Diana Mini - An Experimental Lomography Compact 35mm Film Camera

Diana Mini Review - An Experimental Lomography Compact 35mm Film Camera - Testing out the Diana Mini and sharing my thoughts around this little gem!
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[@theoldcameraguy]

Great shots! I haven’t shot my Diana Mini in years - I need to dust it off and get shooting.

[@Eclectachrome]

thank you! ohhh yes!! would love to see that, which design do you have?

[@theoldcameraguy]

@@Eclectachrome Plain old teal and black - no fancy cat on mine haha

[@Eclectachrome]

@@theoldcameraguy haha that's the OG tho!

[@AlexLuyckxPhoto]

I was a little warry of the Dinia Mini, thinking it was a 110 camera, but I was surprised it's 35mm! I kinda now want to try one! And yes, no violence is a key part of working with Lomography cameras! And these results are excellent! Loving the fact that it keeps the two image formats of the Diana, the square and half-frame!

[@Eclectachrome]

they also have a 110 version too haha but yes! it's 35mm! there's also the Diana F which I'm trying now but think I prefer to mini actually. and thank youuu! yeah that's so nice to have both format options :)

[@sarasnyder1086]

I LOVED my Diana Mini back in the day -- I've got an album devoted to it on my Lomography page. The half-frame was the killer app for me and the ability to do wide-angle multiple exposures. And while I adored its plastic charm, the frizty build and operational headaches were such that when the camera inevitably broke I never replaced it. You got some great shots -- the flash portraits and the color neg street scenes in particular. Cheers!

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks so much! sounds like you had a lot of fun but yeah can see the tricky operational things getting annoying after a while lol

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Loved the video, you have a very down-to-earth on-camera personality - I mean that in a good way!

[@Eclectachrome]

glad you enjoyed it!! and I'll take that as a compliment 😊

[@tedphillips2951]

Always enjoy your videos. You should definitely have more viewers. I hope more people discover you site.

[@Eclectachrome]

aw thanks Ted! that means a lot :)

[@scribbleface]

Brilliant! Thanks so much Molly!

[@Eclectachrome]

Thanks Hannah! Was fun to make the video!

[@jessicatmo]

What a cute camera and great shots!

[@Eclectachrome]

Thank you very much!

[@ImranKhan-jt7xu]

I recently got this camera, can't wait to try some black and white photography with it!

[@Eclectachrome]

awesome, have fun!

[@CarmineTavernaPhotography]

Wonderful content...well done..Cheers

[@Eclectachrome]

Thanks for that!

[@Nieuwhollands]

Lomo purple in square format just works. I don't like it usually, but in square format it just negates my expectations for some reason. How? Why? Is anything even real? *Spirals* 😋 The kitty knob is kewl!

[@Eclectachrome]

hahah its all about the kitty knob :) yeah I'm not sure why either, guess we can be lost on that one together lol but yeah this is my favorite roll of lomo purple so far and maybe its because its square, maybe its the diana, maybe maybe!

[@Nieuwhollands]

@@Eclectachrome *gets out guitar* "I said maaybeeeeeeeee...." 😄

[@Eclectachrome]

@@Nieuwhollands ...belts out (very out of tune as well) "You're gonna be the one that saves me!!" hehe

[@EdwardIglesias]

I think the easy multiple exposures with flash is really the party piece for this thing.

[@Eclectachrome]

absolutely!! I'm surprised it wasn't overblown too!

[@cinewales]

great video, it's so weird seeing my hometown Cardiff in this video, i'm often shooting around these areas, looks an interesting camera. i hope you liked cardiff

[@Eclectachrome]

i loved it :)

[@conipez]

I really loved what you did with the Lomo purple :O, and that flash looks great in the portraits! Great review

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks!! its super cute and so light I could forget its there haha

[@Airon0727]

Can't believe they didn't just let you keep it lol I used to have one that I can't find and you sold me on another purchase!

[@Eclectachrome]

I don’t mind! I had too many already lol But its definitely on my list if I sell a couple more cameras to make space (not that it needs much!) They are easy to lose being so tiny, have fun with the new one though :)

[@Wanking_wanker]

It’s weird seeing I took a trip to Cardiff and I have a few photos very similar to some of the shots in this video….except I was using a Ricoh slr and 35mm that I got from a Walgreens that probably didn’t store it right

[@Eclectachrome]

aw sorry about your film, but yeah you hit the good spots in Cardiff then!

