Costly experiment..

blood · Dec 22, 2014

I've been bought a Diana f+ from lomographyuk and for what was paid for, I am underwhelmed to be frank.
I am forever faithful though and putting it to a fun camera and hoping for the best, they have a cult following and proof in the negs I guess.
Did anyone else feel the same or let out the disappointing sigh when it arrived? What have your experiences been with yours?
Many thanks

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Gerald C Koch · Dec 22, 2014

With so many classic 120 cameras available for free or a couple of bucks the appeal of Lomo products escaped me. If you could get a Kodak Hawkeye 120 why bother with a Diana.

pentaxuser · Dec 22, 2014

I suspect you thought you were buying a proper camera that did things as cameras should and from everything I have read it doesn't seem to be the case. People sell film on e-bay that was made when Lloyd George was Prime Minister and advertise it as good for Lomography

That told me a lot about lomography and its artefacts such as a Diana.

In the case of the Diana I wonder what the f stands for? I can think of an answer but it concerns a word that is entirely inappropriate for APUG

pentaxuser

removedacct1 · Dec 22, 2014

Two years ago when I considered acquiring a Diana, I was floored to learn what they were charging for one. (I bought one when I was a kid, from an ad in the back of a comic book, and it cost me no more than fifty cents, I'm sure) The Diana and the Holga are both very cheaply made devices that have become cult favorites as much for their "plastic aesthetic" as for their abilities as functional cameras. Which is to say - you can get some interesting results from one, but they are grossly overpriced for what they are.

I tend to agree with Gerald; almost ANY working 120 camera of the Kodak ilk will be at least as good and potentially far more worthy of your time and creative energy.

removedacct1 · Dec 22, 2014

pentaxuser said:
In the case of the Diana I wonder what the f stands for? I can think of an answer but it concerns a word that is entirely inappropriate for APUG

pentaxuser

Falderal, perhaps? *laughs*

Slixtiesix · Dec 22, 2014

I thought about buying one some time ago but the price kept me from doing so. The new Lomo LC-A 120 looks great on paper with its 38mm lens, but I would not spend 400$ on a plastic camera. Wish you much fun anyway!

BrianShaw · Dec 22, 2014

I only sighed once, and vowed to never sigh again. No toy cameras for me!

Vaughn · Dec 22, 2014

Mine is worth much more than I paid for it...but it is an original Diana and was 75 cents at the thrift store.
Scanned carbon print:

Sirius Glass · Dec 22, 2014

I never owned one and vowed to never buy one.

gone · Dec 22, 2014

They're great cameras w/ very sharp lenses. Maybe you got a bad one. The idea is it's a toy camera, so don't expect Rolleiflex results. Buy 'em used on the eBay auction. I bought two as a pair for about $18 US, shipped. Wonderful little gadgets! They make cool, artsy type photos. If you aren't into that and want to make photos that look like a million other people's, that's pretty easy to do.

blockend · Dec 22, 2014

Dianas were toy cameras sold at toy prices. Your pocket money bought a whoopee cushion, a rubber spider, or a Diana. Now a Diana costs the same as 90 whoopee cushions. Why not just buy a 120 box camera for £5 instead?

snapguy · Dec 22, 2014

iffy

If you glorify iffy results there are tons of mighty old TLRs and so on that may or may not work, may or may not have lenses that are straight in their mounts, that may or may not have light leaks. As to the alleged $400 Dianas -- remember, it is immoral to let suckers keep their money.

chriscrawfordphoto · Dec 22, 2014

The original Dianas were cheap toys in the 1960s, but collectors have driven up prices for them and it is not unusual to see them go for more than the modern re-creation, the diana-F, sells for new. I had one original one for years, till it finally fell apart. I paid $50 for it in the late 90s. I bought another on eBay to replace it about 8 years ago. I think I paid $30 for it. They were worth every penny. I have sold thousands of dollars worth of prints from them. I have one of the modern ones someone gave me, but I have not tried it yet. This thread reminds me I need to do so!

These two have sold well. Both were done at my grandfather's house 16 years ago.

summicron1 · Dec 23, 2014

dianas are like pet rocks in some way -- remember pet rocks? They were a rock in a box, but what you bought was the concept and the owners manual (care and feeding of a rock.)

It was funny, people liked it, the cleaned up and tossed the remains onto the road.

Ditto Dianas -- they're a concept, not a camera, and you have as much fun with the owners manual as the camera.

And, what they heck: They get people shooting, they get people buying film.

I fail to see any harm and, to be honest, some of my best shots of late have been with a Holga.

