Have you ever been confused by these two cult cameras: the Holga and the Diana? Both are made of plastic and have plastic lenses, so they might produce pictures of the same quality like vignetting and soft focus. My curiosity made me purchase a Diana camera to experiment!
Last week, I loaded a roll of Lomography CN 100 120 into each camera, asked my sister to dress-up and walked to the field nearby my house to do the experiment. This experiment is divided into five segments: portraits/straight-forward shots, multiple-exposure, landscape, direct sunlight and bulb mode, but mostly portraits.
These are the results (the first photo of a set is taken using Holga, the second is Diana):
1. Portraits/Straight-forward
2. Multiple-exposure
3. Landscape
4. Direct Sunlight
5. Bulb Mode
Conclusion
The Holga shots turned out to be wider and sharper. The Diana shots seemed to be closer to the subject and dreamier. As for their builds, the Holga feels sturdier, but the locking system is not so good, so light leaks are easier to occur in the Holga. The Diana feels more fragile and needs to be treated gently, but the locking system is better than the Holga’s. The Diana also has a pinhole function that the Holga lacks. As for their accessories, the Diana has more accessories compared to the Holga and they are more expensive than the Holgas.
So if you ask me which camera is better, I will say the Holga. I find it more comfortable to shoot with. The Holga is more of a practical camera while the Diana is more of an accidental camera. If you are more into dreamy, soft and romantic kind of photography, then the Diana is probably the one to go to.
If you have something to say about these two cameras, do not hesitate to leave a comment!
30 comments
life_on_mars
Diana does it better, with the correct settings
oleman
I completely agree with @tomkiddo , that´s also my experience with Holga and Diana
adi_totp
I really really love them both!! thanks for sharing :D
sudhashunmu
both amazing cameras to be around ....thanks for sharing....but the difference u put it out is awesome...great atricle
lieze
Nice! I was asking myself the same question
neanderthalis
I like the Diana, but I like the Holga just a little bit more for being reliable when I need it. Often forget to set the Diana correctly and the Holga is so simple it is quick to shoot a picture.
kibs
Great comparison! Love the article :)
ajagee24701
Nice post, I think I like the look of the Holga shots better. Really cool to see them compared like that.
guinastrapazi
i reeeeeally love those light leaks .. grrrrreat :)
domemerson
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
erelkhoury
cherub38
Love both but they are different. By the time I only own Holgas ... my BELOVED Holgas ! Maybe I will buy a Diana one day ...
justinbh
frau_inga
I love them both to death, but for some reason my Holga gets more playtime than my Diana F+...
freakoftheweek
Thanks for that great post. Can't wait to test my brand new Holgaglo!
ihave2pillows
Great comparison! Picture quality aside, my DianaF+ never rolls the film back into the spool very tightly, leading to plentiful of light leaks... One major advantage of a Diana over a Holga is of course the aperture settings, which is actually/practically non-existent on the Holga.
eva_eva
Great comparison! :)
eyes_only
dreadlockboy
i think diana will always love holga :)
http://www.lomograph(…)loves-holga
tomkiddo
@eyes_only the holga shot did turn out sharper and wider and the diana shot did turn out closer to the subject and dreamier! sorry i don't really understand your question, but if what you mean is which photo is taken by which camera, then the picture with a person holding a Diana is taken with a Holga and the picture with a person holding a Holga is taken with a Diana :) hope i helped!
eyes_only
brandonwong
i am guessing the closer and sharper is very much related to the focal length (60mm holga vs 75mm diana). also the holga has a faster shutter (1/100) vs diana's (1/60) which is why the diana shots look a bit over exposed and may account for some of the sharpness. holgas cloudy/sunny is around f20/f13. diana is around f22/f1. i think knowing these bits of info will help you get better shots out of either camera. with all that said, one should probably think a little less. i do like your holga shots a bit better... but you're probably also a lot more intimate with her than diana ??
tomkiddo
@brandonwong i think you have mistaken it, i stated that the Holga shots turned out wider and sharper and the Diana shots closer to the subject and dreamier. the first picture of a set is taken using a Holga and the second is Diana! even though the Diana has a slower shutter speed but the results still turned out a little bit underexposed, but some of my lomofriends told me that it is not scanned properly. i love both of them very much! it's just that the Holga is more capable of producing nice pictures :)
vonkrueger
great article! :D
dida
good article tomkiddo! i'm an holga lover ;)
rlotze
I *love* this article. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.
I love my Holga, but seeing the comparisons, I clearly see the difference and now I've now got to get myself a Diana for those 'dreamy' shots!
dermanu
I haven't used my DIANA that much right now. ut I have used the DIANA lenses for my Nikon F-501, which made great pictures with it. And I love the Instant back for the DIANA. Maybe I'll get a HOLGAROID some day too.
mephisto19
i tried the same a while back.... nice!
neurodiaz
Cool review bro, :) @tomkiddo
pamiyu