Kodak’s New Tiny Digital Camera is a Tech Blind Box
▼ Summary
– The Kodak Charmera is a tiny digital camera sold in blind box packaging, available in seven retro styles and colors for $29.99 individually or as a full set for $179.94.
– It is a modern digital recreation of the 1987 Kodak Fling disposable film camera, created through a collaboration with Reto.
– The camera features both an optical viewfinder and an LCD screen, weighs 30 grams, and measures just over 2.2 inches in size.
– It has a 1.6-megapixel sensor with a plastic lens, storing stills and HD videos on a microSD card, but is not intended as a primary camera due to its limitations.
– Optional photo frame effects and filters, including red, yellow, blue, and gray, can help mask the Charmera’s technical shortcomings and oversharpened details.
For photography enthusiasts and collectors seeking a unique blend of nostalgia and modern convenience, Kodak’s new Charmera digital camera offers a playful twist on the classic point-and-shoot experience. This pint-sized device channels the spirit of the 1987 Kodak Fling disposable camera but delivers its imagery through a fully digital format. What makes it truly stand out, however, is its marketing approach: the Charmera comes packaged as a blind box, meaning buyers won’t know which of the seven retro-inspired colorways they’ll receive until they open it.
Priced at just $29.99 for a single unit, the Charmera invites users to embrace chance, though those wanting a complete set can purchase all seven variants together for $179.94. Despite its appealing aesthetics and throwback charm, this camera is clearly designed more for fun than for professional use. Weighing a mere 30 grams and measuring slightly over two inches, it features a modest 1.6-megapixel sensor paired with a plastic lens. It captures both still images and HD video, storing them on a microSD card.
The camera includes both an optical viewfinder and a small LCD screen on the rear, paying homage to its film-based predecessor while incorporating basic digital functionality. Early testers, including PetaPixel, have noted that image and video quality are far from exceptional, with noticeable limitations in sharpness and detail. To help offset these shortcomings, Kodak has integrated a selection of creative filters and photo frame effects. Options include red, yellow, blue, and gray filters, which can soften over-sharpened areas and lend a more polished, stylistic finish to each shot.
While the Charmera won’t replace anyone’s primary camera, it serves as a lighthearted tribute to analog photography’s playful side, a gadget that prioritizes charm and surprise over technical precision.
(Source: The Verge)