Holga Micro-110 – How low(fi) can you go?

I am a camera collector and have cameras in formats from Minox to 5×7 and I have shot most of them.  I am also a photography addict and have to get out every week or so and shoot some film. I shoot from 150 to 200 rolls a year.  I said I was an addict.

A very few years ago, as I was travelling less and going shorter distances, it seemed that I had photographed everything interesting in the 30 or 40 mile area that I usually travel.  I was looking for something new and tried the Holga 120N.  It was a great decision as I see the same old scenes in an entirely different way.  Since starting, I have shot over a hundred rolls in my various Holgas.  As a collector, I have most of the medium format types of Holgas and two types of the Holga 135 and have enjoyed shooting them all.

On Christmas 2022, my wife was looking for a surprise for me and discovered a red Holga Micro-110 and ordered it.  It made a great gift for me as I was not aware of the Holga 110 format cameras.  I quickly got some film and gave it a try.  For years 110 format film was hard to find and expired so I want to thank  Lomography for bringing the format back to life with their various color and black and white films, all newly manufactured.

We now come to the question: why would I use a low-quality 110 format camera including spending money to buy film and pay for processing?  (I home process black & white and color so it is less expensive for me.)  Some of you may be like me and enjoy being challenged and want to see what they can extract out of unusual cameras.  The Holga Micro-110 cameras are not anywhere as well made as my Pentax auto110 SLR or my Rollei A110 cameras and the plastic lenses are not considered high quality.  That was my challenge, so of course I decided to give these ultra-light gems a try.  I do not shoot film to get the best exposed, focused and sharpest picture, as that is what people see posted so much with digital cameras.  I shoot film because it is fun to fiddle with the cameras and fun just to see what you get with film and camera combinations. The Micro-110 fits the bill for me.  Warning; the Holga Micro-110 is so small and light, if you put it in a pocket you may forget it is there.  It is barely larger than a roll of 110 film and weighs practically nothing.

I mainly shoot Lomo Tiger 200 color, and Lomo Orca black & white film but many other color varieties are available.  Lomo Turquoise has been fun in my bigger Holgas but I am still learning what works best when I’ve loaded a Micro-110 with that quirky film.

So let’s see what the little Holga will do.

I found with all Holgas that I like isolated subjects best and that is true of the Micro-110.

It may be sharper than you would expect.  Or maybe not?

You can move back and still get decent views.

Or you can go a bit artistic with subjects or lighting.

You won’t get as many light leaks as with the big Holgas because the cartridge is easier to load than 120 format spools.  But it is still possible.

How about black and white?  I think Lomo Orca is my favorite 110 format film.

This one is not as sharp as it appears but the subject and contrast help.

So, are these images really sharp, well focused, well exposed, and grain free?  You have to say no.

But do you like them?

It looks like yes would be a good answer here.

I’m very pleased with the capabilities of these tiny cameras and can recommend one if you want to experiment with something quite different than what would normally be your comfort zone.

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