Load Your 120 Diana with 35mm Film without Using the Special 35mm Back

Want to use 35mm film in your regular Diana camera but haven’t got the special 35mm back. Well you can all you need is a slight modification and you can happily shoot sprocket framed snaps with the aid of some foam and electrical tape.

Here’s what you’ll need to load 35mm film in your regular Diana camera.

>Two Square Pieces of Foam
>Rubber Bands
>Electrical Tape
>A 120 Film Spool
>A Pen
>35mm Film

Here’s a handy video I put together to help you mod your Diana camera

Step 1: Open your Diana.

Step 2: Place the two pieces of foam in the top and bottom of the film feeder (left) side – this holds the 35mm film in place.

Step 3: Wrap the top and bottom ends of the 120 film spool with rubber bands – this prevents the 35mm film going out of place too much inside the camera.

Step 4: Load your 35mm Film in between the two foam squares.

Step 5: Tape the end of the film to the spool and put the spool in place.

Step 6: Tape over the regular counter hole on the camera back on both sides to prevent light leaks.

Step 7: Put the back on the camera and tape over all the places where it meets the main body of the camera, this will also prevent light leaks.

Step 8: Make a marking on the film winder and on the camera so you have a zero marking. This will help you wind on your film for a new frame each time without overlapping, unless that’s what you want.

For a click sheet explaining how to much to wind the winder for each frame click

Final Note: I didn’t complete Step 8 the first time I modified my Diana and made the above video, hence why the photos below are light leak-tastic. Luckily the leaks worked out really well in the shots.

Happy sprocket snapping with your newly modified Diana. A Holga can be modified in a similar fashion to what has been shown here

written by homer on 2011-03-18 #gear #tutorials #videos #120 #35mm #camera #sprockets #modify #tipster #mod #diana #camera-modification #diana-f-top-tipster