Squarefrog, who has put together what I believe to now be the definitive Holga resource site, has done a focus test to see if the generally cites distances for each focussing icon are correct.
He writes:
I decided to dispell some Holga focus myths and actually test the focus distance for the 3 people, and 7 people (group) settings. My camera was put on a tripod and the focus fixed in the middle of each setting. Then I moved the tripod back 2 ft after each picture. All pictures were taken using the cloudy setting with the aperture mod, so the aperture was about f/10…
See the results in a photo set on Flickr.
Hi there!
I did focus testing for Holgas with and without additional macro lenses. It’s all in my book, “Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity.” Checking out all your Holga and Diana posts, I think you’d like it!
~Michelle Bates
I saw your great tests. Question: How do you accurately make a 1 sec exposure with the Holga bulb setting?
I’m trying to shoot moving water on a tripod but I have to just say “one thousand”, whereas I imagine if you are doing tests, you must have some accurate way of doing this.
Thanks for the great website!
Diane