I Tried This Viral Kids Camera

[@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.

[@snappiness]

I didn't talk about that like I should have, but I do think my kids use it differently without a screen. They really do get a kick out of it.

[@aaa84gt]

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.

[@snappy8k]

Yep it's called Lomography

[@patriotbarrow]

@@snappy8k No it isn't

[@nhh12345]

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.

[@nhh12345]

Also, this camera got me back into photography. When my photographer friend recommended it, I got one and it helped to rekindle my love of photography that started in the early 2000s.

[@SnepperStepTV]

Fwiw you can snag a good early 2010s point and shoot digital camera (NOT DSLR) and a kastar battery for less than the cost of this thing and still get photos like that. I was surprised how different pictures from an early 2010s camera are than a recent phone while i was re-setting up my mother's 2012 Fijifilm digital camera. Set the wrong aperture and you're ready to go. Can't say for kids, other than my sister and I always had our parents hand-me-down digital cameras when we were younger. Even models i wouldn't have given to a kid but they survived us so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@nhh12345]

@@SnepperStepTV I've also been on an early Digicam kick lately. Definitely a good way to go, as people often practically give them away.

[@michaelbell75]

@@nhh12345 Yea, you can get MUCH better quality digicams that take far better photos than this and actually resemble the film look for less than $65. The Canon Powershot G3 being just one option.

[@Wetwipez_]

Thanks to snappiness and others I’ve gotten addicted to digicams and cheap point and shoots. Cheap is used loosely though. Some people know or check eBay for pricing and want way too much. 😩

[@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.

[@JohnDought]

I would use it😊

[@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

[@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!

[@MatthewDavis-i1r]

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.

[@snappiness]

Cool connection! It's not a ton of people down here, but I'm surprised the number or former SE Iowa people I've run into on the internet since moving here last year.

[@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.

[@SneakyCaleb]

it's bad

[@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.

[@snappiness]

That's a great alternative for some good fun and unique looks!

[@bwc1976]

I love my mirrorless but I'm too paranoid about it getting lost or stolen to take it with me regularly.

[@pierrezapata90]

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

[@Jarrych83]

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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@thorstenjaspert9394]

That is really an improvement. With this one one you can change from color to B&W only by changing the firmware. A manual adjustment with a switch would be even more easier. A nice kids play cam.

[@SpudSpudoni]

@@thorstenjaspert9394 Agreed. Just hope its not released as a "pro" or "plus" model that ups the price from the original!

[@Conner3326]

Any news on this new version? Seeing as we’re a little bit into 2024 now and I can’t see anything mentioning on their socials/website

[@HennessyPatrick]

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

[@snappiness]

Great minds think alike 😆

[@mindofaaronw]

Tried this too and it is only about 30% effective :(

[@paulmhoward]

Does that minimize the sound pretty well?

[@somephotovideos]

I added one to my Christmas list so I could try it out on my channel. Love the idea of not being able to chimp your photos. I'm just accepting that it's low-tech, let the kids use it, whatever happens happens. Thanks for the honest vid on it!

[@northof-62]

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)

[@theothertonydutch]

Imagine making something stupid like this but with a full frame sensor. Just a really dumb stupid full auto full frame point and shoot advertised as a "full frame camera". I would love that.

[@ThereAreNoHandlesLeft]

I'll take 2, thanks.

[@bwc1976]

This would be so amazing, that or a full frame sensor you could stick in any old film camera you wanted. To this day I haven't seen anything quite like a digital version of my old Olympus XA. There's the Ricoh GR, but it doesn't have rangefinder focusing, and there's the Leica M9, M10, and M11, but they cost more than my car and aren't any smaller than my current mirrorless camera.

[@antonliakhovitch8306]

Doesn't Leica make stuff like that? I think they have a full frame B&W-only camera with no screen and this type of viewfinder

[@bwc1976]

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!

[@cameroncurranburke7649]

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!

[@lelandfitz1762]

That's *the* issue I have had with every so called point and shoot digital camera (or analogue with auto focus). They simply don't take the photo instantly. There is always a lag. It was always reserved for expensive cameras to deliver that. Until of course phones now deliver that.

[@ledged_up]

Reminds me of the Yashica Y35 - though that camera was marketed directly at hipsters instead of kids (and was quite overpriced for what it offered). However it does have changeable filters (via "digifilm"), filter threads, and a sweet shutter crank. It has a 14MP 1/2.5″ sensor.

[@snappiness]

I saw that camera on the kick starter. I don't remember how much they were trying to charge for it. I think the idea can still work - a dead simple camera with some appeal with no screen and filters - as long as it stays cheap, and fixes a few things.

