Lomography isn’t fun anymore thanks to this $24,000 Holga camera

By Natt Garun April 4, 2012

$24,000 Holga — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Without a doubt, lomography has become one of the biggest trends we’ve seen from the past few years. People can’t get enough of Instagram and other vintage photo filter apps. Retailer Urban Outfitters continues to rack up major dollars from selling a variety of candy colored Holga cameras to all the hipsters in America. But the fun ends here, folks. PetaPixel has uncovered a $24,000 Holga camera, crushing all your lomography dreams.

Made by photographer Mike Martens, this modded Holga is made incredibly expensive with the addition of a Phase One P25 digital back. This component gives the toy Holga camera an additional 22 megapixels which helps to shoot higher quality photos. You can ideally attach the digital back to any medium format camera to get the same heightened specifications, and Martens decided to experiment between his love of low-tech and cutting edge gadgets. That’s not to say this $24,000 camera is in anyway… pretty. Since there’s no clear way to mount the Phase One P25 onto the Holga, Martens simply taped the two items together with black gaffer’s tape.

However, we do have to admit the results are impressive. This modded camera, which was named the “Holga-Cam of the Apocalypse,” took photos that could easily rival some of today’s camera phone pictures. Why the photographer did this to a photography medium that’s intended to be low in specs is beyond us, but if you want, you can check out sample photos here.

Not sure what lomography or a Holga camera is? The term lomography was branded by a United Kingdom photography group which sells little plastic toy cameras that produce a vintage, dream-like effect on your rolls of film. Plastic toy cameras first appeared without the intention of being able to take photos, but people quickly found that the plastic lens and light leaks of the cheap camera body created a special filter that you now see all over Instagram and Hipstamatic.

Holga and Diana cameras are just one of the more popular brands now that this type of photography started to appear all over the place, and they are also light-weight and work as a cute accessory. Add-ons have also appeared, such as an instant printer attachment that lets you print out your photos immediately like old Polaroids used to do. There are also detachable Flash adaptors for taking pictures in low light conditions. These toy cameras and accessories aren’t necessarily cheap, per se. A basic camera body can run you anywhere between $30 to $80, plus the cost of film and development.

While “real” photographers may gag at the whole concept, since it is glorifying the use of low equipment and little talent to produce vintage-y photos, at least it’s keeping camera film makers in business. With the recent decline and eventual death of Kodak, we appreciate anything that preserves traditional forms of photography.

Image Credit: PetaPixel

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