Diana (camera)
The Diana is a very inexpensive medium format camera made of a three-part plastic housing for 120 mm roll film .
history
Originally developed in the early 1960s by the "Great Wall Plastics Factory" in Hong Kong based on the AGFA Isoly, the camera quickly became an export hit due to its low price. The great demand led to numerous copies, which were sold under different camera names. Some of the copies were made as promotional gifts with the imprint of well-known American companies, possibly even by the "Great Wall Plastics Factory" itself. The Detrich Collection offers an overview of the variety of Diana copies.
The triumph of 35 mm film due to the growing popularity of more manageable compact cameras and the poor fidelity of the photos completely pushed the Diana out of the market in the mid-1970s. Its successor, the Holga , was mainly manufactured for the Chinese market.
As a result of since the late 1990s, increased demand for Lomographic cameras that "Lomographic Society" in 2007 commissioned a Chinese manufacturer with the production of a slightly modified copy of "Diana +" that in Europe both directly (mail order), as well as through bookstores can be obtained. It has an additional aperture setting 'P' and a detachable lens, which turns the Diana + into a pinhole camera . The image formats have also been changed. The Diana + uses 120 mm film with formats of 4.2 × 4.2 cm, 4.6 × 4.6 cm and 5.2 × 5.2 cm better than its model (4 × 4 cm).
Technical data of the Diana +
- Film format: 120 roll film
- Negative sizes: 5.2 × 5.2 cm (no mask, 12 images), 4.6 × 4.6 cm (panorama mask, 16 images) and 4.2 × 4.2 cm (small mask, 16 images)
- Aperture values: F11 (covered), F16 (partly covered), F22 (sunny) and F150 ( pinhole )
- Exposure times: 1 / 60s and bulb
- Focal lengths: 75 mm focal length or super wide angle by removing the lens and recording in pinhole setting
The fixed exposure time of 1/60 s and the aperture values are well suited for the use of films with ISO400, if necessary you can use the long exposure "B" for a longer exposure, depending on the sensitivity of the film.
Photographic features
In addition to the rather soft image created by the plastic lens, photos of the Diana + are characterized by particularly noticeable vignetting . In addition, the lack of sealing on the plastic back causes so-called "light leaks" depending on the device. These three characteristics shape the artistic charm of the photos. In addition, with the manual film transport, there is the option of multiple exposures and partial exposures (quarter or half film lift).
Modifications
The toy-like appearance of the plastic housing and the simple mechanics of the Diana + invite you to do handicrafts:
- Use with 35 mm film cartridges
- Increase in light sensitivity (ISO boost)
- 360 ° panorama
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Allan Detrich: The Detrich collection ( Memento of the original from January 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ilfordphoto.com, Exposure Calculator, ilfordphoto.com ( Memento of the original from April 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 395 kB).
- ↑ Michael Weinhold: Collection of images with light leaks ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Kai Yamada: Modification of the Diana +
- ↑ ISO boost
- ↑ Panorama modification
