Holga 120N Medium Format Film Camera Plastic Lens Black Body

Product Information

Fascination with the camera seemed to wane at the beginning of the 2010s, and almost as if on cue, the factory that manufactured Holgas closed its doors in late 2015, signaling the end of the Holga era. As mentioned above, this did not take, so he tried to sell into other markets, including Europe and the United States. The intensifying downpour of rain and my contemplative mood got me trying a couple of ‘creative’ shots - neither of which worked the way I’d intended if I’m honest… For the shot above I forget now what my ‘creative’ concept was aside from - hey look! Images are extremely soft focus and dreamlike – any moving subject is rendered as a ghostly blur – and a nearly endless depth of field puts both the foreground and background in relative focus. The World Through A Plastic Lens is absolutely bursting with the finest medium-format Holga masterpieces that the world has ever seen.

But the introduction of the Holga coincided with the growth of the Chinese middle class who could purchase slightly more expensive 35mm film, making the medium format Holga obsolete. Whichever Holga option you choose, they’re cheap, plasticky and known for producing images with vignettes, unpredictable light leaks and a soft-focus blur. The Holga 120N also has a hot shoe accessory mount on the top of the camera’s body to allow you to fix any electronic flash. I shot one roll of Fomapan 400 through it and was so disappointed with the results I decided it was a piece of junk and not worth the money spent on it.Sure, I could use film cameras that are better suited to the job – and indeed I do have other film cameras, but I keep coming back to this one. Like its older sibling, it’s got an all-plastic lens, two shutter settings, and two aperture settings. Holga cameras may be fitted with a Polaroid back, allowing use of Polaroid 80 series instant film, or with newer models, 100 series film (but the image is not centered). Meanwhile, the 120CFN has a colour flash, while the most alphabet-heavy Holga of them all – the 120GCFN – has a glass lens and a colour flash.

The single-element 60mm meniscus lens distorts images into looking like they were taken in an alternate reality. A Holga brings you joy and it also brings soul and unpredictability and nostalgia that you cannot get with digital. This camera photographs best when there’s even light or there’s a touch of sunflare for that magical je ne sais quoi. There’s no need for a lens, as a tiny pinhole on the front of the camera will be your only conduit for light.

On any of these cameras, the back won’t fall off, there won’t be any light leaks, and even a 3 element lens will produce “fine art” images. Film is advanced by a knob on the top of the camera, and frame numbers printed on the backing paper of the film can be viewed through a red window on the back of the Holga.

And after all the analysis, it’s still extremely satisfying to have simply dodged all the pitfalls and come out victorious with a good image at the end. Holga cameras are also celebrated on World Toy Camera Day, which is celebrated every year on October 20.An optical viewfinder makes it easy to compose your image, and the camera's lens provides the unique look Holga cameras are known for.