Aperture mod
Is this hack outdated?
Possibly. There are several rumours floating round suggesting that new Holga's come with working apertures. Initial reports suggest that "they look like they are around 5 and 3-3,5 mm (f8 and f11?)" (thanks Zeger van der Voet). I'll try and confirm this with members of the community as soon as possible..
How to hack your Holga
As explained in the aperture facts article, your stock Holga only comes with one usable aperture of around f/13. I'm going to show you how to modify your Holga to gain switchable apertures of f/10 on cloudy, f/13 on sunny. You will need the following:
- Phillips '0' screwdriver
- Small flat head screwdriver, or pen
- Superglue
- Cocktail sticks (optional)
- 15-20 minutes
To start, take the back off your Holga, and remove the screws circled in step 1 below. Now carefully take the lens assmembly off, making sure not to disconnect the wire shown in step 2. Remove the two screws circled in step 3, and lift out the shutter carefully. Make sure the aperture arm is moved out of the way, and gently pry out the aperture ring as show in step 4. Try not to bend the ring as we'll be gluing it onto the aperture arm shortly. Also be careful not to scratch the lens with the tip of your screwdriver/pen. Once you have removed the ring, slide the switch over to sunny and get your superglue out. Position the aperture ring on the arm centrally over the lens hole, as show in step 5, and glue it in place. I did this by squeezing out some superglue and dipping a cocktail stick in it, before spreading it on the aperture ring. This meant I couldn't accidentally apply too much glue.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Once you've done that, leave it to dry for a while, then put the shutter back on, and screw it in place. Now put the shutter back on the camera and screw it back in place.
You now have 2 usable apertures - f/10 and f/13! That's only 2/3 of a stop, but that's better than nothing.
Obtaining apertures of f/8 and f/11
If apertures of f/10 and f/13 are too limited for you, your best option at the moment is to buy a modded Holga from Randy at holgamods.com. His standard modified Holga comes with 2 apertures (f/8 and f/11) as well as closer focusing (2ft), all for $30.95 (excluding postage).
