Diana F+ or Holga Cameras?

Question

So its getting near my birthday and I wanted to try experimenting with film cameras. So far I am leaning towards a Diana F+ because you can accessorize more with it but I'm still deciding. However, I still have questions! *I'm new to film photography, so please, dont make smart alec comments here....

1) What's the difference between these two? I heard a term called pinhole which is a new word for me because I own a DSLR.... What does that mean? and Do these two cameras shoot the same way/similarly?

2) what kind of film should I get for these cameras? 35mm or 120mm or can both films work both cameras?

3) Can my one hour photo booth here at costco, walgreens, etc, convert the film I have to a CD so i can transfer them onto a computer?

4) Which one do you think is better in quality?

5) this one, http://usa.shop.lomography.com/diana-f-s…

or this one? http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/cat…

what kind of film do these two cameras use, and which one is better? could you use a 35mm if you didnt have a 120mm.

6) Last question, where in the world can I find 120 mm film here in Georgia? Costco, walgreens, wolf camera? etc? buying online is my last option. :P

Sorry for asking all these stupid questions, haha Thanks!

Answer 1

Not sure why you posted the exact same question twice, but:



Both cameras are 120 only cameras unless you specifically buy the 35mm or pinhole models. Pinhole means that there is no lens, only a small hole - you can't control focus and it will require long exposure times. You can't use 35mm in a 120 format camera or vice/versa.



No, one hour labs cannot process 120 film. They may be able to send it out, but it'll take about 2 weeks usually and the quality is poor - even for a toy camera. You can probably find a local lab that will process it much faster and with much better quality - just check your phone book.



Both cameras are the same quality - 100% plastic including the lens. Don't expect high-quality images.



You may be able to find 120 at Wolf, but definitely not at walmart or the drug store. You can order online from Adorama, B&H or any number of other stores. If you're in a large city, like Atlanta, there should be a camera shop or professional lab that sells and/or processes 120 format film.



As I already said, these are both considered toy cameras. They give nice effects, but if you're planning/wanting great looking sharp and in focus shots you need to look elsewhere.



Thanks for another 2 points.

Answer 2

If you're new to film photography, then you definitely don't want a Holga or Diana. They are NOT a good example of what you can do with film! "Lomography" cameras like the Holga, Diana, etc are basically just crappy, plastic toy cameras. They're made almost entirely out of plastic, including the lens! The have problems with light leaks, and soft focusing and color fringing because of the poor quality plastic lens.



You can sometimes get interesting and creative pictures with a lomography camera, but in general they're a total rip-off. Lomography is just a fad.



If you want to get into film photography, then you really should get a REAL film camera.



I honestly don't know why whenever anyone thinks of film now, it seems like the only thing they can think of is a Holga or Diana! There are a million great film cameras out there. You can get a really nice film camera, like a vintage 35mm SLR or rangefinder camera, or a Twin Lens Reflex camera for MUCH less than what you would pay for a Holga or Diana.



For example, you can buy a Yashica A, which is an excellent vintage Twin Lens Reflex camera, with great optics. It's very well made and very reliable...and it's made entirely out of METAL, not plastic! I bought one on eBay for about $50...the same price as what you would pay for a crappy, plastic Diana.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/silverscape/3863415260/in/set-72157616703204253/



And here is a picture I took with it:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/silverscape/3770001415/



So you need to decide...do you want to buy a crappy, overpriced, plastic lomography camera...or do you want to buy a REAL film camera? If you want to get into film photography, there are a million better film cameras out there.



Sometimes I really get worried that people will get confused because of the lomography fad and they'll think that ALL film cameras take pictures like lomography cameras...or they'll think that the ONLY film cameras available are the Holga and Diana.



If you want to get into film photography, get a real film camera, like a 35mm SLR, a rangefinder, a TLR, or even an antique folding camera. A good quality film camera can take beautiful, razor sharp pictures...better than anything you'd get from a Holga or Diana. You'll be much happier.

Answer 3

I'm gonna give the Red Sox an A- They won five of six games and won both series, sweeping the Twins and being now only half a game behind the Yankees. Lackey pitched a one-hitter through six innings yesterday and Clay Buchholz is still undefeated, entering this week with a 1.78 ERA. Now they face a weak White Sox team who could take only two out of four against the now overrated Angels before they come back home to play for the last four times this season against the AL Central leading Indians. edit: i should mention that lester is undefeated as well with a 2.72 ERA and a complete game one-hitter a week and a half ago.

