For the film user there still is a whole inventory of cameras to choose from. Many many film camera are still available and in perfect working order. Nikon, Pentax, Canon, Miranda, etc are still being used to create photographic film classics.
But we have a resurgence of a cult classic going on. The Diana camera is back and more popular than ever. The Diana is about as "primitive" as one can get with a film camera. These "toy" cameras were introduced by the Great Wall Plastic Factory, Kowloon Hong Kong in 1960. Many were exported to the United States and the United Kingdom. Power Sales Company in Willow Grove PA. was one of the major importers and wholesaled the cameras by the case... 144 to a case. They sold for about 50 cents each in case lots. Many of the Diana's were promotional items to be given away as carnival prizes, sales promotions, novelties for raffles and other events. They use 120 roll film that is still available, and generally produced a 16 exposures of 4.2 cm size while a few were manufactured to produce 12 6x6cm size negatives. Diana production was believed to have stopped in 1970 because of the advance of the Kodak Instamatic.
The Diana is a very simple camera. It has a mechanical film advance, a spring -loaded shutter of one speed, a viewfinder that ranges in visual quality, a plastic meniscus lens and is constructed of a low quality plastic. The original Diana's were produced in the 1960's, and many still are found in working condition today. An original Diana is prone to light leaks that many users battled by taping the case with light blocking tape, and covering the red film advance marker window as well.
Today there is a resurgence in Diana's and a new "version" is being heavily produced in China. The original Diana had about 70 different copy variations under different names like Windsor, Anna, Lina, Dorrie, Banner, Banier, Arrow, Rand and so many more.
The new Diana's are the Diana +, the Diana "F", the Diana mini (35mm model), Diana Novella, the Diana Parisian, Diana F+ Edelweiss, and on.
The main difference in the original and the new "reproductions" is in the lens. As mentioned earlier the original Diana's had a crude plastic meniscus lens that produced a very distinctive photograph. It had a "dreamy" light about it and a definite circular style image which produced vignetting on the pictures. There is also low contrast and resolution, color rendition shifts, somewhat blurred of soft images and lens flares. However, this trend in photographic tendencies, led the Ohio University in Athens, Ohio to become one of the first ever art colleges to use the Diana as a required camera in some of their photography programs. The was a way to help students cultivate their creativity and photography visions without relying on technology. The Diana will capture exactly what it "sees" when you release the shutter. Nothing more, nothing less. This makes the artist photographer think about the subject, light. composition, contrast, shadows, and zones.
Today the newer Diana's offer the same 120 roll film format as well as the new "mini" in 35mm format. The plastic quality is much better and so is the lens quality. Results are better quality pictures much in line with the newer glass lens Holga camera. Newer Diana's range in price from cheap to, in my thinking, absurd! I guess it's all supply and demand. But the original Diana's are selling in two categories... vintage camera and collectibles. Often one has to be very careful in buying an original Diana 151 or its variant cousin. First and foremost remember it is most often used, even if the seller claims "minty" condition. Second, make sure you look very closely at the pictures and ALWAYS ask of the camera is in FULL working condition. Some are found in thrift stores and junk sales and are just that, junk! For an original Diana, mint condition, and unused, in the box be prepared to shell out upwards of $40 or more. This includes any variant of the Diana. Used and usable, in good condition will run you about $20-25. An example is my Lina Diana clone. I have been collecting Diana's for some years now and the Lina I have is the first I have ever encountered and it is in working condition. I would price it as a rare find in collectibles for no less that $30.
I tend to lean toward the original Diana's and own many of them. I collect and I use these great little camera's. I am really drawn to that soft focus edgy picture that they all seem to produce. It's a kind of magic that just enhances a good picture and really benefits a great picture. The original has a way of capturing a scene like no other camera. And it will definitely show you your errors... big time! But often those errors are great one of a kind artistic prints. It's all in the eye of the beholder. Remember that in any photography you are telling a story by your photograph. It's your story and how you want it to read and end is your vision. Do not rely on critics or judges. Rely on those that appreciate your work and rely on yourself. My Diana pictures are for me. I do not take them for a critic to tear apart. I take them for me to enjoy and smile at. A Diana is a great camera to use for that story. It's also a magnificent learning tool for photography. With the Diana, it's you and the scene, nothing more. Enjoy!
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