“Camp Snap cameras are designed with the goal of promoting social interaction and play amongst kids”, so says the company website. How do they do this? Their compact cameras have no screen. Nothing new in that, you might think – quite the opposite, technically. The people at Camp Snap have come up with an unabashedly simple camera design. Indeed, that is its point. The idea is to provide a camera for kids that provides no other function than to take photographs – yes, just as all cameras once did.
The Camp Snap model has obvious advantages over its nearest rival, the disposable film camera; you keep it, for one. Those thoughtful enough to want such a device will appreciate its digital eco-credentials. Consistent with the ethos is its retro design, reminiscent of old Kodaks.
It produces 8 megapixel images, and can store over 2000 of them on a secured memory card to upload elsewhere. It also has a rechargeable battery. Order one in the UK for £53 / in the USA for $65 just now.
Early customer feedback is positive. Some note concern at its light weight (6oz / 170g) on first impression, and its build quality. Camp Snap know very well in whose hands they want their cameras to be held – children’s – and that they will drop them. In fact, it is durable by design. The light weight dramatically reduces impact from this inevitability. The lack of moving parts within is further defence against damage.
There’s a growing sense that technology over the last 25 years has accelerated too hard unchecked for mass individual consumption – that it’s not all great. An emergent trend among millennials and older people is to disengage from certain modern media, having detected harmful effects to themselves from these uniquely 21st century luxuries. Those who are parents are doing things differently with their kids – preserving them from the ubiquitous distraction of screens and their harmful effects.
These cameras are smart in ways beyond technology. A shot cannot be edited, nor even seen at the scene. One returns quickly to the ongoing activity. There is much in this, and the Camp Snap will surely find a sizeable niche market among modern parents who know it. Others who feel screened out, too.
Related reading:
- Vintage digital cameras you should actually buy
- Best second-hand classic compact cameras
- Read our Camp Snap camera review
