Review: Lomographic Holga Starter Kit

Where to buy: www.amazon.com

In a time where we all seem to be going digital, the Holga seems to be a bit of an oddity. The Holga camera was invented in 1982. This basic and inexpensive medium-format film camera has experienced a growing group of followers – from professional photographers to students. People like the idea of the simple mechanics and the unpredicted effects of the photographs taken with this camera. The Holga allows you to play around and experiment with double-exposures, streaming colors, unpredictable light leaks, vignetting (darkening around the edges, especially on sunny days), variable shutter speeds, variable aperture and more. The built-in flash and color-gel filters (red, blue, yellow) are cool features as they give your flash a bit of a tint to create surreal photographs. You can also choose the clear filter.

The Holga Starter Kit includes a Holga 4 color poster, the Holga camera and a lovely book by Adam Scott “The World Through a Plastic Lens”. Unfortunately, what the starter kit doesn’t include is the 120 format film you need or the batteries. Those need to be bought separately.

Overall, if you are an experimental photographer who wants to try something other than digital and experience the stunning photographs of a basic Holga, this kit is for you.