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What Is a Diana Cable Collar?

The Diana camera was a simple, plastic box camera manufactured in the 1960s by Hong Kong's Great Wall Plastic Factory. Although Diana cameras were cheaply made and never sold well in the mainstream market, experimental artists fell in love with them. The camera's flaws, such as light leaks, inflexibility and a fragile mechanical advance, became artistic advantages, as they allowed photographers to create blurry, impressionistic photographs. The camera was discontinued in the 1970s and quickly became a cult classic. Lomography resurrected the Diana in 2007 when it created the Diana F+, which reproduced the design of the original camera. One of the accessories for this camera is a cable collar.

Purchasing a Cable Collar
- If you go to the store and ask for the Diana cable collar by name, you might return home empty-handed. Because the cable collar does not work without the actual cable release, it is not sold on its own. You must purchase the cable release adaptor, which contains both the release and the collar. Buy it for approximately $20 online or at stores that sell toy cameras. The cable release adaptor can also be purchased as part of the Diana Deluxe Pack.
Assembly Instructions
- Assembling the cable release adaptor is easy. First, place the Diana cable collar around the camera's lens. Then screw the cable release into the bottom left side of the sleeve. You are now ready to take pictures. Because the Diana F+ camera was built to mimic the original Diana, the Diana cable collar will fit on both the Diana F+ and on vintage Diana cameras. It is not designed to fit on all Diana clones.
How to Use the Cable Release
- Hold the camera steady by placing it on a tripod. Then step back and press the cable release. The lever on the side of the cable collar trips the shutter and holds it open until you let go of the release. If you are taking long-exposure photographs, twist the round disk on top of the cable release counterclockwise. This locks the cable release in place. To release the lock, press down on the disk. It will pop up and close the shutter.
Why to Use the Cable Release
- Use the Diana cable release adaptor/cable collar combination to take long-exposure photographs. In long-exposure photography, the camera's shutter stays open until you manually close it. When the shutter is open for long periods of time, movement can be recorded. Trails of lights are especially beautiful, and the Diana camera's famous light leaks add even more interest to the photographs. You can also set the camera on a tripod and use the cable release to take self portraits from a distance.

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