Lomography LomoChrome Metropolis 120 Film Review | Sample Photos with a Holga GCFN Toy Camera in Lisbon, Portugal!

January 14, 2025

(By using the links and/or codes in this blog post it supports Myles Katherine Photography. We may get a small kick back by you doing so.)

Happy New Year! It’s 2025, can you believe it? I was chatting with a friend the other day and realized, that means it’s been five years since the infamous 2020. That revelation makes my insides hurt, but if I think about all of the things I’ve accomplished and survived since then, it makes a lot more sense. It’s never a good idea to look at the big picture, especially when it comes to all of the catastrophes of the world. I’ve learned that life is a little less overwhelming if you just focus on the day to day.

I have a lot of travel plans this year, but also I’ve been feeling a strong urge to be cozy in my house. Maybe it’s the fact that we have a new puppy, or maybe it’s because I’m turning 36 in February and I’m just getting old, or maybe it’s just pure exhaustion from the last five years, but traveling just sounds like a bit much at the moment. I know I’ll plan a trip for my birthday, but for now, I’m going to enjoy these snowstorms and my crazy little puppy, and spend my days catching up on blogging and editing.

I’ve been meaning to share these images from my trip to Portugal for a while because I find Lomography’s LomoChrome Metropolis to be a very unique film stock. I don’t typically go for film that is desaturated in any way, just because I prefer either bright color or black and white. But I have an affinity for Lomography’s LomoChrome film and I’m particularly obsessed with the LomoChrome Purple film. I like the LomoChrome Turquoise as well, but the purple film holds a special place in my heart. I found that the LomoChrome Metropolis actually scans similarly to the LomoChrome Purple. And by that I mean, the film scans I made at my house with my Epson V750 Pro Scanner didn’t look too different than the scans I get with LomoChrome Purple. I find that Metropolis images have a slight purple undertone, which makes me think that it’s the same film as the purple, but just a little less saturated. The Metropolis film also tends to run a little cheaper than the purple film, so if you’re interested in just testing out one of these funky films without breaking the bank, Metropolis is probably your best bet. You’ll find that samples of this film range from golden to greenish to purple-y blue tones, but that’s kind of the fun of this film. You can really adjust the tones during or after scanning to fit your personal style. You can either make it more vintage by embracing the desaturated vibes, or you can add warmth or coolness if you want a different undertone. It’s really a fun film though and I’ll definitely be shooting more of it in the future! For these images, I used a Holga GCFN (my favorite camera in the world). You can read more about the Holga GCFN on my blog here. Or you can watch my full review of the camera on my YouTube channel here! All of these photographs were taken in Lisbon, Portugal and the majority were taken in Jerónimos Monastery, a stunning late Gothic style monastery by the waterfront.

The Metropolis film comes in 35 mm or 120 formats. I just recently finished up a disposable 35 mm camera with Metropolis preloaded inside. You can pick one up on Amazon if you find a disposable camera more approachable. I always love shooting with disposable cameras. There is a special retro vibe that you get with disposable cameras that is just impossihle to replicate.

If you found this post helpful or inspiring, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards cameras, film & processing.

If you have any questions, I’m always happy to help! You can contact me here, or leave a comment below! Thanks so much for stopping by! You can also check out my Amazon storefront for more camera/film recommendations. :) Have a magical day!

<3 Myles Katherine

WHERE TO BUY:

Lomography LomoChrome Metropolis 120 film

Amazon

Adorama

eBay

Lomography LomoChrome Metropolis 35 mm film

Amazon

Adorama

eBay

Lomography LomoChrome Metropolis Disposable 35 mm Camera

Amazon

Adorama

Holga 120 GCFN Camera (read more about the Holga GCFN on my blog here!)

Amazon

eBay

KEH Camera

Here is a roll of 120 LomoChrome Metropolis that I shot with my Holga GCFN in Portugal!

Holga 135BC 35mm Film Camera Review & How-To with Sample Images | The 120 Holga vs. the 35mm Holga

October 2, 2023

(By using the links and/or codes below it supports Myles Katherine Photography. We may get a small kick back by you doing so.)

If you’ve been following my work at all, you know I’m obsessed with the traditional 120 Holga. I’ve written a blog post and filmed a YouTube video about it! When I unexpectedly received the 35 mm version of this camera, the Holga 135BC, as a Christmas gift last year, I was SO excited. I always assumed that I wouldn’t like the 35mm format as much, just because the square format is so unique. But as soon as I got the images back, I realized that the 35mm version is unique and different in it’s own way. Because of the BC, “bent corners”, or vignetting, created by the Holga, the images still have that dreamy, surreal vibe that I love so much. In fact, I think the 135BC has renewed by excitement about the Holga. I now have a new way to create my beloved Holga images.

