[The Adapter outside of the camera]

Reinventing an existing product is difficult, but SuperHeadz has done it again. They reinvented the Twin Lens Reflex with the Blackbird Fly- and have now tasked their design team with a 35mm back for the Holga Camera. You expect nothing but the best quality and most innovative products from the team at PowerShovel, but this accessory exceeded even my hopes with what they could do for those who want to shoot 35mm film in a Holga camera.

The first thing you will notice when you unpack the box, aside from the free roll of film, is that this is more then just a 35mm adapter, it is an entire insert that fills the cavity where the spools and film would normally fit. It is essentially a 35mm camera that sits inside your Holga, and uses the lens, focus and shutter from the Holga, and the wind and rewind from the insert. It fits in with a nice, tight snap, and feels solid and stable. It’s not going to fall out, and it even fit well into my Holga 120n with it’s foam film tensioners.

[The Adapter installed in a Holga 120n]

Loading works just like a 35mm point and shoot- insert the roll and pull the leader across into the take up spool. Shut the back and you are ready to go. One brilliant addition with this back is a small window with a white rectangle that passes by on a small disc. When the white mark is in the window, shoot away. Then wind until it comes back around and you have perfectly spaced images.

This is beneficial for one main reason- I took the roll to a one hour lab, and with perfectly spaced images I was able to have the lab process it, scan it and have it back in an hour. With the open 35 adapters, I had to hit the pro-lab, have them run the film (and not cut it) then carefully cut each section to where the images started and ended. Then there was the issue of scanning it, but that’s a whole different blog entry…

[Closed view showing the wind marker and rewind cylinder]

Using the optics and shutter of the Holga, you still get the same look, minus the vignette. Yes, I would like to see a vignette on the images, and as I refuse to use Photoshop to create one, I will be happy with the images as they are. And they are great. The soft feel of a Holga, with the ease of 35mm film. While I will continue to use 120 film, and get that great big square image, there are times when I want the convenience of 35 with the optics of my Holga, and now I have just that.

It’s yet another brilliant design from the folks who brought you icons like the Golden Half Camera, The Blackbird, Fly and the 110 cams Ikimono and Demekin Fisheye. Quality manufacture that is built to last, and with materials better then the Holga itself. 

Want it? If you’ve ever had a problem with the original adapter, this guy solves it.

Need it? If you want the ease of shooting 35mm with a Holga, then yes, you do.

So how does it shoot? Here are a few examples from the initial testing…