EDIT: Just had official response from Holga Ltd, the Holga 120 TLR is indeed an official Holga product, and is currently just being test-marketed in the local Hong Kong market, with the export-market following shortly. More information and publicitiy will follow once they have turned their attention to the export market.
Hot on the heels of the Blackbird, Fly, Holga have decided to get in on the toy camera TLR market and release two new Holgas TLR cameras!
Sticking with their utilitarian naming scheme, these cameras are aptly named the Holga 120 TLR and the Holga 120 GTLR. Not a lot of info has trickled through to the western world yet, so we’re going with what’s on some Hong Kong eBayers’ sites.
The only difference between the TLR and the GTLR, is that GTLR has a glass lens. The camera has a pop up waist level finder which can also double as a standard viewfinder (although not linked, it should solve the horizontal parallex problem!). It also has that good ‘ol colour flash built in. It’s certainly a strange looking beast, and looking at the photos, it seems the 2nd ‘lens’ is used just for framing, rather than focussing (so similar to the BBF), but we hope to get more info soon from Holga themselves.
This has literally just been released, so no tests as of yet, but we will try to get on the case right away with a review soon. There doesn’t appear to be many places where the camera is available, and even less places with photos, but you can get the camera from the well known (and trusted) Hong Kong eBay seller Uranium99.
Comments
This has appeared right when I decided I wanted a TLR. Coincidence? I wonder where my credit card is…
It’s definitely no TLR. Its just a camera with a large brilliant finder and field lens on top. A TLR hasto have some features/parts to be a TLR. It’s more like the box cameras (which the Holga is) made in the 1930s-40s with large “brilliant” finders on top, mimicking the TLR, in hopes of looking sophisticated…
yeah, that’s what I figured, handy for composing, but not a proper TLR with the ‘visible’ focussing and linked lenses.
I thought the 45 degree mirror reflecting into the viewfinder is what made a camera a “twin lens reflex” not the ability to focus. In any case, I don’t think it’s misleading. I think it’s a nice feature, it allows you to compose overhead and floor level shots not possible with a regular viewfinder, and the parrallax issue is somewhat solved.
I think Holga should pay holgamods.com for R&D work though.
Twin lens cams that don’t allow the user to focus through the viewing lens are often called “pseudo-twin lens reflex”. This new Holga, as awesome as it is (me wants one), is more akin to the old Kodak Brownie Hawkeye or Brownie Reflex than a proper Yashica TLR.
But, IMO, that’s totally in keeping with the Holga toy cam ethic & I don’t think it’s misleading at all. Still, it might have been called the Holga WLV – for Waist Level Viewfinder.
Thank for the heads up on this! Well, I thank you but my wallet might not! LOL.
Cute new camera
[...] TLR [...]
thats exciting! i just bought my second holga, a purple one
oooooooooooooo how exciting! i just got my second holga today!
Looks like the Holga factory did it again.
Imitation being the Greatest Form of Flattery.
I wonder if the factory has someone on the payroll keeping an eye out for what I do to my modified Holgas?
I’ve been selling Waist Level Holgas for almost 5 years now.
PS…….What an ugly camera.
It does look like a bit of a stuck on add-on, but still looks good. Add in the Holga aesthetic and I think they’re on the right track – so where does one import this bad boy from?
Hi !
I’m a Holga 120 user.
I’ve 3 Holga 120n always loaded with different films ready to shot and usually I never go outside home without a Holga (minimum one Holga plus my Canon G9).
I’d like to see a Holga 6×12 not pinhole and not stereo but with a single normal plastic optical lens.
It haven’t to be so wide. Let’s say that a 110-135mm f16 with a shutter time of 1/125s or 1/250 plus B and a focus range that goes from 2,5 – 3 meters to infinite should be OK for me.
I know that meniscus lenses on larger format give some focus problems and make difficoult to contain the camera size, but it’s part of the play.
The important is that must be panoramic format 6×12 with an optical lens.
Regards
Marco
Sorry, my previous comment was completly off topic.
I realaized right now that I was on a blog and I wasn’t sending a message to Holga Ispire as I tought. I’m not so familiar with blogs.
BTW, this TLR like model is a good evolution of the classic models.
I had an old project to hack my Holga with the prism finder of a old folding camera or to build a sport viewfinder like the ones mounted on the underwater cameras.
I think that if this model hasn’t a crazy price I’ll buy one.
Totally weird. Got a couple of old TLRs and the best thing about them is that people notice far less that you’re taking a photo – because you’re not looking directly at them. TLR Holga should give some great waist-level candid shots – very exciting…
its just a copy of the black bird fly..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mijonju/3560016070/
[...] holgablog.com [...]
hey! Does anybody knows, if a holgaroid, (holga pola back) fits this HOLGA 120 GTLR?¿? THANKS!
Hi Cherry,
the back seems to be exactly the same as a standard holga, so hopefully it should fit the holgaroid fine, there’s a photo of the back here:
http://www.holgablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/img_1282.jpg
Looks like a laugh but with the price tag I fear the joke is really on us. Doesn’t really do anything that a normal Holga doesn’t do. It does look great though
AHHH!!!
What is this?
The only Holga is the 120S…
Really weird! Thank you for posting.
[...] though!). and oh my goodness while looking at TLRs on ebay i just discovered the new(ish) holga TLR that was realeased earlier this year!! it sounds amazing, i’d love to see some images [...]