Some products are just too awesome to actually exist. One such example? The Holga D – a digital version of the Holga cameras of lore. Here, I’d normally explain what a Holga is to those who are unaware, but someone beat me to the punch. Mark Wilson of Gizmodo described the Holga in perfect detail. He explains why they’re so respected, and at the same time, why they shouldn’t be. He says:
“Holga cameras are legendary, cheap pieces of crap — light leaking boxes with murky plastic lenses. But the quirky photos they can take are worth[y] of their cult following.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Holga cameras are pretty much crap, and yet, their lo-fi mystique surprises over and over again with captivating and beautiful photography. The Holga D is the bastard child of this lineage because it’s thrown in with the modern digital camera crowd to fight tooth and nail for a place where it fits best.
The design for the Holga D update adds manual controls for shutter speed and ISO setting to the top of the camera and does something particularly unique to add back the flair for the unknown that original Holga cameras had (and digital cameras so definitively lack). The Holga D has no back LCD display , leaving users with no option to review their photos until they’re loaded on the computer.
The camera must have some way to digitally add the effects that plagued original Holgas and to do so in a way that looks more authentic than a Photoshop filter. The present design also includes an E-Ink display on the top of the camera that’s particularly sexy.
Sadly, the Holga D doesn’t exist quite yet. The camera has been proposed as an open-source project by industrial designer Saikat Biswas. He’s looking for like-minded individuals that may have an interest in helping to bring the project to life. We’ll pledge our support and say that we hope the Holga D comes to fruition someday soon. The original cameras were fun, but the cost of film development these days is really oppressive. If the camera actually commits to the same flawed (but awesome) philosophy of the original, we’d surely put our order in for one of the first Holga Ds ever.
Via Gizmodo
I need this. I had no idea this was even a concept. !!!