The Holga 135 BC camera
is a simple plastic camera, often called toy camera, which
appeared late on the market in 2005, when real film cameras were
already disappearing. Like for the Holga 120 more than 20 years
earlier, it is said that the Chinese had an overstock of film, but no
cheap 135 cameras anymore.
It had some success on the Chinese market, but much more succes
internationally with the Lomography movement. Lomography sold Holgas
via their company.
The Holga 135 and the 135 BC (Black Corner) are the same cameras except a frame in the BC to create more vinetting.
The lens is simple 47mm plastic meniscus lens with some vignetting,
more pronouced on the BC. Light leaks are frequent, you may have to put
black tape over the seams. It has only one shutter speed of ~1/100s and
2 F-stops, sunny and cloudy, supposed to be ~F11 and ~F20.. There are
plenty of variants, a pinhole version, panoramic one, a TLR-version and
even a twin-lens-on-one frame version, TIM. Plenty of accessories are
available and a Holga community of DIY enthusiasts.
My camera is a 135 BC. Its main features are:
47mm
simple plastic menikus lens, ~F11 and F20, zone focus 1- ∞
Shutter
~1/100, B
Size 115x75x65, Weight 170 gr.
cable release, hot shoe
Camera
front with cap.
Cap off.
Camera
back. Viewer and film advance.
Camera top. Rewind, hot shoe, Shutter release with cable socket and
film counter. Between body and lens: F-switch, only sunny and cloudy.
On the lens barrel: distance setting via symbols.
The counter is tiny and sits deep inside.
Camera bottom. Rewind release, tripod socket, speed selector.
Film compartment.
A little frame with a plastic filter (with a hole in the center to only affect the corners).
The Holga 135BC is a basic plastic camera
with only one speed, no automatic exposure, no automatic film advance,
no autofocus, not even a rangefinder, cheaply made plastic lenses that
produce heavy vignetting and random results.
Probably
because it's more solid than others, it has attracted more DIY
people, Holga-mods are famous. There are plenty of discussions across
the forums worldwide about the Holga. You shoud read some of them, they
are interesting. As
for the Diana, I don't
think about measuring, I guess and I try. So for me the Holga is a nice find.