[@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?

[@joshuaalbert9437]

I would love to see a video of you trying to swap out the camera module!

[@earlfenwick]

The elephant in the room? Papershoot cameras. Anybody try one yet? They are adorable, but even more expensive. .

[@dubanhernandocastanedamora7196]

Thats a good idea

[@jeffreythree]

I picked up a used one to mess with and modify. It also beeps loudly, has a fake shutter sound, and has a lengthy delay between pressing the shutter button and taking the image.

[@dubanhernandocastanedamora7196]

@@jeffreythree do you recommend to buy it+

[@arrow501]

I love the idea of an automatic screenless cheap camera. It would be great to experience the fun I used to have with my cheap film compact camera. If they warm up the jpeg colours and fix the shutter lag I'll buy one.

[@chrisjparker11]

Would love to see the video on modding it.

[@kalinmir]

so its from tech perspective more mainstream version of wish/alibaba/whathever-the-new-thing-is' shovelware...but I like that doesn't shy away from what it is and its not a "Camera" branded mold of what looks like a bridge camera from a distance, sporting "digital zoom lens" and claiming to be a DSLR while having the insides of this thing+display

[@ciarakelleyphotography]

I didn't know about the price change but they actually did upgrade the sensor according to an Instagram post they did a while back.

[@nhh12345]

Do you know when this was? I heard they were thinking about making a higher end version in the future.

[@snappiness]

Oh interesting! Didn't catch that

[@Valyval59]

Very helpful review, thank you. Would love to see a tutorial of how you hacked the filter threads.

[@daedalusrho]

I got one of these for my 8 year-old daughter for Christmas, as it was relatively cheap and should prove durable in the hands of a child. The image quality isn't great but it works okay as it leans towards a stylised look. I've been throwing a Lightroom preset over the shots from it in order to lean into that a bit more. The shutter lag is by far its biggest weakness. Most of the time my daughter manages with it okay but like you say, sometimes she tries for action shots and that just isn't happening. Forcing the flash on may help with that, though. The lack of something to loop a strap through is pretty baffling as well. I think the main benefit over an older digital compact is ease of connectivity - you just need a USB-C lead to hook this up to a PC or tablet and you're good to go. I have several old digicams and they all have varying flavours of memory card, some of which are entirely obsolete so I would need to through several steps to get the photos from the camera to the big Android tablet we use for photo editing. I'm hoping this camera has been successful as I feel like there's potential for a truly great kids camera in there.

[@takeaim420]

42 at 0:17 🤓 love it!

[@cafe6113]

Very nostalgic, I ordered one yesterday and honestly cannot wait.

[@ThePhotographersStone]

It's good enough for the price which equals fun!

[@The_Hero_Is_Back]

Yup - a strap lug would be very useful. Kind of odd that there's so much shutter lag. The Ricoh GR's snap mode is pretty quick. Even three times slower than the GR would still be quick. Good way to teach kids patience though. "You have to wait for the snap sound!" And if you want to pack kids off for a month or two in the summer, it's a great toy, especially if they don't have phones yet. Nice vid. I can hear people shouting already though. "Is it CCD or CMOS?" and "The low resolution adds an organic authenticity to the child's eye of the world..." or some such.

[@dominictaegel5360]

There’s a kickstarter for a camera called “Flashback” which isn’t too expensive and allows you to switch between JPEG profiles on your phone 5:27

[@snappiness]

I'll look it up!

[@Eli.Josephh]

Sick video dude. I think old digi cams are wayyy better and I was surprised by how many you had 😭

[@BryanMiraflor]

i'm curious to see how your review would be if you purchased their new version that was released this year, version 103b. it's apparently faster and has built in loops now.

[@azolaun]

I really wonder if it possible to switch the lens to maybe a slightly better one for a couple more bucks based off what you found. Luckily they added the warmer filter on photos instead of the cooler blue look in their new cameras. You can still download it and switch from the original color to the warmer look thankfully

[@miriamgrace.3]

how did you add a strap onto it

[@cryptidproductions3160]

I had to stop and scroll the video back to confirm when I saw the Ottumwa Theater and realized where some of these pictures came from because I barely EVER see photo or video taken here in the wild.

[@damianoferretti1493]

Love your videos as always. Would love to see a review of the Flashback Camera (similar concept)

[@taylorfinn1334]

Any tips on how to open the camera? I took all of the screws out of the back and it seems like prying it open might break it..

[@JohnLunney]

They released a v103 fixing most of the issues you highlighted - enough for me to order!

