Diana

The Diana camera is a so-called "toy camera" that originated in the 1960s produced by the Great Wall Plastic Co. in China.

Diana-F No. 162B

The camera was produced under many names for different markets. Some were sold as promotional items (there is a Readers Digest version, for example). Most Dianas use 120 film but some versions of the camera take 127 or 620 film.

The lens is plastic with some vignetting in the resulting photographs. Light leaks are a possibility and a lot of users put black tape over the seams to make the cameras leak proof. Each frame is 4cm x 4cm so a roll of 120 film will give you 16 frames. Focusing is done by twisting the lens to 3 zones, 4-6ft, 6-12ft, or 12ft to infinity. There are several variations in top-plate and lens-barrel style; some have fake light-meter windows and a few have flash sync.

Dianas have recently (in c.2007) become very popular for the effects their poor design and build quality can impart to a photograph - so popular that it is now again possible to buy them new, and also possible to pay as much for a Diana as for a cheap -or even a mid-range - digital camera! A revamped, re-engineered version - keeping the same 75mm plastic lens design, called the Diana Plus was produced to satisfy this demand. This has two formats, the original 16 frame 4.2x4.2cm, and a 12-frames-per-film 5.2x5.2cm, and adds features such as a tripod socket and shutter lock. Many accessories have been produced for the new Diana, including an instant-film back, a pinhole lens, a hot shoe and lens converters for Close-Ups, 20mm Fisheye, 38mm Super-Wide, 55mm Wide-Angle and 110mm Telephoto.

Alphabetical List of Diana Types (Clones)

Debonair

Diana

Diana Deluxe

Acme Anny Altic Arrow Arrow Flash Asiana Avis Banier Banner Barri-Shelli Bergère- de France Binaflex Black Bird Candy Chase Clicker

Codeg Colorflash Deluxe Debonair Debro Debutante Diana Diana+ / Diana Plus Diana Deluxe Diana F Diana F+ Diana Mini Dionne F2 Dories Eikow Flocon RF Future Scientist Flash Gray Line

Harrow Hi-Flash Hong Meow Justen Lina Lina S Mark L MegoMatic Merit Mirage Panax Photon 120 Pioneer Pokey Raleigh Rand

Reader's Digest Reliance Rosko Rover Samtoy See Shakey's Sinomax Stellar Stellar Flash Tina Traceflex Tru-View Valiant Windsor Zip

Zodiac

Links

• The Diana page by Allan Dietrich, with many Diana name variations
• The Diana Legacy at toycamera.com
• Diana manifeste by Jean-Pierre Sutto
• Picture of the Banner Deluxe (Diana clone)
• Manual for Diana and her clones, available at toxpose.com
• dianacamera.com Site with photos, tips and How-to videos.
• Diana and clones at www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
• User manual for Diana
• Picture Gallery using Diana Camera picturenoise.com

Stellar by Jeff Rawdon (Image rights)	Shakey's (taped for light-leaks) By .natalie (Image rights)	Harrow by BlurDotBlog (Image rights)
Reader's Digest By Hartacnut (Image rights)	Debutante by AWCam (Image rights)	Diana+ by BlurDotBlog (Image rights)
Windsor by Kenny Harrelson (Image rights)	Arrow by Jeff Rawdon (Image rights)	Flocon RF by Boxy Brown's Bling (Image rights)
Zip Instant Load by Boxy Brown's Bling (Image rights)	Dories by Boxy Brown's Bling (Image rights)