I Tried This Viral Kids Camera

This camera has blown up my instagram and comment section these last two months and it was too intriguing to ignore. Basically a camera originally marketed for kids (still sorta is?) but now has found a market with young adults who want the screen free lofi digital experience. Is it the next best thing in the digicam trend? Or a total waste of money?

By the way, I forgot to mention in the video but to be clear I bought this camera myself and am no way affiliated with Camp Snap. It's a family owned business with a wholesome backstory and I wish them the best!

This is where you should be buying used camera gear (to get great prices)

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[beefchicken]

I handed my 4 year old a disposable camera, and she had so much fun taking photos with it. The lack of a screen removed an element of distraction, and seemed to help her focus on the idea of taking a good photo.

But yeah, in this case, that shutter lag is just atrocious.

[aaagt]

I grew up in the 90s. It takes pictures similar to those things used to take with my digital cameras. I have ordered one. I don't care about picture quality when I'm taking pictures for the fun of it. It has reignited my love for random shots. I love point and shoot.

[nhh]

I've had this for a few months. Pretty fun to use and you can get some really nostalgic looking pictures with muted colors. The black and white profile lends itself well to the high ISO noise you get indoors.

[thenexthobby]

One reason why it exists is to offer something available new. Zillions of people will never buy a used "anything, " because if they're in the market for something so limited they're barely invested in the endeavor to begin with.

[ohmwai]

Love your reviews. Straight to the point. Shows the good, the bad ( and the insides of the camera)

[ANSWERTHECALLOFJESUSCHRIST]

4:25 Perfect example of a great shot independent of camera. It has depth, color, shadow/light interplay, interesting framing, and most important: feeling!

5:12 Wow, that's one of the cutest pictures I've seen in my life. So irresistibly adorable!

[bobanero]

I had an instamatic when I went to camp in the late 60's. It's basically the film equivalent of this. Not great quality, but good enough to get me interested in photography. I can imagine that an inquisitive kid wouldn't have this for long before they'd start looking through your drawer for a better model though

[MatthewDavis-ir]

So weird comment, but I live in Scotland and have for the last 24 years, married, kids the lot. But before I moved over here, I grew up in Iowa, not just anywhere in Iowa, but in Agency, IA right next to Ottumwa. My dad was a Knight of Columbus and my first job outside of mowing lawns was to work at the Knights of Columbus on Friday's at the Steak and Fish fry cleaning tables and what not. So that image at 4:33 was a hell of a blast from the past. Actually I just finished the video and saw all of the old Ottuwma links like the restored Capri theatre and the train station. It actually got me sitting on google street view for a while there. I should get back to work. But thanks for the blast from the past.

[pricklypearcamera]

I just saw an ad for this camera for the first time yesterday, and your video popped up this morning! Thanks for the teardown, was curious about this cam internally. That delay in shutter click vs taking a picture seems quite maddening.

[pierrezapata]

Those black and white photos starting at 5:13 are actually really good no matter what camera you were taking these on!

[McMauldasch]

I was so close to buying this camera a few weeks ago. The main reason was the nostalgic look of the photos. But then I found out about adapting the lens from a disposable camera to a new mirrorless camera. It's a super cheap option and it imitates the look of a cheap old camera pretty well without the downsides like cheap build quality or the shutter delay.

[RareBrink]

the shutter lag drives me crazy but then I remind myself that most of my digicams take an eternity to lock focus before they let me release shutter anyway.

It is baffling that my Pentax Ei100 from the 90s is focus-free and has almost no shutter lag but somehow this camera I got in 2023 doesn't....

Much like you, the first thing I did was remove my speaker. I put it back in after a day because I couldn't tell when it actually took the picture. I still like it though, it is as close as I've ever gotten to my ideal digicam.

[Jarrych]

I appreciate that you explain pros and cons for the stated demographic and for people just wanting it for funsies on the gram. The lack of screen and overall durability are big selling points for me and my kid's getting one for christmas this year simply because she can take it with her in the neighborhood and it's not likely to break or get stolen, like my old lumix lx3. Which, she's careful and uses my lx3 a fair bit, so something simple for playing with friends is great and I can always help with slightly cropping/leveling and tone adjustments. Love the suggestions you make, as those make a lot of sense for kids or adults and the idea of a few simple profile settings would be killer.

[northof-]

Old digicams, say for instance a Canon Powershot G2, had horrible shutterlag as well as startup times.
I missed so many moving subjects before I could afford a D70 that is still quicker than many recent models.
(It has 1/500s X-sync too)

[bwc]

The camera module is an iCatch SPCA1628. Agreed about the shutter delay, I hope they can fix that in future versions. I just found out mine is coming by this Friday, and I can't wait!

[HennessyPatrick]

Tape over the speaker was the first "mod" I did to mine lol

[generichouse]

As much of a gimmick as this one seems. It’s a fun little camera and I’ve used it for about a month and a half now. Anyone getting this camera to replace a DSLR or anything else, or expecting anywhere near the same quality is kidding themselves. It’s fun to just shoot sometimes. Don’t take it too serious!

[cameroncurranburke]

OUr daughter's camp doesn't allow any cameras with a screen. Last year we sent a $15 disposable and paid $15 for developing. This was a much better option for us!

[Wetwipez_]

So now that there was an update to this
To have one more picture profile, strap, and allegedly the delay was repaired. Would you recommend it? Maybe do a round 2 review on the version 103 update?

[SpudSpudoni]

I **think** I remember the company stating a new version with a camera strap and switch to flip between color and B&W profiles will be launched at the beginning of 2024.