[@seantomlinson3320]

Thank you. My boys love either my phone or TG-5 that’s basically theirs anyway. But good to know to wait on this little thing.

[@user-ve7cq1hk6p]

May i ask where you went to buy the hand strap that u attached to the top of your camera? how much is it? thank you.

[@Maarrrcccc]

I wish I saw this video before purchasing. Currently waiting on mine to arrive lol

[@JustinCase1021]

The updated version fixes most of your concerns. Great video though

[@Iandmacb]

The exact same thing with the Raspberry Pi "high quality camera" with IMX477 sensor would be so much better and barely cost more to make :(

[@nero5052]

the first black and with pic shown is like a album cover

[@SomeUnremarkableGuy]

Definitely I would try different camera sensor on that :D

[@michaelbower85]

I've seen a ton of ads for this as well. While I am not personally interested in it, my daughter (she's 5) loves going out with me and taking pictures, so for the price I might get it for her

[@peirreerreiep7510]

I personally own this camera, as well as some high end cameras. I find it nice to sometimes use this camera to take memories. When im using this camera, i'm not hoping for the best quality, and if i want i can use one of my good cameras. The thing i like here is that you don't focus on the result, because you can't see it. At the end of the day i'm not hoping for a good photo, i just want to capture the moment, not caring about the composition or else, and just bringing back souvenirs without focusing more in the photo than living the moment. Sure there are some improvements they could make, but i think i would recommended this camera, even to an adult !

[@zakyzigzag]

YES..would love to see some tinkering with the sensor-lens module!!

[@Amphibax]

Its an interessting concept but we so many old digicam around which nobody uses. You can get one for next to nothing used or just ask around most likely someone you know has one around.

[@tonybarrett7557]

Phone-camera type colour shifts to cyan into the highlights in the sky. Can’t see the purpose of using this over your phone if you’re not it’s intended market

[@uglyflower608]

I was really surprised by the viewfinder, i have bad eye sight and looking through it i noticed i see everything super sharp

[@unkreativnet]

funny to see the plugs instead of glued cable connections. This one is more servicable then most cameras today

[@appuser]

Someone just needs to make a camera with this simplicity but the internals of a fairly decent mirrorless. I'll just buy it straight up.

[@mathiasbuttner7682]

Are there some old digital point and shoot cameras without screen out there? I'm searching for my daughter. She is alsmost 3 years old. Thanks for your hints!

[@juna61]

I just ordered one to Finland and I hope it will give some more inspiration for my photography journey... 80 € with finnish tax and posting, bit on a pricey side. But there is nothing like it atm.

[@jmd1743]

I've seen equivalents and they're substantially more expensive.

[@Jacksevenn]

Hi, What is the diameter of the camera adapter filter? Is 37-49 mm?

[@VariTimo]

Would have been interesting if it’d had an actually disposable camera lens and some cheap full frame sensor. But all in all just get a disposable film camera and put Gold in.

[@patriciagonzal6926]

You should try Flashback Camera. Same concept but much nicer. 😊

[@nikytamayo]

I've toyed with the idea of sticking a makeshift viewfinder on my QX and using it like a point-and-shoot screen-free digicam. It takes infinitely better pictures than most actual old point and shoots, and is fun to shoot blind, though the focus is quite hit-or-miss.

[@SuyePhoto]

I just got a pair of these for my siblings! pretty fun and friendly, weird I wish they had a handstrap loop by default! Nice to see how easy it is to disable the speaker lol

[@snappiness]

I heard from a birdie some stuff like this may come to a future model!

[@Wilsnap]

Not a fan of the sensor's blue treatment... Not surprised you then headed to the BandW setting.

[@WMederski]

another design flaw is the proximity of the LED picture counter on the back to the viewfinder. in low light, the LED is blinding... i popped off the back and applied a couple layers of neutral density gel filter to the LED. while i was in there, i put a piece of black paper tape over the inside of the speakers grill to muffle its annoying audio just a bit.

[@j_illest8901]

Did you swap out the sensor

[@MTN1601]

I have a canon powershot sx200is which one day I dropped it and the whole front buttons was broken. Now, it’s basically a film camera because it can only able to take a picture and if I wanted to view the image, I have to connect the camera to my PC

[@emborg3145]

outjerked once again boys

[@MYTHICALLY3D]

You can remove the lens and use a super high f stop and a manual focus lens. I tried 😭 (with my Chinese phone ) the phone cameras are crippled by bad lenses

[@snappiness]

Interesting idea!

