Having a Baby: My First Experiences with the Diana Baby 110

I’ve had a baby! A Diana Baby 110. When I first saw her at the Lomography Store in Cologne, Germany, during a city trip, it was love at first sight. And what is more fun than trying out a new camera on a city trip?

To be honest I have plenty of cameras already. I keep saying that to myself whenever I’m about to fall for another analogue toy. But a 110 camera was missing from my collection and that was a great reason to visit the local Lomography Store in Cologne when I went there on a city trip. And there she was: the Diana Baby 110. It was love at first sight. I had to have her! I chose the Diana Baby 110 Camera and Lens Package, asked for a colour film and a black and white one and I was ready to try my baby.

A city trip is a perfect occasion to try out a new camera. I took my Diana from the packaging, read the manual and loaded the first film cassette. To be able to load the film I had to remove the back of the camera. That was a little difficult at first, but I managed soon enough. The Diana Baby 110 comes standard with a 24 mm lens. Because I bought the Diana Baby 110 Camera and Lens Package my camera also came with a 12mm wide angle lens. With the camera loaded with Color Tigerfilm I went into town.

The biggest plus of this camera is that you don’t need to focus. All you have to do is make sure you take the lens cap off. When you look through the viewfinder you’ll see a little square in the middle. Everything you see withing the square will be in the picture. If the 12mm lens is used on the camera you can use the entire viewfinder. Changing the lenses is a piece of cake.

The camera has two settings: the N-mode and the B-mode. Like on her big sister Diana F+ the N-mode is the normal setting. B is the bulbmode which you can use for long exposures. Visiting the cathedral in Cologne was a great opportunity to try out the B-mode.

Like her big sister the Diana Baby 110 also does double or multiple exposures. You take a picture, and without winding the film you take another one. Of course, I had to try that too.

Are there any disadvantages? Well, it depends on how you look at it. My camera had no neck strap. I do not consider this a problem, because the camera is so small you can put it in your pocket, bag or purse. The dolllike looks of the camera causes people to notice you in the streets. And if you’re a bit creative it’s quite easy to make your own neck strap for the camera.

The thing I had to get used to the most was the viewfinder. The little square that belongs to the 24mm lens is so small it’s not too easy to compose your shot. That’s why I used the 12mm wide angle lens on almost all my shots. The 24mm lens is very suitable for shooting from the hip I suppose.

The shutter release button was a bit sturdy when taking a picture. This might be caused by the fact it was a new camera. It will probably smoothen when used more often, so this doesn’t worry me.

My first experiences with the Diana Baby 110 are pleasant ones. I was amazed by the quality of the pictures it produces. It is ofcourse a plastic camera with a plastic lens, but the pictures I took were quite sharp. I enjoyed using 110 format film. The Diana Baby 110 stole my heart and I love her like the proud mum that I am!

written by frau_inga on 2012-09-25 #gear #review #camera #baby #diana #110-format #requested-post #diana-baby-110 #lomography-color-tiger-110