In my latest YouTube video, I bring the Holga 135BC with me on a trip to Louisville, Kentucky to try it out for the first time. The video includes an unboxing, how-to, film loading and tips for creating multiple exposures, as well as all of my favorite photos from my first roll of film. But if you’d prefer to read about it, rather than watch the YouTube video, keep scrolling! :)

HOW TO USE THE HOLGA 135BC 35MM FILM CAMERA

In terms of camera settings, it’s pretty much exactly the same as the traditional Holga. It’s extremely easy to use once you get the hang of it! Just be patient and show yourself some compassion with your first roll while learning the camera. :) Sometimes, crappy film cameras can be intimidating because it seems impossible to create a “good” image with it. But that’s the whole point! You have to embrace that they are unpredicatable, unusual and low-quality. It’s about taking those features, turning them into something positive and using them to your advantage.

LENS SETTINGS

The lens only has 4 options for distance from your subject - landscape, large group of people, small group of people and single-person. I tend to leave it on the landscape option most often because it’s the most likely to end up in focus, in case you forget to switch it in-between photos. But if you plan on being within a few feet of your subject, I’d use the single-person setting for best results. I don’t really use the other two options very often, just because I tend to forget to switch the lens setting in general. It’s safest for me to just leave it on landscape so I don’t end up with blurry, out of focus images!

SHUTTER SPEED

On the bottom of the camera, there is a switch with a B and an N. These letters stand for “Bulb” and “Normal”. So, unless you’re trying to do long/slow exposures for light painting or something similar, then the Normal setting is what you want. I actually tape it onto the N setting, because I’ve had it accidentally switch back to B while in my camera bag, and then I end up with blurry images. “Bulb” basically means that the shutter stays open as long as you hold down the shutter button. Using the N setting is a shutter speed of about 1/100th of a second. That’s really what you want for everyday use.

FLASH

The Holga 135BC comes with a removable flash. I love using a flash with my Holga, which is why the Holga GCFN is my favorite version of the 120 Holga. The Holga, in general, needs quite a bit of light to perform well. If you plan on using the Holga at night, inside or in another type of low-light situation, then I’d recommend using the flash. The Holga 135BC also comes with a bunch of colorful gel filters you can use to get creative. I haven’t tried it out yet with the 135BC camera, but I will definitely do that soon and update this blog post with some flash photos. :)

MULTIPLE EXPOSURES

The main reason I love the Holga camera so much is because of how easy it is to create double and multiple exposures. I’ve been using the 120 Holga since 2008 and it quickly became my favorite camera when I discovered the surreal and ghostly world that I could create with multiple exposures. I’ve even won a handful of awards with my multiple exposures, including first place in my senior thesis exhibition and one of the winners in the Lomography’s Ten and One Awards in the “Human Stories” category! If I had to choose one camera to use for the rest of my life, it would be the Holga. When I discovered that the 35mm camera was just as easy to use when creating multiple exposures, I fell in love even more! To create a multiple exposure with the Holga 135BC, you simply just DO NOT wind the film in-between shots. You click the shutter button for your first image and then click it again for your second image, right over top of the first. You can do this as many times as you want, creating triple or quadruple exposures if you’d like! Just keep in mind that every image you add will increase the exposure of the image overall, meaning that after three or four images, you will be losing detail in the highlights and will eventually just become a purely white image if you took too many. I usually stick to doubles and will occasionally try a triple.

FILM LOADING

This is my one source of contention with the Holga. They are sort of known for being difficult to load. The 135BC is no different. I recommend watching my YouTube video to get a better idea of how it works. But as long as you notice the knob on the top left of the camera spinning while winding your film in-between shots, then you’ve loaded the film correctly and it is winding through the camera. I typically start with bending the leader of the film before inserting it into the slit on the right side of the camera, to help it catch. Then, you’ll have to click the shutter button once or twice as you’re winding it and getting it started, before closing the back and taking another photo or two to prevent light leaks. Just make sure you can see the film sprockets catching on the grooves inside the camera before closing the back. A lot of crappy 35mm cameras work this way, so if you plan on shooting a lot of film in your future, unfortunately you’ll just have to get used to this process!

APERTURE

On the top of the lens you’ll notice a switch with a lightning setting and a sun setting. Technically, the lightning setting is supposed to be f/8 and the sunny setting is f/11. Most people who use the Holga would argue there’s not really a difference, but I tend to leave it on f/8 with the hope that it will let in a little bit of extra light, especially because I prefer to use lower ISO films in order to get sharper images.