[@mollyanderson449]

Great video Molly! All the photos were awesome, but I think the multiple exposure flash portraits were my favorite! Happy accidents 😂

[@Eclectachrome]

hahaha I wish I had recorded the moment I realized I hadn't told him to wind on, after like 5 or 6 portraits! thanks so much Molly!

[@acecreates]

​@@Eclectachrome @molly Anderson..until now I thought you were the same person!!

[@Eclectachrome]

@@acecreates haha oh dear!!

[@aprilpaddock8455]

You’re right, that is the weirdest take up spool I’ve ever come across. Great video! ❤

[@Eclectachrome]

Haha you bet, thanks!

[@AnalogueDiaries]

Seems like a fun little camera. I liked the multiple exposure portrait, it's very cool!

[@Eclectachrome]

definitely one of my favorite features!

[@FamiliaHerrero-gm2jy]

Thanks for your review!! Definitely motivated me to get one 😊

[@Eclectachrome]

woo!! thanks for watching, feel free to share your images with me if you do get one!

[@Lecari]

I really love how your photos turned out - especially the turquoise film! Gives some really fun results. I have the full size F+ and it's really tough to add the film in... I guess they are all like that :) I am tempted by the smaller mini though as the 35mm film is more common and getting it developed is a bit cheaper.

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks!! yes the turquoise film is such a blast...ohhh yeah the F is tricky, I had one once and sold it after one roll haha I couldn't make peace with the loading and unloading (always gave me fat rolls lol), 35mm is a nice option, although I think I heard they were discontinuing the mini? (which if my memory is right, would be really sad!) do you like the photos that come from the F though?

[@FocalMatter]

This is soooooooooo CUTE !!! IT'S TINY !!!!! This is such a cool review and I totally want to play with one of these. Once again amazing photos from you and you actually make me want to move to Cardiff!! SO BAD. (also you two are the cutest with a little photoshoot and some great double exposures there

[@Eclectachrome]

hahah it is!! PLEASE DO. Then we should do a film podcast with 20% toilet humor puns...lol Or at least come visit :) happy accidents are the best!

[@FocalMatter]

@@Eclectachrome don’t tempt me… a podcast is my dream.

[@Eclectachrome]

@@FocalMatter do it!!!! 😁😁

[@dulcema.isanchezcruz6701]

Thanks for the review! I was curious to try this film with this camera but I wasn't really sure, your results inspire me to put the film and go outside! thank you very much for sharing your experience.

[@Eclectachrome]

woo!! good luck! it is a bit fiddly but once you get familiar with it, its super fun!

[@filmcamerajourneys]

Another great video! I wish the price was a little more in line with what you are getting. Once you start looking at cameras like the Kodak H35 or the Ultra F8 or the Ilford Sprite you can see how the Lomography Diana Mini could feel overpriced. However, I would still rock one.

[@Eclectachrome]

thank you! and good point, I would agree its a tad higher than like cameras on the market, but I think because I like Lomography company so much it makes up the difference. But it also has flexibility with the multiple exposures and square format, but you could also crop images from the other cameras into square too lol They are totally rockable!

[@filmcamerajourneys]

@@Eclectachrome Indeed! All very valid points that I failed to take into consideration. I too like Lomographys Films, they add this much needed..."this is all just for fun" vibe. I am a cheapass, so no real surprise that I think $99 is over valued.

[@Eclectachrome]

@@filmcamerajourneys I agree! :)

[@the6millionpman424]

ok I wasn't that impressed until the flash images. Wow! everything else was very much experimental plastic lens camera nice photo's etc etc but those flash portraits were very impressive. Did not expect that from a plastic lens.

[@Eclectachrome]

its amazing! the flash was my favorite part, had no idea it could be that good too!

[@christianlorenz2717]

I love your videos 😊 your pictures are so cool! The Lomo purple is quite unique. I have to try it next time when I‘m with my wife in her hometown near Porto! Do you know the Silbersalz film stock? It super awesome too. Please keep posting your art I really appreciate it 😊

[@Eclectachrome]

Thanks so much! 😊 That's the best lomo purple has come out for me so maybe there's something to shooting it with a lomo camera lol oh I would love to visit Porto, it looks beautiful, sounds like a great place to travel back to. I've heard of the Silbersalz film but haven't tried it yet! it's on the list :) which one is your favorite? thanks for watching!

