You can reorder them now at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama. Full press intro can be read at Explora.
EU reorders at Amazon DE, FotoErhardt, Amazon UK, WexUK, Amazon IT. Amazon FR.

The Camp Snap Cam is a camera that in every way resembles an old disposable film camera.

Davide writes:

I opted to purchase this camera for several reasons.
I couldn’t resist its retro charm.
It is made entirely of plastic which makes it super light. Another plus point for me as I use it during my climbing trips and I don’t want to weigh down my backpack further. Mainly, however, I chose this camera because it allows me to work with the convenience of digital but with the slowness and magic of analogue photography.
In fact, on the back of the camera we do not find any live view screen but in its place a very simple LED counter has been installed which tells us how many photos we have taken. The Snap Cam is equipped with a micro SD (32 mega), already installed, which does not need to be removed to download photos. In fact, the download can be done simply by connecting the USB cable (type C) to the laptop.
There may be some problems with the connection with the OS. In fact, my MacBook does not always read the driver on the first try and more than once I have had to remove the card (a slightly inconvenient procedure because the latter is located under a door screwed with a small screw) and connect it via the reader to the portable.
It’s a super simple and intuitive digital camera, so much so that I can even let my 6 year old daughter use it.
It produces a JPG file (no negative file, RAW) and in its simplicity it overexposes where there is a need to overexpose and vice versa it underexposes where there is a need to underexpose. As far as I’m concerned, you can’t ask for more but that’s how beautiful she is and that’s fine!

Image samples can be seen at instagram.com/daveperbellini/

https://www.campsnapphoto.com

There is a wild rumor that says that Nikon might be developing two new Tilt Shift lenses for the Z-mount: A 18mm and an 85mm lens. Not sure how reliable that rumor is but for sure the old 19mm T/S F-mount lens has been discontinued in Japan :(

via Digicameinfo via NR via Weibo

The 8K camera prototype wit organic sensor displayed by Panasonic a couple of years ago

PetaPixel had a chat with Tomoki Nakanishi, Supervisor at Panasonic’s Imaging Business Unit. About the organic sensor he said:

“If we [make a] new camera, we can choose that kind of sensor. But it’s kind of an R&D matter. So it is not [certain] that we will use that sensor in the next camera or not.”

PetaPixel put it this way: “You’ve made it, but you don’t know whether or not you’ll use it.” To which Nakanishi responded: “Yeah.”

There is a new trend that is being pushed on social networks: The Generation Z is buying old digital cameras to take their photos. The main reasons are two:

1. The more “analog” look of the photos shot on those cameras that is mainly due the lower quality of those sensor and processing engines
2. The more appealing exterior look of some of those  digital cameras.

They also buy cheap film cameras and want digital scans of their films. Digicameinfo specifically collected three reports about this trend from different outlets:

Realsound Japan reports about a Japanese store specialized in old digital camera sales:

The “boom of old compact digital cameras” is taking hold especially among Generation Z. For some reason, compact digital cameras are now popular among young people who have no sense of nostalgia. The spark for this trend is social networking sites such as TikTok and Instagram.

This time we visited “2nd BASE”, a store specializing in used cameras that has a corner dedicated to old compact digital cameras inside the store, and asked them to tell us what they think of the current compact digital camera boom from the site’s perspective.

“When we first set it up, it wasn’t that big, but it started selling quickly around the spring of 2023, and from the summer on it started selling so much that we couldn’t keep up with our inventory. Honestly, I thought the boom would pass within a year. However, it seems to me that it is picking up again (store manager Mimura).”

On the day of our interview, there was still some inventory, but on weekdays the product is in such demand that it almost disappears from the store.

Many of the people who come looking for it belong to the younger generation, from high school students to 20-somethings. Many come to the store after inquiring about TikTok,” says Mimura, who says the social network is a good choice.

Mimura says social media is the ultimate destination for compact digital cameras. Compared to instant cameras, which made a comeback around 2020, digital cameras, which do not require development costs and can be used as often as they are recharged, can match the “convenience” that young people are looking for.

Lately I get the impression that more and more people in the music industry are using compact digital cameras and seem to be intentionally inserting footage shot with compact digital cameras at important points, such as flashback scenes in music videos. “

Moreover, not only Generation Z but also people in their 30s and 40s are beginning to realize that digital cameras are becoming popular.”

Compact cameras are popular especially among young people, but they seem to be gradually spreading to older generations and the film industry as well. Perhaps because of this, an increasing number of people have heard about this trend and decided to sell the compact digital cameras they had at home.

Techno Edge reports about the popularity of old compact digital cameras among young people not only in Japan but also in China:

It is said that old digital cameras, especially small compact digital cameras, have been gaining popularity among young people since last year. The rough image quality of old compact digital cameras gives you an analog feel, and the design of the compact digital cameras themselves is also appealing.

In fact, this boom is not only happening in Japan, but also in China and Hong Kong, so I visited Shenzhen, China to see it in action.

Recently, the camera industry has not had much momentum, and most of the stores in the building had already opened, leaving the building deserted, but when I visited in February 2024, I found that there were many stores selling used compact digital cameras.

At the old Cyber ​​Building in Hong Kong there is also a used condominium store in this corner. Although the building doesn’t look like a place where female customers would come, most of the customers are women in their teens to 20s.

It’s good that used compact digital cameras, which until recently no one paid attention to, are now attracting attention again. The used compact digital camera boom is creating an opportunity to rediscover classic machines from the past.

Mynavi Japan talked about the film camera trend among younger people:

We interviewed people in the sales field about the trends of the younger generation who are driving the current film boom. We spoke with Yurika Mori and Kimiyoshi Osawa of Shinjuku Kitamura Photography Store, located at the east exit of Shinjuku.

One thing they all have in common is that most people come to the store without any knowledge of film cameras or processing. “When people come to the processing reception and ask if they can take out the film from their camera, there are many people who just open the back cover on the spot. They don’t understand how film development works, and there is no need to develop it. That’s why some people say they just want the data.”

“Most people say they just want to put the photos they take on their smartphones. We tell them they can print them out, but very few people order them. Partly because of that, the standard is to send them in print. “Rather than printing, we will give you the scanned data of the film.” “I think Generation Z probably doesn’t have the concept of printing.”

Furthermore, I learned a surprising fact from Mr. Mori’s statement. “Most young people choose to throw away their negatives.” Surprisingly, they don’t need negatives… As someone who has enjoyed photography for a long time since the days of film, this was a bit of a shock. It’s nothing short of surprising to see negatives thrown away so easily.
“

Young people don’t hesitate to throw away their negatives, but they still have a sense of being economical, so cheap half-frame cameras made of plastic are selling well.”

“The reason why young people are looking for film cameras is because today’s digital cameras, including smartphones, can take too good pictures.Cameras that don’t take good pictures, and photos that don’t look good are new to Generation Z. People ask me, “Which camera doesn’t take good pictures?” (laughs)

“Compact cameras are popular (among Z-generation film camera users). Among them, Olympus’ μ series is overwhelmingly popular. Apparently it was introduced by an influencer or YouTuber, and only μ is nominated for purchase. Even if we suggest that we have other cameras, most people won’t look at us, and if they don’t have them in stock, they’ll just say, “OK,” and leave.”

As someone who knows the film era of yesteryear, it’s always a culture shock to learn how Generation Z, which is driving the film camera boom, enjoys film photography and what they think about film photography. It has been found that young people, known as Generation Z, are attracted to Lo-Fi rather than Hi-Fi images, and a slow rather than fast shooting experience.