WHERE TO BUY THE HOLGA 135BC

Amazon

Etsy

eBay

FILM OPTIONS

You can use any 35mm film with this camera, but I definitely have a few options I’d recommend. Keep in mind that Holgas in general need a lot of light to perform well. They are also known for not having the sharpest images in the world. This is why I tend to sick to ISO 200 or 400 film. When you get up to 800, the images become quite a bit grainy and less detailed. If you use ISO 100 or lower, just make sure you’re in a super bright environment, like the beach. Personally, I use ISO 100 pretty often with the Holga, but only when I know that my environment will be able to handle it, or I use a flash. You will definitely end up with much sharper images though, the lower ISO you use. If you’re a beginner, I’d recommend 200-400 ISO.

Here are a few of my favorite film options:

FINAL THOUGHTS

To be honest, I kind of love the images more than I thought I would! I was convinced that I’d always have more of an affinity towards the 120 version, but there really is something special and magical about the Holga brand in general. If you aren’t happy with your first roll of film, try again! It takes a bit of time to grow comfortable using the Holga, but once you do, you’ll love it! Especially, if you love the 35mm frame overall, this would be a super fun way to experience it differently. Personally, if I had to choose between 35mm and medium format, I’d choose medium format. But there’s nothing wrong with either choice, it’s really just a personal preference! If you think you might like the medium format version better, you can read more about it here!

SAMPLE PHOTOS

And of course, I can’t end this blog post without showing you a few sample images! These are all from my very first roll of film with this camera, so I’ll be sure to add more examples as I use the camera more.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Feel free to leave any questions/comments/thoughts below!
Have a magical day! And don’t forget to stop by my Amazon storefront for more camera/film recommendations. :)

<3 Myles Katherine

(click to enlarge)

Holga 120 GCFN Review & How-To with Sample Images | The Best Camera in the World!

June 30, 2020

(This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.)

If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with the Holga camera. It goes everywhere I go and it’s a huge reason why I became a photographer in the first place. It takes the dreamiest images AND it’s super easy to use! For being considered a “toy camera”, it truly has unlimited potential. I wanted to share a few pros and cons of the Holga, and share a ton of images so you can decide if this camera is for you! I prefer the Holga GCFN model, but all of the versions are great and can create unique, beautiful photographs.

I also have a YouTube video about the Holga, where I share all of my favorite things about the camera as well as tips and tricks for how to get the best photos possible. If you want to see the camera in action, make sure to check out my adventure video from last month too, where I took the camera to Las Vegas with me!

Okay! Let’s get into it.

PROS OF THE HOLGA GCFN

AFFORDABLE
One of the best things about the Holga is that it’s super affordable, especially if you’re just getting into film photography. They range from about $40-100 depending on which model you’re purchasing or if you’re buying it new or used. You can find my favorite model, the Holga GCFN on Amazon, or you can find used versions of the GCFN in various colors on eBay. They only make new Holga GCFNs in black at the moment, so any colorful ones you’ll find have been used or are not being sold new from the factory.
LIGHTWEIGHT & GREAT FOR TRAVEL
The Holga weighs practically nothing. They are made with a plastic body and are called “toy cameras” for a reason. They literally feel like a toy! The fact that they are so light make them great for travel. I’ve taken mine all over the world! They are also surprisingly sturdy. I dropped mine in a river in Japan and it somehow kept working!
THE IMAGES ARE UNUSUAL & UNPREDICTABLE
Part of the magic of shooting with a Holga camera is that they are entirely unpredictable. I’ll have an idea in my mind of what my images are going to look like, but every time I get my film back, I’m surprised! It’s easy to get light leaks or accidental multiple exposures, which is why I love this camera so much. I’ve been using the Holga since about 2010 so I’ve had years of experience with it at this point and have learned to love its quirks. My advice is to give it a few rolls before giving up. The first roll of film can sometimes be disheartening, but I promise you it’s worth it if you stick with it and learn from each roll of film you shoot.
IT’S BASIC AND EASY TO USE
While the Holga is intimidating in it’s own right, it is actually an incredibly basic camera. There are only three settings you need to worry about before taking each photo - distance, aperture, and flash. There is also a setting on the bottom of the camera that says “B” or “N”, which stands for “bulb” and “normal” and is in relation to shutter speed. I always leave mine taped to the N setting, because sometimes it will accidentally switch to the bulb setting on it’s own and I’ll end up with blurry images. The N (normal) setting is about 1/100th of a second and will result in much sharper images. It’s also important to make sure the distance setting you choose is accurate. I leave mine in the landscape or “mountain” setting the majority of the time. This leads to a better likelihood of getting a sharp image. You can mess with the other distance settings if your subject is a little closer to you, but just remember to switch it back later!
IT’S COLLECTIBLE & MEMORABLE
I get so many comments about my Holga cameras when I have them out and about with me. And I’ve also collected over a dozen of them at this point, in all sorts of colors and model numbers. They look cute up on a shelf and they are a conversation starter, for sure! At this point, i’ve gotten so many people hooked on the Holga and it’s actually super important to keep people shooting with the 120 version because, sadly, 120 film is slowly dying. Personally, I don’t understand why because it’s an absolutely stunning film format with huge, sharp negatives. Help keep 120 film alive and try out the Holga! If you’re really not ready for 120 film though, you can always try the Holga 135BC first, the 35mm version of the Holga camera. You can read my full blog post about it here or watch my YouTube video here!
THE IMAGES ARE SURPRISINGLY SHARP
It takes a while to get to this point, but when you finally get an image with no motion blur or accidental movement, the Holga can take some incredibly sharp photos. This is also why I almost exclusively shoot with the Holga GCFN version, because it comes with a glass lens instead of a plastic lens. If you just so happen to get all of the settings right with the right film stock, the Holga will surprise you with its capabilities. If you’re having issues getting a sharp photo, I recommend taking a roll of Kodak Portra 400 120 film to the beach on a sunny day, make sure the camera is on the “N” (normal) setting and not the “B” (bulb) setting and see what you end up with!

