OK, "review" is probably optimistic. I got this camera a couple days
ago and have really been enjoying it.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7ysAmiSTJhFwDTQr5
This is the Camp Snap camera. It was designed to be a cheap (really
cheap) alternative to disposable film cameras that a parent could send
to camp with their kids. My daughter gave me one for my birthday and
I've been carrying it around taking horrible pictures for the last few
days. Take a look at the photo album for a couple sample photos I took
while walking the dog this morning, along with a few photos of the
camera itself. I'll add a few more shortly. 2.54cm per inch, for
those of you in less civilized places...
The not so good:
It's cheap, as in cheaply made. The textured grip on the front is
cheap adhesive plastic and has already started to peel at the corners.
On the plus side, I anticipate replacing it with fun colors and
designs in the not-so-distant future. The body is cheap plastic and
really does feel like a 90s drug store disposable.
The viewfinder is more of a suggestion. Even without glasses on and my
face pressed right up against it, it might show 60% of what's actually
going to be captured. The best way to work with this is to simply put
the part of your subject that you want in the middle, in the middle,
and then pray. Adjust in post. In addition to the severe crop, the
viewfinder is fuzzy. It looks out of focus all the time, regardless of
the distance from the subject.
Resulting images are super grainy in low-light situations. This was
expected. I'll try to add some more photos to the album in a bit
showing this.
There's an annoying double beep when turning the camera on, a single
beep when turning it off, and a fake shutter noise when taking a
picture. There is no way to disable these sounds. I may put some tape
on the speaker.
The not so bad:
There are no "settings" that can be adjusted in the camera itself. In
fact, there are two controls on the camera. The shutter release is
also the power button. Long press to turn it off or on, and a short
press to take a picture. There's a 3 position switch for the flash.
On/Off/Auto. That's it. There is no other way to manipulate the camera
while in use. Some might see this as crippling, but I think it's
perfect considering the camera's intended use.
The "settings" are adjusted by flashing a new firmware to the camera.
This is easy to do and clearly documented on their support site.
Currently, there are 3 options: standard, vintage, and black & white.
The two photos in the album were taken with the vintage firmware. It
makes the photos a bit greener than I'd like. I intend to try the B
firmware soon. There were apparently earlier firmware versions that
disabled the beeps and clicks, but they don't seem to be available at
the moment. I'd like to know more about this, and think it would be
really cool if they published some instructions for editing the
firmware.
The camera isn't aware of rotation. If you take a vertical photo,
you'll need to rotate it later on your computer.
It's literally point and shoot. No thinking, no focusing, heck, no
composing. It's light, and it's not uncomfortable to hold. The only
display is a photo counter on the back. They state about 500 pictures
on a charge. Once the card is wiped, the counter resets. This also
starts the file naming over. There are no date/time stamps. You have
to figure this out for yourself when copying them over to a PC. I'm
working on a script to automagically do some of this for me.
Speaking of which, it connects to your computer or phone with a USB-C
cable. Not some janky leftover mini-USB garbage like every other cheap
POS electronic device. USB-C. That's really cool.
The camera comes with an SD card pre-installed. It's behind a screwed
on plate. I assume it can be replaced, but I haven't tried.
The good:
It fits in my pocket. It's cheap (to buy), costing about the same as 3
disposable 35mm cameras and processing. This is the most fun I've had
with a camera in a long, long time. Highly recommended.
--
Scott Loveless
Camp Hill, PA USA
http://www.twosixteen.com/fivetoedsloth/
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