The Diana Mini exemplifies the famous "Don't Think Just Shoot" motto. It literally can shoot forever on a roll of 35mm that produces twice more photos (72 photos) than normal format. It totally fits into my environmentally concerned mind that I can shoot at ease without worrying of wasting film...
I usually prefer cameras with sophisticated manual operation and a beautiful body carved out of metal. The all plastic Diana Mini with simple minimal control looks like on the opposite of the spectrum. My hands look too big for this cute little camera anyway. Her highlights include interchangeable half-frame and square format, a 24mm plastic lens that shares the dreamy optic quality of the Diana F+, and it’s a mini size.
With an adventurous spirit I took my first roll of Diana Mini. It wasn’t an exciting roll. Grey cityscape and gloomy weather of Hong Kong didn’t quite fit into the versatility of this little camera. Or perhaps I was too used to the complexity of my favorite Rollei TLR. My photos just don’t resemble those dynamic and colorful photos from the Diana Mini Shoot Forever book. Anyway, I gave it a second try with a different approach, shooting 2 rolls carelessly in one night, the result was so much better!
Basically, I just put on the Diana Flash, and just shot whatever without even looking into the viewfinder, pretty much leaving it up to my instinct and randomness. I found that it’s a great way to capture my friends’ facial expressions which don’t stay there forever. The pictures have this very raw and almost voyeuristic quality that I couldn’t imagine Diana Mini was capable of. The Diana Mini certainly exemplifies the famous “Don’t Think Just Shoot” motto in my case.
This camera can literally shoot forever on a roll of 35mm that produces twice more photos (72 shots) than normal format. Sounds great to my environmentally concerned mind that I can shoot at ease without worrying of wasting film. I also brought this little camera to Taiwan, capturing some good memories there.
10 comments
pietrone
i love Diana Mini!!! tried the half frame and a roll really last forever
superlighter
great gallery!
messyourhairup
my diana mini is my favourite camera for this reason <3
kontrast
Yep, it is a pretty cool camera.
brommi
I ♥ diana mini :) I think everybody loves her!!
rexhibitionist
Great images, love party shots like that. Looks like a lot of people had some fun. Just yesterday I was thinking the same thing... PLEASE LET THIS ROLL END!
ijat_taji
ijat_taji
masako
robotmonkey1996
random photos are the best...