Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

By Neal Wellons

If you have never shot a Holga, please don’t let this article make you think that Holgas have lots of problems and are complicated to shoot.  My first Holga roll ever had lots of keepers and I didn’t know anything about Holgas.  These plastic, simple cameras have opened up a new photography world for me, even though I still shoot a lot with old Barnack Leicas and other cameras.

My first Holga arrived in September 2022 and I thought it would be the only one that I would want.  But now, my collection has grown to about 20.  I am a camera collector but have shot all of these, often many times.  Last year, I shot 70 rolls in my various Holgas and seem to be shooting at the same rate this year.  I have uncovered problems and made some mistakes and hopefully, can now help other Holga shooters.

Holgas featured in the image at the top are 120 format, 35mm and 110 format.  Since the 120 format Holgas are by far the most popular, I will cover tips for those cameras today.

Films

There are lots of films that are great in the Holga but some have special advantages.  I have tried many types of film and have narrowed my favorites to those that are of good quality, are low priced, and have dark markings for loading and showing frame numbers through the dim red window on the back.

Black and White films

Foma 400 and 100 are favorites with high quality, easy to read numbers and really cheap.  I am getting new rolls for less than $5 in May, 2024.  Holga 400 is Foma 400 film in a different box.  Take your choice.

Holga 120S with Fomapan 400 film

Catlabs 320 is another favorite.  It is high quality, has easy to read numbers and it is sensitive to infrared light, if you use an infrared filter.

Holga 120CFN with Catlabs 320 Pro film and 720nm infrared filter

I develop black and white and color films but if you drop off or mail your film for developing, you may have challenges with black and white film as it often costs more and takes longer to get developed.  If desired, you may want to try Ilford XP2 Super 120 film as it can be developed in color chemistry at all photo labs, and will not cause delays.  Price is reasonable when processing is considered and the film has lots of pluses.  The only minus is hard to read frame numbers, a factor with all Ilford films.

Holga 120 CFN with Ilford XP2 Super film

Color Films

Kodak Gold 200 is one of the most reasonably priced color films and has great color.  The frame numbers are relatively easy to see.

Holga 120CFN with Kodak Gold 200 film

Lomo Color films are also favorites of mine and have easy to read frame numbers.

Holga 120CFN with Lomo 100 film

In addition to the normal Lomo color films, I always have a Holga loaded with Lomo Turquoise film for great special effects.

Holga 120N with Lomo Turquoise film

I wouldn’t even think of slide film in a Holga as I don’t have enough confidence with the limited exposure options.

Preventing Light Leaks

You may have seen videos and articles about taping Holgas to prevent light leaks.  Some folks tape every seam as well as over the bulb/normal selector, sunny/cloudy selector, and even the body joints around the shutter assembly.  Others spray paint the inside with flat paint.

Maybe these folks have poor quality or damaged Holgas.   As far as my shooting, I use two pieces of tape, one over each sliding latch, to prevent the latch from sliding open during operation or when dropped.

 

I shoot 13 different 120 format Holgas and the only light leaks that have occurred were when I have been sloppy with loading or unloading.  It can lead to a great or horrible effect, depending on how you look at it.

The next photo shows frame numbers and dots that have printed through the backing paper because of the bright light leaking into the frame.

Holga 120S, no shutter and Fomapan 400 film with 5 seconds exposure

Next is an example of an unloading light leak with the last photo on the roll.

Holga 120CFN with Kodak Gold 200 film.  The leak looks good to me.

It is easier to have film unspool in the camera with resulting light leaks when loading or unloading if the foam pads under the film spools are missing.  There are lots of fixes online for this but I use this.

Some of my old Holgas had no spool pads so online, I got my foam Sheets, 12 Pack,  2mm thick, 6X9 to make pads as instructed in the video.  They work very well.

If you are winding film smoothly and suddenly it becomes very hard to wind on, it is likely that a foam spacer has dislodged and caught in the film roll.  You can unload and rewind the roll in the dark as you get it to release the foam, or as I confess, wind hard and hope for the best.  No guarantees, but it has worked for me the two or three times it happened.

Loading

Sometimes the Holga spools seem very easy to load and sometimes quite difficult.  You may need to wiggle and gently rotate the empty and full film spools to get them to snap into place.  It may help to align the spool slots with the wind-on sprocket as you try. Be persistent and they will finally snap in.

To wind on, after sticking the leader tab in the take up slot, I let two or three fingers firmly ride on the backing paper at the take-up reel as I wind.  Most of the time the film will wind on easily.  If not, try again.  If still a problem, pull out the take up spool, roll a few turns of the leader onto it and then snap it back in.