Michael W · Dec 23, 2014

blood said:
I've been bought a Diana f+ from lomographyuk and for what was paid for, I am underwhelmed to be frank.
I am forever faithful though and putting it to a fun camera and hoping for the best, they have a cult following and proof in the negs I guess.
Did anyone else feel the same or let out the disappointing sigh when it arrived? What have your experiences been with yours?
Many thanks

I've borrowed one a few times & liked it much more than I thought I would. Got some great results after a few test rolls. I like it with Tri-X and find the included flash to be useful and give some interesting looks. I'm not going to buy one because I already have a '60s Diana and a Holga, but I would recommend it to anyone looking for such a camera.

eddie · Dec 23, 2014

I have a bunch of Dianas, bought when they went for a buck, or two. They're great creative tools. I've sold a lot of my Diana prints, and love to take one out every now and then. This image has sold in sizes from 4x4 to 18x18:

Here's another with a good history of sales:

blood · Dec 23, 2014

With the research we has been putting into film shooting, lomography is high up the google list and they do look good on the listings. But I clearly missed the toy descriptions. I bought it full well knowing it's basic as can be point and shoot and it's lack of QC helps give it unique effects.
I've a few rolls, colour and BnW to put through it this hols and hope I get some nearly as good as the examples shown here! They look fantastic!! Here's hoping
I am looking forward to hitting the flea markets and Carboot sales to pick up some cheap cameras to clean up and play with.

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mr rusty · Dec 23, 2014

I am underwhelmed to be frank.

Oh dear! I know what happens next. Someone bought you a Lomo because they thought you might be interested in analogue techniques.. You obviously are to be able to make that statement and come here........

What happens next is you go to that well known auction site and find it full of interesting and tempting film cameras just looking for new homes. You pick one, and test it and it is "better" than Lomo, but you might just get even better pictures with a different camera. And so the infection of Gear Acquisition Syndrome progresses.

Or you might just forget it and move on. I hope you don't...........................

Loads of advice here to get going.

TheToadMen · Dec 23, 2014

paulbarden said:
Two years ago when I considered acquiring a Diana, I was floored to learn what they were charging for one. (I bought one when I was a kid, from an ad in the back of a comic book, and it cost me no more than fifty cents, I'm sure) The

Not trying to be funny, but did you check the price of that comic book lately, let's say Spiderman #1 or X-Men #1? Then 50 cents and now ....

But yes: there are good and cheaper alternatives for a modern Diana that only cost $5. But I'm guessing that many of the the "new Lomo lovers" are in it for the hype and don't know these old models (or APUG).
Film cameras are excentrique for them and still cheaper than the a other Louis V. Bag ....

Bert from Holland
http://thetoadmen.blogspot.nl

Loulou · Dec 23, 2014

I have a Diana F+ and I love it, I've had some really excellent results with it. I have travelled with it due to the light weight where carrying my other cameras would be impractical. I wouldn't consider it for "serious" photography where I'm depending on the results; I like to use it to give me a break from that and have some fun.

blood · Dec 23, 2014

I'm afraid I do have GAS and it is not restricted to photography. Lol. I have a very big interest in Anologue for many reasons. The skills required, the varying effects and possibilities, not to mention the alchemy of processing and maybe one day printing. It's all completely fascinating and I can't see why anyone would voluntarily sit at a screen and photoshop or Lightroom for hours!! It's beyond me.
APUG was a hard forum to find, ANYTHING Anologue is hard to find. I kinda like that

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mr rusty · Dec 23, 2014

maybe one day printing

IMO the best bit, where the real alchemy resides. Apart from a bit of scope to play with different developers, for me film developing is just the "amuse bouche" - printing is the main event!

AgX · Dec 23, 2014

Loulou said:
I have a Diana F+ and I love it, I've had some really excellent results with it. I have travelled with it due to the light weight where carrying my other cameras would be impractical. I wouldn't consider it for "serious" photography where I'm depending on the results; I like to use it to give me a break from that and have some fun.

If you want a lightweight, but better camera, look for the Agfa Isola in its triplet lens version.

RalphLambrecht · Dec 23, 2014

blood said:
I've been bought a Diana f+ from lomographyuk and for what was paid for, I am underwhelmed to be frank.
I am forever faithful though and putting it to a fun camera and hoping for the best, they have a cult following and proof in the negs I guess.
Did anyone else feel the same or let out the disappointing sigh when it arrived? What have your experiences been with yours?
Many thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

if I were going for a simplistic effect,I'd try a pinhole instead.I see no appeal in Lomobut ,it's a good way to ruin a perfectly fine roll of filmin a hurry.

Regular Rod · Dec 23, 2014

For simplicity of operation and for sweeping away all technical consideration, any Kodak Brownie for 120 film is a far superior tool than these exercises in market positioning by price!

RR

Costly experiment..

blood

Gerald C Koch

pentaxuser

removedacct1

removedacct1

Slixtiesix

BrianShaw

Vaughn

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Sirius Glass

gone

blockend

snapguy

chriscrawfordphoto

summicron1

Michael W

eddie

blood

mr rusty

TheToadMen

Loulou

blood

mr rusty

AgX

RalphLambrecht

Regular Rod

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