Kodak's latest camera is an adorable little package of whimsy that can also make for a thoughtful gift. The Charmera is truly small enough to serve as a keychain, can shoot digital photos and video, and is mighty affordable at just $30 a pop.
Weighing just over 1 oz (30 g) and about the size of a film roll, the tiny Charmera features a viewfinder, an LCD screen, a Type-C port for charging and transferring your shots, a flash, and a microSD card slot for up to 128 GB of storage.
It shoots 1.6-megapixel JPEG photos at 1,440 x 1,440 resolution, and 30-fps video in AVI format. Don't expect stellar output from the 1/4-inch-type CMOS sensor and 35-mm f/2.4 lens: this is made for lo-fi results that hark back to Kodak's super-compact Fling camera from the 80s.
In fact, it includes a small selection of photo filters and photo frames to apply to your shots and give even more of a retro look. They handily appear on screen as overlays to give you a preview as you compose your shot.
There are seven different colorways inspired by Kodak's design language from the late 80s to collect. You can either purchase an individual blind box for US$30 – which means you won't know which colorway is inside until you receive and open it – or you can pick up a set of six. Good luck getting the 'secret edition' with a transparent case though, which has a lower chance of randomly being included in your order.
Naturally, you'll be able to get higher fidelity images out of the camera in your phone than with this. But if you've ever used an instant or disposable camera, you'll know that there's something special about shooting with an imperfect device built for capturing fun moments. And if you're a fan of the brand, there are a lot of design elements and details – including a photo border that resembles old photo editing software – in the Charmera package to nerd out on.
Find the Charmera on Kodak's Reto Pro site; it's currently sold out but is expected to be restocked soon.
Product page: Kodak