Shooting

You may already know that many Holgas are marked with sunny and cloudy, supposedly for f/11 and f/8.  Unfortunately, many actually don’t have two f/stops at all as both positions may give you the same sized hole.  You can look through the lens and see if the selector makes any difference as you move it but don’t leave the selector between positions.

I don’t worry or over think exposure and usually just use Sunny 16 for outside exposures.  For inside or night work, I usually the bulb setting and my Black Cat Exposure Guide for the first exposure and then shoot the scene again with a much longer shutter speed, 3X or 4X the original exposure.

Holga 120S, no shutter with 5 second exposure with Fomapan 400 film

Unless you are shooting at night or with a really slow film, be sure the shutter selector is set to normal.  Many Holga shooters wonder why every picture on a roll is really blurry until they see they have been shooting on bulb mode.  (I’m speaking from experience.) You might even want to put it on normal and tape the switch so it won’t move.

For night and for Holga Pinhole shooting, you will need the bulb mode and will do best with a tripod and a cable release adaptor slipped on the camera.

Here are two different Holga cable release adaptors posing with two cable releases.  You may want more than one cable release as they are easy to lose in the dark as you wander looking for subjects.  I’ve lost two or three over the years.

As an alternative, for night work, I use a modified Holga with the shutter removed to eliminate the need for cable releases and adapters.  But so modified, I can’t use it in the daytime.

If you regularly use your Holga on a tripod, I found that a stick-on level is quite helpful.  They don’t do any good on hand-held shots, though.  See the next photo for an example on a Pinhole Holga.

Here is an example of what you can get with Holga night photography.

Holga 120S with shutter removed and 5 seconds exposure with Fomapan 400 film

Winding

I don’t tape over the red window to prevent light leaks as I’ve never had a problem.

When I am winding at night, I have a small flashlight on a lanyard around my neck so I can see the numbers but even then with some films, it can still be hard.  It is good to know that frame spacing is one turn of the winding knob plus 1 to 7 clicks, depending on where you are on the roll.  It takes more extra clicks at the beginning of the roll.  I find it easiest to mark the winding knob so you can easily see when you have completed a rotation.  See the winding knob mark on the previous camera photo.

If you need to load without numbers at all, load and advance the film until you see the two-headed arrow symbol across the film as it first appears.

Close the back and wind seven full turns of the winding knob and you will be on or close to exposure #1.  Occasionally, a film is not standard so you might want to test these numbers in good light using the red window for a baseline.

Common Shutter Repair

If you have an old Holga and the shutter is stuck, they are relatively easy to repair, at least so far for me.

In two or three of my older Holgas, I could not get the shutters to function regularly, even after a number of cleanings with lighter fluid.  I found that just a little sewing machine oil on the edge of the big round brass fittings freed them up and all are working nicely.

 

That takes care of my Holga tips and I’m hoping many of you will find them useful.

I will leave you with a few of my favorite Holga shots.

Holga 120N with Kodak Gold 200 film
Holga 120 TLR with Kodak Gold 200 film
HolgaGlo 120N with Lomo turquoise film
HolgaGlo 120N with Lomo Turquoise film
Holga 120N with Rollei Retro 400 film
Holga 120N with Catlabs 320 pro film
HolgaGlo 120N camera with Lomo Turquoise film

 

You can find my work on Flickr under Neal Wellons or Neal3K

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About The Author

By Neal Wellons
I am a photography addict who also collects cameras. I started shooting adjustable cameras in 1960 and now I have about 250 cameras in my collection. I have shot most of them. I shoot and develop about 150 rolls of film a year. My internet presence is on Flickr. You can find me at Neal Wellons or neal3k.
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Comments

Kevin Ealain on Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

These are wonderful shots. The lomo turquoise shot of the water tower is just stunning. I’d love to see a print of that.
That said I’ve got a 120N and boy howdy do I struggle with exposure. If you have tips for that next, I’m all ears! (Or eyes?)
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Neal Wellons replied:

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

I've had great success with B&W and Color Negative films and normally I shoot ISO 400 or 100 films. Mainly, stick to bright sunny days. You can see my Holga work on Flickr; just go to my Holga albums.

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Curtis Heikkinen on Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Gosh, this is a wonderful piece! Fantastic images and lots of interesting information. Makes want to go out and get a Holga. Thanks for posting this!
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Neal Wellons replied:

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Thank you. I was getting tired of shooting the same old places as I am not travelling as far as I used to. I found that I see things differently with the Holga and now always carry at least one with me, along with 35mm cameras. You will learn to see scenes that are perfect for the Holga look. Look at Holga groups on your favorite photography sites and notice what draws you to particular images.

