The look is almost conceptual in and of itself: an expensive digital camera with a cheap toy camera lens attached to it. Not being overly concerned with appearances, I'm more curious about the results. My nagging suspicion is that the pictures will come across as gimmicky, rather than, say, transcendently beautiful. In which case, there's always eBay.
I'll probably resist using the Diana lenses for anything other than concert photography, a backup option for the occasional portrait, and perhaps as an innovative way to torture the cat (you have to get really close to your subject to use the close-up lens). But I'm anxious to see if they can enable me to capture live performances more expressionistically than "regular" lenses can. There's a lot of potential here. For a long-term documentary photography project, these lenses probably wouldn't make much sense. But for concert photography...well, I'll let you know in a week...
Canon EOS and Nikon F mounts haven't changed over the years, so the adaptors work with basically any model of EOS and F series cameras, film or digital. So, while the debate about whether this is one more nail in the coffin of analog photography is probably raging somewhere, I really don't think it will have an impact. Also, hardcore film photographers tend to prefer certain types of cameras. (Leicas, anyone?) And the system flows both ways. Digital users who try out the Diana lenses may be tempted to try out a Diana or Holga film camera, and that may lead them to become film enthusiasts.
Plus, there's still no genuinely viable digital substitute for black-and-white film. (Those expensive Photoshop plug-ins? Not worth your while.)
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