One of the best things about the Holga is that it is the perfect camera from the novice camera hacker. There’s lots of room for improvement and it’s all held together with only five screws.
as easy as it sounds . . .
I didn’t do everything he recommends — I haven’t noticed any light leaks either through the frame counter or inside the body (does this mean my Holga is defective?) so I skipped the flocking step — but the disassembly and reassembly were easy enough.
Interesting that the fine craftsmen at the Holga works keep making incremental improvements to the little gem. Mine has foam inserts for better film tension and a tripod mount, two of the more popular after-market fixes. The meaningless aperture setting is a tough one to understand, but easy remedied. Now, of course, I may find myself needing faster film. C’est la vie.
The new aperture, if you use a 1/8 drill bit, works out to f/16 (fl/a where fl (focal length) = 2 and a (aperture = .125)). Sunny-16 exposures anyone? Looks like 100 speed film is the way to go, after all.
The only think I need to do is add a cable release fitting and make a pinhole insert, since the lens is now easily — too easily — removable.
Some more tips here. Not sure how he gets the aperture numbers he gets. But he offers some more thoughtful, less judgmental tips on fixing up the Best $20 Camera You’ll Ever Own.