The plastic prince

The plastic prince
The Holga owes its incredible images to a few factors: a fresh and simple semi-wide plastic lens, professional-grade medium format film, a long exposure option, the ability to shoot multiple times on the same frame and advance partial frames, a somewhat-not-light-tight body, and exactly 12.4 pounds of bonafide magical pixie dust.

Overview
Size:

22cm (8.65in) x 17,5cm (7in) x 9,5cm (3.75in)
Weight:

730g (1.6lb)
Format:

all 120 medium format film (color negative, slide, b&w)
Lens:

Plastic 60mm, f/8
Focus:

manual zone focus with four distance settings
Approximate 35mm format equivalent focal length: 38mm
Aperture settings: f/8, f/11
Shutter speeds: 1/125, "B"
Flash:

Color gel system (yellow, red, blue, clear), powered by 2 "AA" batteries
Uncoupled advance & shutter release for multiple & partial exposures
Standard tripod thread
Professional lab development only

Credit : http://www.lomography.com

Holga 120s

The Holga is a fun camera made almost entirely out of plastic. Even the lens is plastic, and its unpredictable characteristics make it ideal for artists that appreciate happy accidents. Besides being affordable (under $25) the Holga's redeeming qualities are that it shoots medium format 120 film and can easily be modified.

The Holga is about as bare bones as possible. It has one shutter speed, one aperture, a focus ring, and a film advance knob. You can buy a flash version of the camera, but I don't think it is worth it. The focus ring is marked with settings from close-up to infinity. It is a guess at best, but if you were going for accuracy, you probably wouldn't be shooting with a Holga.
On the back of the camera is a red window that tells you what frame you are on. For those of us that grew up with 35mm film canisters, this may be a little foreign. Unlike 35mm, 120 film comes with a layer of paper on the back side of the film. It is printed with numbers that correspond with what frame you are on. The red window allows you to see the number, and the paper backing of the film prevents the light coming in from exposing the film. It isn't perfect though, so you should cover the hole unless you are advancing the film. I use black electrical tape to cover the window.

Credit : http://www.foundphotography.com/

The origin of the species

Hong Kong 1982. The manufacturing and production hub of the world is burning at a full flame. As with their neighbors in Japan and China, photography is an intense national hobby and obsession. New camera designs and productions are churned out daily, feeding the huge domestic and import markets. From within this world of manic creation and innovation comes the Holga, a distinctly un-modern and somewhat prehistoric throwback to the early days of camera mechanics.The concept is simple - a minimal and inexpensive camera using medium format 120 film. It would contain only the bare necessities for photo mechanisms, and provide a cheap and accessible alternative for students and enthusiasts to dip their toes into the otherwise very expensive world of medium format photography. Reflecting the shining landscape around them, this new camera is named after the term "ho gwong," meaning "very bright." After throwing a European spin onto this phrase, the moniker "HOLGA" is minted. This dead simple camera is met with a warm welcome, establishing a strong yet small base of Holga aficionados. Birth, death, celebration, ritual, and everything in-between is caught on lo-fi medium-format emulsions - amplified and focused through the plastic lens of this bare bones, oversized camera.

Credit : http://www.lomography.com