Toy Cameras
Friday, June 10, 2011 at 9:00AM
Have you ever noticed that some of the apps available for smartphones incorporate filters with names like "lomo" and " holga?" These refer to the "look" of a particular camera (The CameraBag app calls these camera effects "lolo" and "helga").
Since these effects can be easily be reproduced using software like Photoshop, they have become popular as filters on certain smartphone apps. If you want the photo to look like it came from a Holga, click the button and you have it. You can get some really, really nice lo-fi effects using some of these smartphone apps. This is most likely what peaked my interest in toy cameras, in particular the Holga and Diana.
The special effects produced by toy film cameras happen naturally due to the design of the camera itself. These were originally designed to be very cheap cameras, so they're made up almost entirely of plastic, including the lens. Color streaking due to light leaks in the camera, plus the soft and sometimes strange focusing have turned toy camera photography into an art form all its own.
Part of the charm of toy cameras is the fact that they're so primitive and basic and so full of imperfections...no two will produce the exact same image. The original manufacturers did not design these with the serious photographer in mind, and yet they've become part of the camera arsenal of many serious photographers.
The weird and old fashioned look is something that photographers try to reproduce digitally these days. Because of it's popularity, when camera apps for smartphones became available this "look" was included. People liked them and used them frequently and now the "cheap toy camera" look has become quite common. Smartphone apps have familiarized people with the effects, but not necessarily the cameras that originally produced them.
I decided to purchase a plastic camera called the Diana F+. These were originally in production from the early 60's until the mid to late 70's and are now being manufactured again by a company called Lomography. The newer versions like the one I have are exactly like the original, with just a few minor improvements (tripod mount, pinhole function) but nothing that would really have a direct affect on the images that come out of it.
I'm really looking forward to shooting with this camera. Some results (hopefully) soon.