fact sometimes they are just too good! Cross processing is the answer and a good place to send your films to is HERE
Even cheaper if you get a student to send them!

You can get 35mm Lomography film too for even "better" images.

Allan
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that's a point, I've seen some Holga/Lomo images that look like normal pics and others that have the cross-processed effect on them. how is that achieved? I know how it's done in darkroom using different chemicals but how would you go about sending your film in?

Do I have to purchase the special Lomo film in order to achieve the Lomo effect or can any film be used and then developed in typical C41 at the lab in order to get the Lomo effect?
 
TheBigYin said:
I just don't get the concept of "lomography film" - can't you just get out of date random film from fleabay, stick them in the glove compartment of the car for a month in summer, then process them in the wrong chemicals and save a little money?
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It's not about the film alone though, it's the enjoyment of using such a simple camera. It seems a great way to learnt the basics of photography and heck even if you put effort into it you could probably make your own Holga!

It's not the film that is the best part it's the camera, it is like using a Leica in a way, the Holga is so limited in controls that all you worry about is composition. Leica's are similar in the way that you only have to worry about aperture, shutter and focussing so you're paying for the simplicity of shooting rather than the complexities :)
 
Cross processing is a piece of cake. You process your E6 film in C41 chemicals, and your C41 film in E6 chemicals. The results can be quite random, and strange, but occasionally really powerful and quite pleasant.


Altofts Canal by The Big Yin, on Flickr

Provia 100F, x-processed in Tetenal C41 kit.
 
cameramad said:
It's not about the film alone though, it's the enjoyment of using such a simple camera. It seems a great way to learnt the basics of photography and heck even if you put effort into it you could probably make your own Holga!

It's not the film that is the best part it's the camera, it is like using a Leica in a way, the Holga is so limited in controls that all you worry about is composition. Leica's are similar in the way that you only have to worry about aperture, shutter and focussing so you're paying for the simplicity of shooting rather than the complexities :)
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I understand all that, hell - I've got 2 holgas, a FED-3 that's near as dammit the same in shooting to a old Leica, and a Voigtlander perkeo that's a good 60 years old. What I was saying is that the concept of "LOMO FILM" is just a marketing concept, in that it's a way to sell off old, out of date, maltreated film, and charge a premium for it!
 
What about the Refurbed FED-3.... bargain at only £135.00 :eek: makes my £2.50+postage one seem a waste of money, doesn't it.

Lomography Shop = Stupid Tax :LOL:
 
TheBigYin said:
Cross processing is a piece of cake. You process your E6 film in C41 chemicals, and your C41 film in E6 chemicals. The results can be quite random, and strange, but occasionally really powerful and quite pleasant.


Altofts Canal by The Big Yin, on Flickr

Provia 100F, x-processed in Tetenal C41 kit.
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what I meant was I know how to do it via my own Developing but if I was to send it into Jessops or ASDA for example how would I maintain the the Lomo effect? Would I have to tell Jessops to process my Lomo C41 film in E6 developing or can the Lomo film (C41) still be used in C41 chemicals and maintain the effect?
 
You'd shoot E6 film and then go to a minilab and tell them to process it as C-41 - and make it absolutely and utterly clear to them that you want it processed as C-41.

If you use 'lomo film' (gah) you'll get the out of focus, light leaks, colour shifts and haziness 'qualities' (!!!) of the picture, but you won't get that completely different colour rendition that you'll get by cross processing.

But I'd send it off to people who are in the know (like photofilmprocessing.co.uk) rather than a local minilab who are probably not going to have a clue what you are on about.
 
freecom2 said:
You'd shoot E6 film and then go to a minilab and tell them to process it as C-41 - and make it absolutely and utterly clear to them that you want it processed as C-41.

If you use 'lomo film' (gah) you'll get the out of focus, light leaks, colour shifts and haziness 'qualities' (!!!) of the picture, but you won't get that completely different colour rendition that you'll get by cross processing.

But I'd send it off to people who are in the know (like photofilmprocessing.co.uk) rather than a local minilab who are probably not going to have a clue what you are on about.
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My local Max Spielmann (I know it's consumer based) are really clued up on film developing so I'll speak to them about holga developing and see what they can do :)
 
If you mention Lomo/cross-developing, and they are clued up, they'll know exactly what you are talking about in a split second. Shouldn't be a problem - but no need to get special film.
 
freecom2 said:
If you mention Lomo/cross-developing, and they are clued up, they'll know exactly what you are talking about in a split second. Shouldn't be a problem - but no need to get special film.
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cheers, also if I gave them C41 to process in E6 I'm guessing they'll charge me E6 developing prices? :)
 
cameramad said:
cheers, also if I gave them C41 to process in E6 I'm guessing they'll charge me E6 developing prices? :)
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They will most likely charge E6 prices, though it's not unusual to charge an extra premium of a £1 or so over and above... Oh - and they "may" want to hold the film over and cross process them as the last films they do before changing their chemistry. Peak imaging for example charge £1.10 extra for x-pro, and require an extra day in the lab.

I know I keep my cross processing stuff back until the relevant chemistry is getting a bit depleted for normal work, at the recommendation of a friend who used to run his own minilab machine.
 
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freecom2 said:
All comes down to the individual lab, difficult to say for certain.
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one last thing, E6 slide film is usually designated by the "chrome" suffix on film makes is it not? for example I've seen "Ektachrome" and that says that it's Colour reversal which means it's slide obviously but does the suffix apply to all films?
 
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