Help, About Holga 120 GCFN.

[burymeinblack]

I just got a holga 120 GCFN like, last week. I am totally new to this toy. So, I have lots of questions.

1. What kind/brand of 120 medium format film is recommended?
2. Where to get 120 medium format film? Esp. near east side. And how much does it cost per roll?
3. How much is it to develop the film? And is it possible to scan the photos at home after developing?
4. Details about the masks & how much shots could be taken?
5. Whole guide about using 35mm film instead and is it easier to find & develop the film?
6. What's cross processing?

I searched online about it but some were too difficult for me to understand with all the different stuffs. Sorry for the whole load of questions but I hope someone could help me out!

[rewols]

i don't have a holga, so i will help with the more general questions and leave the holga-specific queries to the holga users.

1. it really depends on what you're after. i suggest doing a search on flickr for the different film brands (fuji & kodak for colour; those two and ilford for b&w. these are the most common brands around) and see what kind of pictures you gravitate towards. personally, i like slightly more subdued tones so i use kodak portra.

negatives & slides. both fuji and kodak have slides in 120 format. with negatives, you get a wider exposure latitude (ie, your exposure needs not be spot-on, which is probably helpful with a holga). the colours on negatives, however, tend to be less saturated than those on slides, so if you're looking at super saturated hues, slides is the way to go. you probably have to cross process them to get them looking like the ones found in most lomo galleries.

2. i don't live in the east but singapore isn't that big. good places to get film include the peninsula area (ruby, cathay, konota), triple d at burlington square and online. prices vary, depending on brand and negative/slides. the average price for a roll of negs is around 6-7 (cheaper for b&w) and 10 bucks for slides.

3. again, this varies from place to place. i can't remember the prices offhand, but fotohub charges around 5-6 for processing. and yes, it is possible to scan the negs/slides at home, but this is provided that you have a film scanner (different from normal scanners, though some scanners do have adapters that you can use to scan film). you can also get your processing place to have the negs/slides scanned too, but scanning 120 film typically costs much more than scanning 135 film. if you're planning to shoot loads, consider investing in a film scanner.

4. holga masks. from what i understand, a holga allows you to take either 6x6 or 6x4.5 shots. the mask is just to facilitate that. as mentioned, i don't own a holga, so maybe someone else will have a better explanation for this.

5. whole guide about using 135 film in a holga? google. you need an adapter. google.
135 film is dead easy to find (well, in comparison to 120) and you should be able to develop 135 film at ALL places that take 120. maybe you should read this

6. cross processing is when you process negative film in e-6 (slide) chemicals, or when you process slide film in c-41 (negative chemicals). don't go looking for natural colours when you xpro your films.

i hope you at least read this before you bought your holga.

[foxtwo]

Originally Posted by burymeinblack I just got a holga 120 GCFN like, last week. I am totally new to this toy. So, I have lots of questions. 1. What kind/brand of 120 medium format film is recommended? 2. Where to get 120 medium format film? Esp. near east side. And how much does it cost per roll? 3. How much is it to develop the film? And is it possible to scan the photos at home after developing? 4. Details about the masks & how much shots could be taken? 5. Whole guide about using 35mm film instead and is it easier to find & develop the film? 6. What's cross processing? I searched online about it but some were too difficult for me to understand with all the different stuffs. Sorry for the whole load of questions but I hope someone could help me out!

Half the info is in the FAQ by Nightwolf75 already.

To start out, choose a cheap film. Be it b&w or colour slide/negative, after factoring processing costs. Don't worry about cross-processing (refer FAQ) yet, just process normally. Once you get a handle on how your camera works you can explore.

I don't know of any reputable processing shop in the east, it's better to head into town for the wider selection of film at Ruby Photo or Cathay. Can't confirm on the price, ages ago I bought 120 TMAX100 for $4/- ea, so expect price to have risen by now.

*NOTE: 120 film is pretty old fashioned. It doesn't come in a light proof canister so it can be prone to light leaks while loading and unloading. If possible, ask the counter staff for an explaination on what 120 film is or have them load for you as it will be tricky for a 1st timer. If you're fine with winging it, bringing a bit of scotch tape with you would be extremely helpful.

For unloading, make sure you advance the spool all the way before opening the back! There will be markings on the back paper (you see through the little red window) informing you where you start to shoot, what frame you are at, where you stop, and where it is safe to unload. Just follow instructions and it'll be fine. The processing shop staff should be able to help too.

Price on processing. B&W is probably the most expensive (and takes a few days as opposed to hours), slides then negatives. Check your scanner if it can scan film, there should be an option to toggle.

Your holga should have came with a 6x4.5 frame insert right? With it you can shoot ~30 (I think) shots, without is about 16. Provided it is 120 film.

Eh, 35mm film is the normal everyday film we use. Definately easiest to find and process. There are instructions for modding holga to use 35mm film. As you can read, it might get technical somewhat or not. Something to explore in the future no doubt.

Some films work better for cross-processing and there are factors that work in favour of it too. It's up to the photographer to do research before hand so you don't go out and come home with rubbish. It's expensive to cross-process, especially negative-slide, so do homework.


Buy film (negative/slide) at Ruby or Cathay, take 1-2 hours shooting making your way down to Foto Hub (Beach Road), wait for processing (a couple of hours or less), you can have them do scanning too if you want. All in a day.

It's a lot to read but the only physical problem is the film loading & unloading. Get pass it and be home free. Don't be afraid, go out, shoot something and show us here.

**Note: Bring a couple rubber bands too. If you drop the cam, the back easily pops off.