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Lomographic Holga Medium Format Camera Starter Kit

Lomographic Holga Medium Format Camera Starter Kit

List Price: $65.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Worth every cent
Review: 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.




Rating: 1 stars
Summary: WAY OVER PRICED !
Review: 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.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: WAY OVER PRICED !
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: one of my favorite toys
Review: 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.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Is it worth the price?
Review: I got this camera for my wife for her birthday and she couldn't wait to use it. She took it out of the box and stared in dismay at the yards of black tape, the cheap plastic casing, the pages of directions (including one that said to cram a piece of cardboard into the body of the camera to keep the film from slipping). While I really like the idea of Lomo offering a bunch of odd, hip, unique cameras to the photo-taking public, the Holga just kind of seems like a piece of junk. Granted, the packaging is cool and all and we haven't yet gotten the photos back from development. Time will tell if this is a 4-star camera that needs a little patience or a 2-star camera that is overpriced and over-praised.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Junk or Art?
Review: I've taught photography for a while, and although the Holga is fun, there are better and CHEAPER cameras out there. First off, if you want to buy this as your main camera, look for something else. Holgas are NOT for photographers who demand consistency. Many students buy these to get "cool" effects that look artsy. Although I think it's noble to look for a low tech camera in this age of digital perfection, you can do better and be more creative with other cameras. For the cult photographer seeking good old fashioned Dark Room Magic you should try the following before plunking down real money for something as sketchy as a Holga:
Get Eric Renner's excellent book on pinhole photography.
Build a simple pinhole camera out of something you have around the house. Chances are it will make images better and cooler that the Holga.
Seek out a local Photo Swap meet and buy an old roll film camera in working condition. Get one with a German lens, if possible.
Not only will you learn about "Retro" photography from the old timers, you'll get a real camera. I've gotten roll film folders with german lenses for 5 bucks!
Hit a local resale shop and see what kind of cheap cameras they have.
Ask a family member if they have any old cameras lying around.

For what you pay for a Holga, which will probably break in 6 months, you can buy 3 real cameras that give equally atisitc effects. Oh, and shoot in black & white!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic Toy
Review: This cheap little plastic camera is a great toy. Tired of worrying about what f-stop. what lens, that you just need that 80-210 zoom, how many mega pixels or frames per second? Just pick up this camera.

It really makes you think about the shot, not about the gear. Get back to the fun side of photography and be creative.

This kit is worth it, includes film, batteries, a book to give you ideas and a manual.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Expensive kit, fun camera
Review: This is a great camera for those wanting to experiment with "artsy" shots, or even advanced photographers wanting to return to their roots. Nothing about these shots are adjustable - f-stop, exposure, ISO are always constant.

The camera is great, but the kit seems a bit overpriced. It includes a Holga book with excellent pictures, but the internet is also an excellent resource for high-quality Holga images. It includes no instructions - because that would take away from the experimentation. It does include one roll of film and a roll of electrical tape (a must-have with all the light leaks on this camera), but purchasing all of the elements in this starter kit seperately would be much less expensive.

This camera is meant for modifications, and there are countless websites that list detailed instructions. My main complaint is a lack of a tripod mount on the camera - although the best pictures are taken in direct, outdoor light when a tripod isn't as necessary. Experimenting with it in the dark since the exposure is constant is nearly impossible.

Overall, I am very happy with the camera. As a primarily digital photographer, it's a great learning experience to return to film in such a non-controllable environment. I would suggest buying the elements seperately from this specific kit, but I give the camera five stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: more $$$ for more content
Review: yes, the single holga cameras can be found cheaper.
but with this starter kit you get the best photo book of holga photography, a roll of medium format film, the flash version of the holga camera, batteries, black tape to play with the lightleaks and most of all the best tips on how to use and work with the camera. if you are on a tight budget, yes you can find the bare camera cheaper, if you want to get content, explanation and a hell of a lot of inspiring pictures, this package is a really good price value. it is also the perfect gift for your best friend to finally get started on that medium film photography....


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