[@adeebmd5701]

I wonder tho, there have been a subsection of camera modules with a modular system. It's threaded but not really familiar withe name of the mount.

[@LL-bl8hd]

Interesting concept, and the price is reasonable. But for the quality you get, I wonder if kids wouldn't enjoy a disposable film camera or a Polaroid-style camera even more. You get the same quality or better but they also get something physical to keep. I'm not sure how much instant film goes for these days, might be a lot.

[@garonkiesel1646]

Love your channel!! Could you do a video highlighting some of your favorite pocket digital cameras? I'm thinking of the really small Canon Elph, Sony Cybershot, and similar tiny cameras. I also find it interesting that Daido Moriyama uses a Nikon Coolpix S7000 camera. The camera gets virtually no love on KZbin and he gets amazing results using it. Cheers!!

[@domothepotatoman9775]

Can you link a website on where you got the step up ring

[@dogswhomistookarockforacro4667]

What is the name of this camera? I mean the brand and model. After watching your video, I feel like gifting one of these to my little nephew.

[@snappiness]

Camp snap. They only have one model so far

[@jordancarrera9760]

How did you make or what brand lens do you have on it?

[@fallyn2920]

oh this must definitely be that ali express kid's camera internally. it's display is just made different. but it has the same expansion and shutter delay. Which would mean it's quite horribly overpiced. Still, would love to use one. I had one of those ali express ones and it's just rigged to fail. it even wiped it's own memory without me knowing it!

[@marxman00]

Its like buying a kid a toy vacuum cleaner......just give them a real one

[@angeloclarizio7813]

Wait so what did you use the filter for?

[@mebulon1984]

Could you please make a video about the old cameras, that you use for your kids :) My twins are two years old now and im wondering, which camera(s) to get for them :)

[@chriscornelissen5075]

Funny cam, the inside looks a bit like my first Raspberry PI project with a cheap aliexpress camera module. I made a motion activated wild camera of it. The white balance and color tones remind me of this module

[@marte3d168]

I wanted to buy this camera because I thought it would allow you to capture the moment instantly when you press the button, just like analog cameras. Can anyone recommend a digital alternative that gives me this possibility without any delay between pressing the button and the shot?

[@dalantemaes3277]

How do I find a filter ring for this?

[@tristanrowlee8963]

I do not have access to a 3D printer. Do you have alternative suggestions to use so I can add a lanyard to a CampSnap camera for my kids?

[@snappiness]

I wonder if there's some sort of small plastic piece with a hole in it used for some other application that you could superglue on. Maybe a plastic nut or washer from a hardware store? I'm not sure..

[@sie11pervan]

Take th camera apart, and grab the "cover" that doesn't house anything but the speaker. As you can see the screw holes are pretty deep, even on the cover. You can drill a small hole through the side of one of these screw holes, and attach a small camera strap to it. Upside is that the hole isn't even "in" the camera body.

[@sjulian12]

Love these! Where did you get the adhesive tether mount for your wrist strap?

[@snappiness]

I made one and 3d printed it, the model is in the description. The adhesive was just super glue.

[@geoff2k]

Was having to set the metadata of the pictures an issue at all? I'm just imagining a kid coming back with a full SD card, that sure, are in ascending order of date taken. I'd probably do something like divide the amount of time between first day of camp to last day of camp by the number of pictures, and assume even increments? But I can't imagine the average user being confronted with a whole bunch of photos with no useful data information.

[@jasmachugh4222]

v103 solved the serious shutter delay

[@Kaneda-Shima]

Thanks for the review man I might be really unlucky cuz mine don't hold the charge at all, it never does since i got it as xmas present. I'm in France so it's hard for me to send it back, the delivery cost the same as the camera :( I will open it and try to find a replacement battery so I can use my cam snap, cross fingers cheers !

[@GONZOFAM7]

I was wondering about the delay. I agree. It's going to srop me from buying it.

[@Last_Cosmonought]

I may have missed if you said it but is this like the flashback where it sends pics to their servers to be developed(idek how as they’re digital)

[@suttipongsookkasem]

i can't find filter for this camera ... so sad

[@Vics_photography_studio]

So it's basically a Yashica y35 digital without film filters

[@sirmeeech]

Does that filter help much?

[@StephaneMosse]

In fact it takes the shot when you release the shutter button ! its weird but well then you won't miss your shots. ;)

[@LachlanEaston]

That shutter delay is a deal breaker for me 😢 anyone know of a cheap digicam that actually takes a picture when you press the button?

[@RudiPrihandoko]

THE POISONNNNN OH MY GOSHHH I WANT THIS!!!