Tony Kemplen on the É The Diana
This instantly recognisable simple camera with its plastic lens and pale-blue colour scheme is wearing well
There is no single definition of what constitutes a toy camera, but most would agree that the Diana falls into this category – it certainly wasn’t intended for serious photography, yet is quite capable of taking pictures.
If you’re under the age of 40, the chances are that mention of the Diana camera will bring to mind the cute plastic camera marketed by the Lomography people. Those of us old enough to remember the 1960s might recall the original Dianas. Lomography makes no secret of the fact that its offering is basically a clone of the original with a few added features, but the cheap feel and plastic lens, together with the pale-blue colour scheme make this an instantly recognisable camera.
My grandmother gave me one as a birthday present when I was around seven. Sadly it has long since disappeared, so when I spotted one in a local charity shop a wave of nostalgia washed over me, and even though I already have the modern version, I couldn’t resist paying the £3.50 asked, it even came in its original box. As the camera is now in its fifties, the plastic is becoming rather brittle, and one of the strap lugs is missing, but other than that it looks pretty good for its age.
Three focus zones
The camera takes square negatives on 120 film, so one might expect to get 12 6x6cm exposures per roll, but the Diana manages to squeeze in 16 photos, by using a 4x4cm mask, which, of course, effectively wastes some of the film. The box carries an actual-size image of a 4x4cm contact print, so there can be no confusion as to what to expect. The Diana has three focus zones, and had a ‘B and I’ (bulb and instantaneous) so you have the option to make long exposures if you want. The single- element plastic lens is fitted with Waterhouse stops, though no f numbers are given, instead there are three weather symbols – sunny, overcast and cloud. I guess they roughly equate to f/16, f/11 and f/8.
Like other toy cameras of the era, the Diana had a reputation for light leaks, which depending on your approach, could ruin or enhance your photos. I’m always up for a happy accident when using old cameras, and was mildly disappointed that mine proved light tight. I used it (above) on a family day out, and there was no evidence of light leaks. The contrasty image is as much due to using crossprocessed expired slide film as it is to the low winter sun.
The lens can hardly be described as pin-sharp, but if, as the box suggests, you were only having contact prints made, this wouldn’t be much of an issue.