Diana Camera

A Diana Camera, also known as a “toy camera,” is an inexpensive, base quality camera. It is put together in a plastic body, the traditional Diana camera was made in Hong Kong during the 1960s and 1970s. Soon after the Hong Kong model of the Diana camera was produced, many other companies came out with their own versions of this toy camera.While later variations of the Diana camera could take 6 cm x 6 cm pictures, the original models took up to sixteen pictures that are 4 cm x 4 cm. Consequently, these cameras tended to waste film. Because of the poor quality plastic used, light would often infiltrate the camera, damaging the film. Similarly, the lens of the Diana cameras were sub-par, producing fuzzy photos or pictures without much contrasts.Because these crude cameras were generally considered toys, they were generally given to children. In fact, most Diana cameras became prizes at fairs, amusement parks or parades. Yet, they were occasionally used by more adept photographers to produce various aesthetic effects.

For me diana camera is very beautiful. Beside the classic good looks, it makes ordinary images a lot dreamier with a soft focus look. I was totally blown away with the vignette and overall dreamy look. I also love the fact that we can choose to do multiple exposures, and as for the enhancements - panoramic shots and pinhole photography is also possible by twisting off the lens. Overall, diana is very fun to play around with and surprisingly takes very beautiful pictures.

References:-

http://microsites.lomography.com/diana/

http://www.lomography.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_camera