Holga 120N, 60mm f/8Toy Camera This was my first outing with a Holga 120N. It's my daughter's but has been sitting on a shelf for a while so I took her out for a walk to the village of Orchard Park. I had previously taken photographs with its sister, the Holga WPC, or Holga Wide Pinhole Camera. Both are plastic toy cameras of lo-fi build to get lo-fi pictures. While the WPC does not have a lens at all, just a tiny pinhole, the 120N features a 60mm plastic lens.

The camera has a zone-focusing system, i.e. you don't see the effect of focusing in the viewfinder. You just have to set the focus to one person (about 1 meter), small group (about 2 meters), large group (about 6 meters), a mountain (infinity), or anywhere in between. I guess experience can help with knowing where to set the dial. The Holga features a single fixed shutter speed, supposedly about 1/125 sec. A simple metal spring rotates a disc around to open and close a small opening behind the lens. How small? There are two settings. One for f/8 and one for f/11 (or maybe f/13) accomplished by sliding a button to a sunny or cloudy setting. Lots of people report that their Holga's aperture does not change with the slider. Something probably broke inside or a part is missing. I had to take apart and fix this one for a different problem too, they're not built with lasting quality in mind.

C's Custard Delight in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

C's Custard Delight in Lo-Fi, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

I usually like to combine opposites. I use more low-fi film in hi-fi cameras and vice versa. For pinhole photography I'll go with Fuji Acros or Kodak T-Max 100. But this time, I went a bit crazy and leaned into the lo-fi full force with a Foma Retropan 320 black and white film, the grainiest film known to me. And I developed it in Rollei Supergrain developer. Since I had not used this developer with this film before I went with the short end of the suggested time (1+9, 6.5 minutes) figuring lower contrast would be easier to deal with than losing details to high contrast. The resulting negative was very flat and I had to add contrast after scanning. I may try darkroom printing a few frames too but am not sure if contrast filter 5 will be enough. I will develop for 7.5 minutes next time, if there is a next time for this combination.

Orchard Park Train Depot in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park

Orchard Park Train Depot in Lo-Fi, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

Out of the 12 frames on the 120 film roll, I ended up with about half and half split between what I could expect out of a Holga and bad results, not exactly sure why. It seems like this Holga does not like backlight, and maybe I moved the camera a few times too during exposure. It is an odd experience with the stealthy shutter.

Orchard Park Public Library in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

Orchard Park Public Library in Lo-Fi, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

And yes, you are absolutely right about the repeating theme of my posts. Without intending to, this is the third one in a row from Orchard Park, NY. Wondering what's coming next? We'll see what develops, ...

Orchard Park Police in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

Green Lake South Shore, Yates Park, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce in Lo-Fi,  Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

Ginger Snap Patisserie in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

Ginger Snap Patisserie in Lo-Fi, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

Thanks for stopping by!

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