diana f+.

I love the story behind this camera. "Back in the 1960’s, a small firm in Hong Kong – the Great Wall Plastics Factory – created a dirt-cheap 120 camera called the “Diana.” Crafted entirely of plastic, each camera cost about a dollar. As a mainstream product, the Diana was pretty much a failure – and was discontinued in the 1970’s. But like any superstar cut down in their prime, the Diana’s posthumous appeal skyrocketed. As a cult artistic tool of avant-garde and lo-fi photographers, it was a rousing success! They loved its soft & dreamy images, super-saturated colors, unpredictable blurring, and random contrast. Diana shots are raw & gritty, with a character all their own. They simply cannot be duplicated by any other camera on Earth! In short order, the Diana rose to prominence as one of the most treasured and sought-after cult analog cameras from the late 70’s onward" (this quote and more here).

My imagination has been captured by the simple story and the beautiful images that this understated camera produces. I love the retro feel of it and the fact that it uses film in this ever increasing digital age.

Photography is a growing interest I have, something that is definitely recreational only. I already have a perfect digital camera that I love and am still learning to use in its entirety, but Diana has captured my attention and I've fallen in love. And now I've discovered a way to mesh these two cameras together: the adaptor. This little baby will let me use the lenses for the Diana on my digital camera. I feel like this is good for two reasons: 1. It allows for practice. I can learn how to use the different lenses on my digital without running through tons of film. 2. I can expand my creative horizons by using the Diana and my digital and creating hybrid photos that I might not have been able to achieve on either one without the help of the other. Let the experiments begin!