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Gary Smith on Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Great introduction to Holgas, Neal along with wonderful images!
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Neal Wellons replied:

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Thank you. The Holga is so much fun and I hope you are already shooting one or will give it a try.

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Boris Strochyon on Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Very helpful article, thank you! Like you, I have found that letting the roll slip during loading or unloading is the only way I’ve gotten light leaks. Letting any slack into the roll during loading causes a loose bulging loop of film and paper that has nowhere to go and cannot work out as you wind, and just flops from side to side; if the wind-on action seems to “slip” as you watch the backing paper through the red window, with the wind action suddenly feeling loose and the film not really moving, this is likely the issue. I am careful to keep things tight and straight as I load. I found that orienting the wind-on axle such that the tab is vertically oriented lets the roll slip on easier; when the tab that engages with the spool is oriented along the axis of the film plane, it’s impossible for the spool to slip onto or off of it without a lot of bending and pressing.
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Neal Wellons replied:

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Thanks and I agree. I've found that aligning the wind on tabs helps but even then, sometimes the rolls slip on and off the tabs easily and sometimes not. I just keep at it and suddenly, it is ready to wind.

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Uli Buechsenschuetz on Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Great photos and good write-up!
I love my Holga GCFN and the Diana F+ with the glass lens. Recenttly I got a Holga 135 BC, but its film transport isn‘t working properly (uneven spacing and / or double exposures). Have you come across this?
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Neal Wellons replied:

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Thanks and yes I have. I I recently bought my third Holga 135 and it would not advance properly. I found that the take up spool slipped, especially if there was much resistance to pulling the film. I ended up taking the camera apart past the point of no return and never fixed it. I do have two that work well so it may be a problem with tolerances. Possibly someone else knows of a simple fix but I don't know where to go from here.

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Uli Buechsenschuetz replied:

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

thanks!

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Marcus Gunaratnam on Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

Light leaks are avoided if one uses a 'daylight loading bag' which should be used whenever the opportunity presents,light leaks do degrade the final image if one composes well thru' the veiwfinder, especially when one uses the parallax adjuster to fill the frame.I use a Minolta Autocord with a spacer in place of the parallax adjuster. I use the twinlens reflex with a sekonic light meter.
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Neal Wellons replied:

Comment posted: 03/07/2024

I've never used a daylight loading bag with my Holgas but that would absolutely take care of loading leaks. Using Holgas, I don't worry about parallax unless I am at the 3' setting. Then, I just allow a little extra at the top of the viewfinder when framing. Using a twinlens reflex is a whole different world and light meters don't serve much of a purpose when you have limited to no exposure adjustment except pushing or pulling the film. I've had the best results in bright daylight.

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Dean Lawrence on Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

Comment posted: 04/07/2024

Fantastic. Really well written and the images are incredible. I've learned that Holga isn't a toy and Lomo turquoise isn't a film to shun. Your tips are really helpful, and after viewing your Flickr albums, I'm seriously inspired.
Thank you so much for posting, a really cracking article.
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Neal Wellons replied:

Comment posted: 04/07/2024

Wow, thank you so much for your compliments. I'm glad you checked out my Flickr albums.

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Dean Lawrence replied:

Comment posted: 04/07/2024

No Neal, thank you. I've just grabbed a coffee, and I'm about to read read your article. In the past I have seen really good images achieved using a Holga, but these, and your Flickr feed are taking it further. I look forward to seeing your next post.

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Tony Warren on Holga Tips from a Holga Nut

Comment posted: 06/07/2024

What an interesting and informative article, Neal. I look forward to reading about your other Holga formats, especially 110 which I was unaware of until I read your comment on my recent post. Ilford's 120 film backing paper markings have long been a source of annoyance for me. They are almost invisible behind a ruby window unless they are very well illuminated. Rollei in comparison are exemplary.

You have produced some really good images with these simple devices, something I really admire. So much is done in camera these days, it is easy to miss something. I am sure everyone will admit to having shot without focussing, I know I have.

And the films you show are interesting. The Turquoise produces colours very like my old Olympus 1999 era digital through a IR filter.

Thank you.
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Neal Wellons replied:

Comment posted: 06/07/2024

Thanks Tony. I really don't like faint frame numbers as you may have gathered. My worst was a roll of Portra 400 someone gave me. I really couldn't see the numbers at all and had to use the method I mentioned in Winding. I have not thought about an article on the "crummy" 110, the Holga. That could be fun and I will look into it.

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