Review of Holga 135BC

I just got this camera on February 3, 2012 and wanted  to quickly shoot through a roll of film to experiment.

The first thing I did when I took the camera out of the box was read the small "manual" that came with and played around with the camera before I put any film into it. This was beneficial for me because I got a little more comfortable with it without wasting film. I felt the shutter in both N (standard) and B (hold open) mode and watched how the shutter opened from the inside. Then I put a roll of 400asa into the camera and decided to try a bunch of things while shooting - test its limits. Here's what I found after developing my film:

The box mentions "uncontrollable vignetting" and light leaks - which I knew about. I decided to buy the 135BC so it always has some sort of vignetting but I did notice that it can vary from picture to picture - which is not at all a bad thing. I haven't noticed any light leaks in my camera (so far).

The pictures I took outside turned out great, but the indoor ones are VERY dark, even while shooting with direct sunlight through the window. This is unfortunate because it's somewhat limiting (but what can you expect from a plastic lens?) I am fortunate enough to already have an external flash to put in the hotshoe, but the flash with its batteries is about twice the weight of the camera so it can be a bit cumbersome.

Every now and then I would notice a difference in aiming. By that I mean: since the view finder and lens are separate, it's hard to know if you're getting the whole object in the frame or not. (I haven't shot a disposable camera in some time, so I must be out of practice.)

I should mention that I did leave my camera in my car while I was at work one day, then took pictures when I got home. The camera was pretty cold but I tried it anyway. It seemed like the cold made my shutter stick. I was afraid it would overexpose my pictures so I put the cap back on until it clicked back in place. I let the camera warm up before using it again and it was fine.

I did end up with a couple pictures on that roll that I am really proud of. Overall, none of what would be considered "bad stuff" really bothers me. I just see it as part of the charm of the Holga. And really, I knew what I was getting into.

Here are the 2 pictures I love: