The Diana camera is a simple, low-quality plastic-bodied box camera. The Diana takes sixteen 4 × 4 cm pictures on 120 film, leaving a large part of the film surface unused. Though often referred to as a toy camera, the term is somewhat misleading, as the Diana is fully capable of taking actual photographs. The Diana was first produced during the early 1960s in Kowloon, Hong Kong, by the "Great Wall Plastic Factory", and was sold under various labels (often just a different stick-on nametag). Most were given away as novelties or prizes at fairs, carnivals, or other public events. In addition to the 'Diana' labelled cameras, there are over fifty similar variants of the basic design, some of which may have been produced by other factories and/or manufacturers. Some variants incorporate a 6 × 6 cm negative size (like the Diana Deluxe), while others have provision for different controls or separate bulb flashes. The 3 aperture version of the classic Diana/Diana clone has apertures of f11 f13 & f19, and it takes 32 mm clip on filters. Shutter speed is usually 1/100th (for a crisp one) to 1/50th (for a slower one). The Diana Deluxe- f9 f16 & f22, and it takes a 46-49 mm step-up ring. With the development of inexpensive, higher quality consumer cameras such as the Kodak Instamatic, demand for the Diana, even as a novelty gift, gradually disappeared. Production of the Diana, its clones (have 151 marked on the door latch like the original Diana), close copies and variants is believed to have stopped sometime during the 1970s, though similar 35mm box cameras were produced for many years thereafter by various companies in Hong Kong and Taiwan as promotional items. Diana cameras are predisposed to light leaks, a situation often remedied by sealing the seams with light-proof tape (like black electrical tape) after loading the film. To get the completed roll out of the camera, it is necessary to untape the body -- a ponderous but very useful procedure, as it helps to prevent a lot of unpredictable orange light streaks on the negatives/prints. The design of the Diana incorporates a lens that produces an image circle which only marginally covers the diagonal of a film frame. This marginal coverage field produces images with often pronounced vignetting. The poor quality of the plastic meniscus lens results in generally low contrast, odd color rendition, chromatic aberration, and blurred images. Although these attributes are generally thought undesirable in a camera, some photographers have intentionally utilized these characteristics to produce photographs with interesting or artistic effects. Though made by a different manufacturer, the Holga camera is considered by many to be the modern-day successor to the Diana. As of 2007, Lomography, the current distributor of Holga cameras, has launched a revitalization of the Diana, issuing a replica called the Diana+ with a few minor added features.
References
- Barnes, Mike. The Diana Legacy. ToyCamera.com. Retrieved on November 1, 2005.
- Hirsch, Robert (1991). "The Diana Camera". In Photographic Possibilities: The Expressive Use of Ideas, Materials, and Processes, pp. 141-143. Boston: Focal Press. ISBN 0-240-80047-8. Copy of this chapter is available online at the linked address.
- Labrouillère, Pascal. Diana camera, Diana clones & Photo Gallery