[@sesa2984]

I get the comical aesthetic of the maxi flash bulb on the mini camera, but I just wish they had manufactured a commensurately tiny flashbulb to go on top so that this things could REALLY be a pocket camera capable of going to the forest, on a train, or to the club. I really thik they missed the boat on that one. It seems like the whole point of it is to be pocketable, so why not go all the way? I myself also personally like symmetry but thats not a dealbreaker. They could even make it look aesthetically like an old flashcube! Like my Dad used to have.

[@Eclectachrome]

lol yeah it would be nice to have a smaller option for sure!

[@orlandilapse]

Congrats for your video. Have the camera also the opportunity to shot in pinhole mode? Thank you

[@Eclectachrome]

I don't think the diana mini is a pinhole camera, but Lomography does make a pinhole Diana F I believe!

[@orlandilapse]

@@Eclectachrome thank you for your reply

[@mckennapowell420]

Hi ! I have a question about advancing the film to the next frame after taking a photo in half frame mode. Do you turn the knob to advance until it stops, or 1/4 of a rotation? This may be a silly question, but the consensus online seems to be mixed and I wanted to make sure I’m doing it correctly. Thank you!

[@Eclectachrome]

No problem! How I did it was turn the knob until it won’t advance anymore!

[@mckennapowell420]

@@Eclectachrome thank you!

[@xwingfighter999]

Nice review! I'd like to ask, do you only get 36 frames in square format with a mask, like the cropped panoramic point and shoot option, or does the winding mechanism has correct stops to squeeze as many frames as the roll can give?

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks :) I got only 36 with the square format, would be nice if it squeezed it in tho!

[@emilgustafssonryderup3742]

Hello. Dumb question, but maybe you see this and can help me. I tried out my camera when going a longer hike. One roll I shot in the square format. And the other in the half-frame format. But when processed, on the negative the half-frame didn't come out as two images per frame but one for each frame (just like the square-option). What am I wrong? Is it because I turned the knob after every shot, are you suppose to take two pictures before turning the winding the film for half-frame? :/

[@Eclectachrome]

hi! hmmm I'm not sure what happened there sorry! for mine, I shot one then wound on and repeat, and it was ok - is the camera you got new?

[@ryderup]

@@Eclectachrome Did it "wound" as much as when you shoot square? Or does it wound less, because of it taking two pictures on the same frame? I bought it used. And there was actually a roll in the camera which was in the midst of shooting half-frame. So it worked then (I finished the roll). Hmm. I will try one more roll.. maybe there was some hickup... otherwise stick with square. :)

[@Eclectachrome]

@@ryderup it winds a little bit less since it has less to travel for the next shot, but yeah maybe try another roll and hopefully it was a one time thing or maybe something got messed up with the half frame from the previous owner?

[@lilkngstr]

Don't have the flash. Definitely makes it more versatile. Love square mode.

[@Eclectachrome]

Flash is clutch! And square mode rocks, it's just so 👌

[@acecreates]

I still can't get over someone wearing winter clothes when its sunny.. just doesn't compute with my Aussie brain! I think the half frame function looks cool. With the flash, it looks like it would actually be a super cool camera for parties. 72ish shots with that big flash / lofi look, just love it! Great video Molly!!

[@Eclectachrome]

haha to be fair, I wear winter clothes even in the summer! definitely a party camera!! thanks for watching :)

[@ijustsneezed77]

i have a question, i’ve seen some people say with multiple exposure shots you could get like 2 pictures in 1 frame but to do that do you need to twist the film halfway between each shot??

[@Eclectachrome]

think I did one od those by accident but if you want them side by side you would wind on just a little, then take the second shot, but if you want to overlay the 2 frames you dont have to!

[@jw48335]

Can you fit the Diana glass lens to the Mini?

[@Eclectachrome]

I'm not sure actually!

[@funkmon]

I love that the Diana Mini, which might be one of the cheapest cameras ever made, is a LOANER

[@Eclectachrome]

I didn't want to give it back haha

[@jyemichael]

Just got one for 5 bucks with flash… broken shutter…. Had a bit of grease