HolgaHL-C Canon DSLR Lens Black

What a fun lens this is. It won’t suit those who want sharply focused photos but if you’re interested in experimenting & creating something different it’s worth buying, it’s so cheap. You need to use manual settings & plenty of light to get a decent exposure but the results are well worth it. It fits fine on my full frame camera.

I love post processing and I love vintage film photography so after a shoot (even a small one) with my (moderately) expensive gear I spend a hefty amount of time processing the photos, often selecting a few well composed photos to turn into vintage photos. I also love the sort of story told by much older lenses or, even, toy lenses--the emotions they evoke can be very powerful. So, having spent many a wee hour making photos taken on expensive camera gear looking like they were taken on crappy camera gear I thought I should stop mucking around, cut out the middle man and just turn my expensive camera gear into cheap crappy camera gear. Enter the HL-C!So, anyone interested in vintage photography will have heard of Holga and the gloriously distorted, colour burnt, heavily vignetted moments they capture. Whilst this lens is undoubtedly 'crappy' it is perhaps not crappy enough!When it arrived I rushed home from work and had 15 minutes or so before the house would fill up. I feverishly jammed it onto my 650d (yes it's plastic but it feels fine and solid going on the camera), put the shutter and aperture at fairly neutral settings (it wont make a great deal of difference anyway), headed outside on an overcast English early-evening and started snapping. Having read reviews I thought it would struggle in the dim light but it sucked in plenty of light! The 60mm (on a crop sensor camera) is good length for snapping things and the simple-to-understand focussing ring (4 settings--fairly close, portrait, group portrait and mountain!) doesn't do much so there was no real need to worry too much about focussing. Even on a cloudy day it was clear enough in the viewfinder to 'attempt' to focus. I did try it indoors and no, dont bother. (you can find the results of a no-thought quick shoot on my flickr stream).So, the most important bit, what did these first few rushed shots come out like? Well, they may not be for everyone but if story telling is more important to you than crystal clear sharp images then you'll enjoy this lens. To be honest, at 15 quid or so you weren't really expecting to hit the front covers were you? But, there is no reason why you couldn't. For me, photography is story telling and this lens tells stories. Sometimes it tells stories from 30 years ago but that is part of the point. The colours are wonderfully vibrant at times, muted in other places. Playing with colours produces a multitude of results as the lens saturates colours differently as they pass through it.The end result is simply wonderful.Purples, yellows, limes, even reds, all are usually fantastically vibrant. The grain is excessive and attempts to post-process these photos beyond any additional cropping are fairly futile, it is what is it and the images are what they are. Post sharpening--don't bother, embrace the wonderfully soft and grainy finish. Post colour balancing--again, don't bother, this is part of the glory of this lens. Post spot removal--don't worry about spots on your photos, leave them, it's too grainy anyway.In short:* This lens will not be for everyone but I suspect that those who like this lens will love this lens.* Your technique is stripped back to only composition and because you are zooming with your feet you are an even more active part of the scene.* Mundane becomes interesting with little photographer skill.* Your mindset as a photographer changes as you embrace the challenges this lens throws at you.* For £15 this is a fun addition to your kit.

As you will know this lens isn't for perfect pictures its a fun lens that gives you a new twist on your pictures I quite liked using it on long exposure photography. Perfect if your board as even a boring photo can look much better with this lens. Try it its only £11:99

When I first got it I thought it was broken and didn't like it... then I realised my error when I lowered my shutter speed to let in more light - now I'm really enjoying it. The photos have a cozy lo-fi vibe, without having to apply fake filters in post. The video it takes looks like old home movie footage shot on film.The focal length is longer than my standard lens, meaning it feels zoomed in, so you might have to get further away from your subject matter than you are used to; i.e. selfies taken at arm length are impossible! But it forces you to be more creative with your framing.Overall it is fun to use and I'm enjoying playing around with it.

Cheap and cheerful and as a child of the 60's the images remind me of bygone days. Still playing around with it.

Make your 2k camera produce low quality images anf feel like you have done good. Fits well

I use this on a Canon 350d and the images are perfect. Highly recommended as it makes you appreciate modern lenses more.

Nothing shouts out shabby chic like a thousand quid camera with a plastic hole for a lens. Use on manual for best results. You might even learn how to use a camera properly! Be prepared to ramp up the ISO a bit as it doesn't let a lot of light in. It works OK on crop sensor cameras but is magic on a full frame. Construction is awful but at least you cant go wrong when there's nothing to go wrong. Order now and have some fun