Holga Lens Review

Submission from Chris Bean

This is the worst lens I’ve used  ……. but I love it.

On a whim I bought a Holga 60mm f8 HL-C lens from Vinted for £15.00.  How bad could it be? Well it certainly isn’t a technical marvel; in fact, it’s quite simple and rudimentary. But that’s exactly what makes it special. It brings the typical soft focus and slightly distorted look of the analog Holga camera straight to your digital camera. These blurs, vignettes, and color distortions from the plastic lens create a unique style that gives your digital photos an artistic, retro feel. All without the expense of using film.

These images were taken with my Canon 5d Mk3 and the Holga lens and have had only minor adjustments to exposure and cropping in Lightroom.  Not a lens I’m going to use very often but it will certainly have a place in my camera bag in the future.