I have been a fun of Polaroid cameras since day one. My favourite recent one has to be the Diana F+ camera by Lomography. The sad part is I have never owned one, but it won't be for long. I woke up this morning and thought of what I would do for the day - whatever I do in the day, I will make sure I get these three things done. Go to church, sort out new t-shirts for more prints of my t-shirt collection. I have received an exciting number of orders, very happy about that. Please visit my facebook page and check out the tees, like the page if you like what you see and if you are interested in buying just send a message either here or on the facebook page. Lastly, definitely devoting at least an hour, on a quest to find me a classic Diana + with an instant back. I miss the good old way of taking pictures and not knowing what you have captured on film. The last time I was in London, I went to the Lomography shop in Soho with the intention of buying. However I couldn't make up my mind on which one to go for, there were so many to choose from. Hence, I have decided to buy on the internet. Internet buying probably wouldn't be the choice for most people, with security risks and also having something completely different to what you have ordered turned up on your door steps. It works for me as I can ponder on things as much as I want and go back to them within seconds, once my mind is made up.
The Grand History of the Diana 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.
The Diana F+ Camera
Ever look at a majestic classic car and wish that you could walk down to the dealership and pickup such a beauty brand new? That’s pretty much sums up our feelings when we came across the Diana. Who could resist the charms of its plastic body? How could you not absolutely love its lo-fi masterpiece photos? Something this beautiful, this classic, and this crucial to the world of analog photography shouldn’t have suffered such an early demise. And since we had the means, the knowledge, and the opportunity to rebuild the Diana from the ground up (with a few extras tossed in) - the Lomography Diana F+ was born in 2007. The Diana’s original charms (radiant color-dripping lens, soft-focus surprises, all-plastic body, dead-simple shutter) were expertly duplicated to provide the authentic look n’ feel of the original. On top of that, brand new Pinhole & Endless Panorama features were added into the mix – thereby paving the way for an entirely new class of Diana images and techniques!
history of Diana from Lomograpy website.A few of my favourite images captured with Diana's
photos credit: lomography
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