Mini Diana
The Mini Diana was introduced in 2007 by Lomography. As the name implies it is a mini (35mm film) version of the original 120 version of the Diana that Lomography also released as the Diana +. The Diana + was a copy by Lomography of an older camera by the Great Wall Plastic Company. I could find no evidence that there was ever a 35mm film version prior to the Mini Diana.
The Mini Diana does a good job of being a mini version of the larger Diana. It looks and feels like the full size item just small. Controls are very similar with the focus on the lens, sunny or cloudy for aperture and a bulb/normal shutter speed. Even the colors look right. To add to the similarities the default format is a square (24X24). You can also use a half-frame (24X17) format.
According to Lomography the specification are for Cloudy to be f8 and Sunny to be f11. The shutter speeds is fixed at 1/60 or Bulb. Mine did not come with one but there is the ability to use the same flash as the Diana F. The physical size also lives up to the mini name. This is a small camera at only 3.5 inches wide compered to the Holga 135 at about 4.5 inches.
My Take:
Much like my experience with the Diana +, I looked at how it compared to a Holga. In the case of the Mini Diana the comparison was to the Holga 135. On paper the Diana should have a even chance. But as with most cameras it come down to the lens and the image. From my results for both the Mini Diana and the Diana +, the images were just not that compelling. I know they are plastic lens and not going to give the sharpest images. That is also the point and why people use them for that toy camera look. If you have a vision of what you want and like the more extreme edge of the toy camera look, the Mini Diana could be for you. For me the line between desirable toy camera distortion and blur seems to be someplace between the Holga and the Diana for both the 35 mm and 120 formats.
Lens: 24 mm f8/f11
Film: FujiColor 100 Expired
