WOCA. The dis
pute of a cousin According to the legend, fragments of a minor defected crystal from the Hubble telescope replaced the plastic Holga lens thus giving birth to the Woca. This is not intended to be a technical wiki of the virtues of Woca. To read this means that you own a Holga and you have probably read the manual 1015 times already. Use may also Google to find out more about it. If you, anyhow, feel that something is missing, if you want to be unfaithful to your Holga, then keep on reading. By the end you should know.... Should you have ever wished for an upgraded Holga with a crystal clear quality then I am sorry, this item is not for you either. Despite its single “pure” crystal, the Woca still guaranties for the light leaks, low contrast, strong vignetting and slight image distortion / blur / softness. It produces a better image than a Holga does, but again, in a toy camera world, what is the definition of “better”? So, literally speaking, it produces a clearer image, with much less softness than Holga' s plastic lens. But just how sharp is “sharp”? ...and how transparent is “clear”? First you have to guess the distance right. Even if you do, you are never sure if you turned that turntofocus lens on the correct position. Even at ∞ you still wonder sometimes, “is it here or do I have to push a little harder, huh?” This is known as “photographer's complexion”. Only when you get over it, only then you will manage to truly evolve in the world of the toy camera. Only when you click the shutter and you don't think of the distance, aperture, speed, film's ISO, developing cost... Only when your mind is filled with a 6x6 square in which you position the world. When you shut your eyes and you still see the image but the colours are even more vibrant then, only then you are ready to click. So, is the Woca a better Holga? Who could tell, yes, to my personal taste but I know I don't own a cult item that way. Only a crap, plastic, Holga with a monocrystal lens which I hope it will make me a better photographer. So, should you get your hands on a Woca? Think of that: Woca defines its existence through Holga. All photos in article taken with the Woca. Even more photos at Flickr