Kodak’s new ‘Charmera’ unites 1980s point and shoot nostalgia with modern day digital affordances, in a unit so small, you can fit four of them in the palm of your hand. Inspired by the 1987 disposable Kodak Fling, the Charmera revives the aesthetic of the era, with the benefit of both photo and video capture. Unlike the Fling, the tiny camera can be used again and again, thanks to easy file transfers via the included USB-C cable. At just 58 mm long, the camera can be made into a keychain.
Each camera comes with its own keychain, ID card, A5 leaflet and USB-C cable. The device is both a fully functional camera and a sought-after collector’s item — a quality reinforced by its blind-box packaging. After its release on 9 September this year, the retro cameras were said to have sold out in one day, and remain almost impossible to buy, with most sites either sold out or taking pre-orders. Purchasers can buy either a single Charmera, or a set of six, but will only find out which of the seven styles they have received upon opening the package. Among the vintage styles is the not-so-secret ‘secret edition’ with a transparent shell, which allows users to see the inner mechanisms of the device.
The camera’s low-tech makeup is just part of its charm. The device uses a small 1/4-inch CMOS sensor paired with a fixed 35 mm f/2.4 lens — a simple setup, like many of the old point and shoot cameras. It can capture at a resolution of up to 1440 by 1080 pixels (about 1.6 megapixels) capturing smaller photos that are less detailed than a smartphone’s, but produces soft, hazy images reminiscent of the 80s. The Charmera requires a microSD card to store the footage which is not included in the package.
| Specifications Image Sensor: 1 ⁄ 4 inch CMOS Lens: 35mm F2.4 Plug: USB-C Storage: Micro SD (1GB-128GB) Image Output: 1440 x 1080, 1.6M Megapixels Image Format: JPEG Frame Rate: 30 fps Video Format: AVI Battery: Rechargeable 200mAh User Level: Age 15+ Dimensions : 58(W) x 24.5(H) x 20(D) mm Weight: 30(g) Material: ABS |
The device’s interface allows users to choose between four vintage inspired frames and seven filters in photo mode. This saves the extra step of adding these in post production. Among these options are negative film frame, painter frame, an array of different coloured pixel filters and the classic option of black and white.
The Charmera is produced and sold by Reto, a company who has licensed the Kodak brand. As a result, it’s not available through Kodak’s official channels.
