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Diana+
The original Diana was created in Hong Kong during
the 1960's as a cheap 120 film camera. Made of
plastic, including the lens, it eventually was
discontinued in the 1970's but found a cult following
among avant-garde and lo-fi photographers of the
late 1970's on. Hard to find now days, the original
Diana asks a premium price among collectors and die
hard 'crappy camera' fans.
Luckily for me the Lomography company recreated
that wonderful camera in 2007 as the Diana+. The
original cameras highly sought after quirks are still
present in this resurrected version (plastic body and
plastic lens, soft focus, vignetting, simple shutter,
square images), along with pinhole and panoramic
features. And unlike the Holga which has only one
true aperture, the Diana+ has three aperture settings
plus pinhole to help control exposures.
The original Diana was created in Hong Kong during
the 1960's as a cheap 120 film camera. Made of
plastic, including the lens, it eventually was
discontinued in the 1970's but found a cult following
among avant-garde and lo-fi photographers of the
late 1970's on. Hard to find now days, the original
Diana asks a premium price among collectors and die
hard 'crappy camera' fans.
Luckily for me the Lomography company recreated
that wonderful camera in 2007 as the Diana+. The
original cameras highly sought after quirks are still
present in this resurrected version (plastic body and
plastic lens, soft focus, vignetting, simple shutter,
square images), along with pinhole and panoramic
features. And unlike the Holga which has only one
true aperture, the Diana+ has three aperture settings
plus pinhole to help control exposures.
Holga
The Holga has a past very similar to the Diana's in
that it was created in Hong Kong but in the 1980's as
a cheap family camera. With an all plastic body and
plastic lens, quality was an after thought as they
produced a lot of light leaks. The modern Holga has
been in production for a while now with several
variations and features available. Besides being
available with or without flash, the most notable of
these variations is the choice of a plastic or glass lens.
And though the Holga may seems primitive and
flawed by todays standards, its cult status has risen
to the point that photography books give instructions
on how to digitally mimic it's effects and professional
journalists use it for assignments. No small feat for
something barely worthy to be used as a paperweight.
The Holga has a past very similar to the Diana's in
that it was created in Hong Kong but in the 1980's as
a cheap family camera. With an all plastic body and
plastic lens, quality was an after thought as they
produced a lot of light leaks. The modern Holga has
been in production for a while now with several
variations and features available. Besides being
available with or without flash, the most notable of
these variations is the choice of a plastic or glass lens.
And though the Holga may seems primitive and
flawed by todays standards, its cult status has risen
to the point that photography books give instructions
on how to digitally mimic it's effects and professional
journalists use it for assignments. No small feat for
something barely worthy to be used as a paperweight.
Some of my favorite cameras to use are cheap, plastic toy cameras. The term 'toy' applied to these
toy cameras is, to me, a misdemeanor. Even though their body and lens are made of plastic, they take
wonderful, richly detailed photographs that many expensive digital cameras could only wish for. Yes,
the edges of the images are vignetted and the focus soft, but that's the charm of these cameras. They
are light, easy to use, and best of all fun. In this digital world people are fascinated when I explain what
they are and what I use them for. And whether used for fun, or used seriously, they produce memories
that will stand out not only in your mind...but also on your wall. Below are couple examples of the toy
cameras that I mainly use in my photography.
toy cameras is, to me, a misdemeanor. Even though their body and lens are made of plastic, they take
wonderful, richly detailed photographs that many expensive digital cameras could only wish for. Yes,
the edges of the images are vignetted and the focus soft, but that's the charm of these cameras. They
are light, easy to use, and best of all fun. In this digital world people are fascinated when I explain what
they are and what I use them for. And whether used for fun, or used seriously, they produce memories
that will stand out not only in your mind...but also on your wall. Below are couple examples of the toy
cameras that I mainly use in my photography.
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| Toy Camera Crusader |
| Budget wedding photographer & toy camera artist |