Like a holga but worse :)

[darkosaric]

Well, there was a thread "like a holga, but better" so here we go on opposite side:

which medium format camera is (in your opinion) worse than holga (and yes, you can say hasselblad if you want :D )?

I will start first - Druh, with Bilar 65mm/f8 lens. I have it. Definetly worse :)

[Thomas Wilson]

Following the logicbehind the cult-like success of the Hoga, that "Bad is good," any camera deemed worse than the Holga will be seen as better than the Holga (at being bad), and therefore will enjoy a spike in its popularity.

[TheFlyingCamera]

I once had a Seagull folding rangefinder that was truly mediocre in every way. The lens would not predictably yield a soft-focus effect, so you could never tell when you were going to get a not-quite-in-focus image. MOST of the time, it didn't leak light, but sometimes, if you didn't apply just the right amount of force when advancing the film, it would give you a not-terribly-well wound roll, thus leaking light at the edges. In short, nothing was ever terribly predictable with it. So in that sense, it was worse than the Holga, because at least the Holga has a consistent inconsistency to it - it's always going to give you light leaks, blurry pictures, and either really over-exposed or really under-exposed negatives, and you can be pretty sure which type you're going to get before you take the picture. The Seagull was simply an agent of Chaos.

[MattKing]

I once had a Seagull folding rangefinder that was truly mediocre in every way. The lens would not predictably yield a soft-focus effect, so you could never tell when you were going to get a not-quite-in-focus image. MOST of the time, it didn't leak light, but sometimes, if you didn't apply just the right amount of force when advancing the film, it would give you a not-terribly-well wound roll, thus leaking light at the edges. In short, nothing was ever terribly predictable with it. So in that sense, it was worse than the Holga, because at least the Holga has a consistent inconsistency to it - it's always going to give you light leaks, blurry pictures, and either really over-exposed or really under-exposed negatives, and you can be pretty sure which type you're going to get before you take the picture. The Seagull was simply an agent of Chaos.

Reminds me of some of the staff I've had working for (against?) me at various times in the past.

Matt

[doomtroll]

Pearl River TLR's are pretty bad

[Vaughn]

Well, I have been using my 75 cent/thrift shop Diana Camera quite a bit lately -- technically worse than a Holga, but in a good way. I am on a 6 week cross-country camping trip with my family. We spent today in NY City and I alternated between the Diana and my Rolleiflex. There was not enough room in the minivan for my 8x10 ( I guess I could have left one of my three 12-yr old boys at home and made room for the 8x10...and it would be a quieter trip also, since my wife would not be speaking to me!)

Vaughn

[Nicholas Lindan]

"any camera deemed worse than the Holga will be seen as better than the Holga

Well, that certainly holds for the Diana - Dianas disintegrate in my hands as I try to use them, the plastic has less strength to it than candle wax.

IMO, the worst of the 'artistically awful' cameras is the Empire Baby - and as it was my first camera (pulled up weeds at my Uncle's house at thrupence a hundred saving for the 2/6d price at the Woolworths in East Cowes) it holds a soft spot in my heart. The Baby was the first camera to sport a plano-convex "Optical Crystal Lens". The shutter rarely lasts through an entire roll of film before giving up the ghost. After prying the front of the lens off to get at the shutter you are suddenly struck by the thought "How in the world did the shutter manage to last as long as it did?"

Empire Baby at Merrill Photo (http://www.merrillphoto.com/EmpireBaby.htm), Not a bad photograph for a 25 cent camera (http://www.merrillphoto.com/images/ebgetty.jpg)
The Baby on Flickr (http://www.merrillphoto.com/images/ebgetty.jpg)

Rosebud...

[nickrapak]

My Isolette V with the lens I dropped in cooking grease (Don't ask).


BTW, I must have the only "good" Diana in the world. Crisp, in-focus shots, no light leaks, and a consistent 1/50 sec. shutter speed.

[sfadam]

my pearl river actually produces very nice looking images.. very disappointing in that they dont look like theyre from a toy camera at all.
the diana on the other hand.. wow. what a piece of wonderful junk