dianaschnuth

Before this past April, the only time I’d used the Diana Mini that my husband gifted me was immediately afterward, when I took it to the family Christmas gathering and took some square photos. Those were mostly indoors, long exposures steadied against a table, and they came out well enough for a toy camera.

I decided to run another roll through the Diana Mini this past April, to try out some different conditions and to use the half-frame feature, since I took square photos last time.

[Taken 25 April 2015 | f/cloudy | ISO 400]

General impressions: It’s a plastic novelty camera. To expect anything more of it is unreasonable. It’s super cute, hides in a pocket, and is the perfect size for my four-year-old to play with (sans film). It doesn’t have a very sharp focus even in the best of situations, and creates some fascinating lens flare effects in the right (or wrong) light.  Continue reading →

[Taken 25 Dec 2010 | 5 seconds @ f/cloudy (~f/8)]

Brought my new Diana Mini to Christmas in Cleveland; thankful that it has a long exposure setting for these indoor photos. More images from the initial Diana Mini test roll are posted on my Flickr.

Next roll, I’m going to use the half-frame setting instead of the square setting, and I’ll try to take more shots in brighter light. Not sure what I think of the trademark “dreamy focus,” but I do think I like my new little camera.