Answer 4

120 is medium format film. You can get it at photography stores, but I would be really surprised if you could get it anywhere else.

These cameras aren't really known for their quality. They are used more because they give you a different look to the photos.

If you want something close to your DSLR without getting too expensive, look for a used 35mm SLR.

In my opinion, if you want to get into medium format, you would be better off with something like a TLR or a higher quality rangefinder like a Mamiya or something.

Answer 5

I have a comparison of the Diana+ and Holga 120N posted here:

http://www.dianacamera.com/holga_vs_diana



The Diana+ is a more flexible camera, having more controls (3 f-stops + Pinhole aperture vs 1 aperture). The Diana+ also has the ability to change lenses. Currently, Lomography offers 4 additional lens.



The Holga, on the other hand, is a very solidly built camera, and while not being as flexible, is still a very capable camera. It will take photos that equal that of the Diana.



They both use 120 film, which can be more difficult to deal with, since there are fewer labs that can process it. Ask around at your local Walmart, Costco or other 1-hour labs. While they may not be able to process the on site, many of these labs will send the film out to be processed for you.



The next option is to find a local pro-lab. These are labs that specifically cater to professional photographers and will be able to process your film on site. As you might imagine, it can be a little pricey.



Another film processing option is to send out the film to be processed. Check out these processors.



You can often get your film scanned when it is processed, in order to upload your photos.



The the best of all option, process the film yourself. BW film processing and even color processing are not too difficult to learn and also not very expensive to get into.



If you want to get your images digitized, you can also get an inexpensive desktop scanner to scan them in yourself.



If you think that 120 film is too much trouble, you can try a 35mm camera



Which should you get? I usually like to recommend the Holga 120N or 120FN for beginners, but lately, I've been leaning towards the 35mm lo-fi cameras for beginners. Why? They are cheaper and simpler cameras. If you get one of these cameras, it keeps the cost of exploring lo-fi photography on the cheaper side. You won't get quite the same look with the 35mm film, but it is so much easier to learn with and it's lower cost of camera and film will help you figure out if this works for you. If it turns out that toy camera photography is your passion, then you can explore getting the larger format 120 cameras.



Take a look at one of these 35mm cameras:



Holga 135 or 135BC

Similar cheap lens and operation as the Holga 120 cameras.

1 aperture setting (yes, the camera has 2 settings, but they are identical), 2 shutter settings, N (1/100 sec) and B (Bulb setting)

tripod mount, cable release socket

If you want the corner vignetting like on the larger format camera, get the Holga 135BC.



Sample photos:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/holga135bc/



Superheadz Black Slim Devil

This is a clone based on the popular vintage Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim. It has no exposure controls and no flash option, but with it's wider than normal lens (22mm) it is capable of taking some outstanding photos.

Sample photos:

There really isn't a good Flickr group for these cameras yet, so the sample photos are from the Vivitar UWS

http://www.flickr.com/groups/57074580@N00/



The Diana Mini

Supplier: Lomography.com for about $60



Lomography took the Diana camera, and shrunk it down to 35mm format. The Mini, while it lacks the interchangeable lenses of the full sized Lomography Diana+, is still a feature packed camera (at least compared to the Holga and Black Slim Devil). The frame format is unusual. They stuck with the square format of the Diana camera, but it is centered on a standard 35mm frame. The reason for floating the square on the 35mm frame is that be using a standard 35mm format, most 1-hour labs will be able to more easily deal with making scans or prints, since they are set up for regular 35mm film. You can also set the camera to half-frame 35mm, which is 2 vertical 24mm x 17mm images. This translates to 2 images on a standard 35mm frame. Currently a favorite of mine, it lives in my camera bag so it is handy where ever I go.



2 aperture settings, 2 shutter settings, N (1/100 sec) and B (Bulb setting)

tripod mount, cable release socket

This camera is unusual in that it offers square format,24x24mm on a standard 35mm frame (24x36mm). It also offers a half frame option, 17x24mm frames (it doubles the number of exposures you get on a roll of film)



Whichever camera you choose, remember that the point of lo-fi photography is to have fun and don't sweat the details!



For Holga tips, check out this website:

http://goholga.com/



Then there's my own website:

http://www.dianacamera.com/



I have lots of tips, tricks and photos taken with plastic cameras.



For how-to videos for Holgas and Diana cameras, check out my youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/kaituba