CONS OF THE HOLGA GCFN

TAKES PATIENCE TO LEARN
I think the most difficult part about the Holga is putting in the time and effort to understand it. Your first few rolls of film will not be great, I’m warning you now. But just keep taking it along with you on adventures and I promise, one day, you’ll end up with a roll of film that you’re obsessed with. I also would tell anyone just starting out with any sort of film photography, do not expect perfection. Film photography is meant to be rough around the edges. Expect grain and light leaks and multiple exposures and wrong settings. But take what you’ve learned and apply it to the next roll of film. It’s a learning experience and it’s something you can continue to grow with every day.
DOESN’T WORK WELL IN LOW LIGHT
As with most cheap film cameras, they function best in bright, daylight conditions. If you’re shooting indoors, make sure to use the flash and stay within 8 feet of your subject for best results. You have to find a balance between ISO and sharpness when it comes to the Holga. And by that I mean, once you start getting over 400 ISO with your film, the images will become more grainy and less sharp. I always recommend 400 ISO film to anyone just starting out with the Holga because it’s nice and sharp but also works decently well in low light. If it’s a cloudy day and you’ll potentially be shooting in the shade or indoors, I’d recommend an 800 ISO film. If you’re going to be outside on the beach, I’d recommend a 100-200 speed film like Lomography Color Negative 100, Kodak Portra 160, or Kodak Gold 200.
YOUR IMAGES WILL BE WEIRD
Honestly, it’s hard for me to think of cons for this camera! And to me, “weird photos” are not a negative trait of the camera, but I know it is to some people. I always find it strange when people complain about the fact that their camera created a multiple exposure or when they don’t like the light leaks. i’m sorry, I just can’t relate. I’m obsessed with multiple exposures and light leaks. So…. take this trait with a grain of salt and decide for yourself!

Below, I’ve included all of the images featured in the video so you can take a closer look at them. These are some of my favorite images I’ve taken over the years. A few of them have actually won awards and have been featured in gallery shows across the US!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! You should definitely pick up a Holga (purchase your own here) if you get the chance. They are super affordable as well, ranging from $40-100 depending on which version and color you are interested in. I prefer the Holga 120 GCFN model, which features a glass lens and a built-in flash. This helps me get even sharper images than the traditional plastic lens Holga and allows me to photograph in lower light situations. The Holga, in general, requires a lot of light to perform well, so that built-in flash can really make a difference on those cloudy days or when you’re shooting indoors.

WHERE TO BUY THE HOLGA 120 GCFN:

Amazon

eBay (you can find more fun color options here)

Etsy

KEH Camera

FILM RECOMMENDATIONS:

Lomography 400 120 film

Lomography 100 120 film (for shooting in bright daylight)

Kodak Portra 160 120 film

Kodak Portra 400 120 film

Kodak Gold 200 120 film

#CommissionsEarned

If you found this post helpful or if you’d like to see more of my work, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards cameras, film & processing. Find out more here!

Have a magical day!

<3 Myles Katherine

(click to enlarge images)

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