The Diana+ Spinshot Mod
the insane heavy rotation
Why you want to do it: - to create super panoramas, up to 360° (SIC!) - to shoot a roll of film in less than 20 seconds - to experience a new way of shooting
What you need: - Diana+ - some tools: screwdrivers, Stanley knife (or blade) - empty 35mm film container (transparent if possible) - cardboard or other thin and stiff material which you can cut (like a Mandi business card :) - probably a scanner that is able to scan medium format negatives - optional: tripod
1) Carefully remove the small silver plate on the winding wheel, it's just glued on but sticks like hell. Don't loose it if you ever want to return your Diana into its original outlook
2) You see 2 little screws, remove them as well and take off the wheel - take the film canister and screw it on, just like the winding wheel was before. You might punch in 2 little holes before that. The film canister should now act like an extended winding wheel
3) You have to produce a small, regular slit. Take cardboard cut and fold it down to a size which allows the thing to fit IN a mask (the panorama or 42x42 mask) or which acts AS a mask itself. Cut a horizontal slit in middle of this new mask. It's very important to make this slit as straight and regular as possible or you will get dark lines in the final picture.
4) Put the mask inside your Diana - make sure that the only light passing through to the film comes through this slit.
How-to shoot: there are several ways how to shoot with this modified diana, however the main idea is to HOLD the winding on wheel while MOVING THE CAMERA! Warning! You can turn it in only in one direction.
a) Hold the film canister. Try with unloaded camera if it turns or breaks apart. Load film and wind on until you see the first arrows or dots in the red window (you do not have to wind on to the first number!)
b) Set camera to "b" mode, pull down the lever and fix it with the "b shutter lock", don’t worry that your image will be totally overexposed, you’re just exposing a small slit
c) Turn the camera while holding the film canister. Try to keep a constant speed to make the exposure even throughout the whole image.
If you turned the camera 360° your first spinshot is read... you can also keep on turning, great fun when many things happen around you.