Position:Home>Visual Arts> Can anyone offer any advice about modifying a digital camera so that it takes Ho

The reason why pictures from Holga and Diana cameras have a certain "look" to them is actually because they have a PLASTIC lens! also, I've heard they have problems with vigenneting, which causes a dark area to form around the picture because the lens is not lined up quite right with the film's focal plane!. Have you ever looked through binoculars and the eyepieces weren't lined up quite right and so you see a dark area around the edge when you look through them!? That's basically the same thing!. I'm sure Holgas are fun to play with because of that effect, but really there is nothing special about them!. It's just because they have an inferior lens!. also, you can't change the shutter speed and you only have 2 aperture settings!. So you have very little control over the exposure!.

120 film (which is the film size that Holgas and Dianas use) is actually a really good film!.!.!.it picks up a lot of detail because the frame size is a lot bigger than regular 35mm film!. I've taken pictures with 120 film that were actually a lot better than my 8 megapixel digital camera!. But I used a decent camera, actually an antique Twin Lens Reflex camera that had completely manual focus, aperture, and shutter speed settings!. You'll get pictures with a REAL manual 120 film camera that will blow you away!.

But you're trying to modify a camera to duplicate a DEFECT!.!.!.I don't understand why you would want to do that!. I think that the effects that you would get from a Holga camera would be vigenneting, color fringing, and a shallow depth of field!. If you want to duplicate that with a digital camera, you could probably just use an image editing program that has options to generate those effects!.

But like I said, if you really want to try something different, don't bother with a Holga, or modifying a digital camera to duplicate a Holga!.!.!.just get a REAL 120 film camera!.

EDIT: Actually, if you were having fun with your Holga cameras, then you should just keep using them!. I'm glad more people are using 120 film!. If the Holga and Diana cameras are making 120 film popular, then that's cool!. They might not be the best cameras, but at least they're keeping 120 film in the mainstream :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

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What you have heard is what you need to know to get the toylike photos that LOMO cameras produce!. I find if funny that you say it is intricate and aimed at techies !.!.!. and yet you think that " I'm expecting to have to buy a couple of cheap digital cameras on ebay and take them apart to get the modification" is not intricate and not something that can be considered "techie"!?

Basically you will need a lens that will not cover the whole digital sensor so you can get vignetting and colour fringing!. Then you will want to put some plastic over the lens to make more lens flare!. I don't know how you will simulate scratched film or light leaks!.

You didn't mention why you don't want to spend $30 and buy a good used LOMO camera and be done with it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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How about putting a filter over the lens and smearing some Vaseline on the filter!. Just a thin filim ought to do it, but leave a thicker layer near the edges!. Then, in post processing, you can easily add some vignetting if the Vaseline didn't give you what you want!. Desaturate the whole image a bit and then add back just the colors that you are interested in showing!. Bump up the contrast!. Keep trying and you should be able to degrade your image quality enough to make it look like a Lomo shot!.

If you don't have an SLR, get any point and shoot and stretch some Saran Wrap across the lens and proceed as described above!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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