Despite mirrorless cameras getting more advanced than ever, we know that retro cameras are more popular than ever. In particular, cheap compact cameras (including crappy digicams from yesteryear) have surged in sales, while disposable cameras continue to prove popular.
All these things combined to lay the groundwork for screen-free digicams – a completely new category that emerged in the past few years and has taken the market by storm.
I'm willing to bet that your Instagram feed has been filled with ads for brands like Camp Snap and Flashback – arguably the best screen-free digital cameras available right now. But are these plastic fantastic cameras actually any good, or are they just hype?
This is something we discussed on the latest episode of our Bokeh Face podcast, a snippet of which you can watch below.
We looked specifically at the latest models from the brands powering the trend: the Camp Snap 2 and Camp Snap CS-Pro, along with the Flashback One35 V2. And it has to be said everyone on the team who has used them is a big fan.
Camp Snap started the trend, largely as a solution for the trend towards screen-free summers in the US – particularly at summer camps, where devices with screens are prohibited.
As a new parent myself, and as someone in general who wants to spend less time looking at screens but also really loves taking pictures, I think the Camp Snap is a stroke of absolute genius: stick a half-decent (8MP 1/3.2") sensor inside a camera with a 26mm equivalent lens and an optical finder. Job done.
Take hundreds of pictures all summer long, with no chimping or checking or other distractions, just staying present and capturing moments as they happen – rather than micro-managing memories to be as perfect as possible.
The other great thing about this is that it's super-friendly for kids; my colleague Hillary gave the Camp Snap to her six-year-old and he had an absolute blast taking pictures (and in so doing, taught her a lesson about what is "worth" taking pictures of).
My personal favorite is the Flashback series, which adopts a slightly different approach. This company takes the appeal of disposable cameras – that same screen-free, stay-in-the-moment mentality, with a fixed lens and optical finder, and crucially the limited number of shots and delayed gratification before you get to see them.
You "load" your camera with your chosen "film" (choosing from various styles of color or black-and-white) and then you're limited to 27 exposures, all in that film stock. Once you've taken them all, you then beam them to your phone – and this is where the magic is.
On the original Flashback One35, you had to wait 24 hours for your images to "process" – just like dropping off a roll of film at a lab and waiting for it to be developed. That was the entire point: the magic of patience, cultivating the joy and anticipation of seeing what you've shot – like a mini Christmas morning of looking at your memories.
Of course, that's an experience that Gen Z has no real concept of – only boomers, Gen Xers and Xennials truly have that experience of waiting for a roll of film to be processed. So, for the Flashback One35 V2, there's a Digicam Mode where you can send the shots to your phone and view them right away. Which kinda misses the point, to me, but I see why people want it.
But are these just gimmicks? My colleagues and I all agree: no, there's actual substance here. These cameras truly change the way you take photographs – or, perhaps more accurately, change the attitude you have towards taking them. Taking a snap becomes part of enjoying the moment; it doesn't override and become the moment.
You can watch the full discussion in the video I've embedded above (which is cued up to the start of the conversation) and come to your own conclusions.
Crucially, what they offer is a unique way to take pictures at an amazing price point – the Camp Snap 2 in particular being just $70 / £55 / AU$130. Compare that to the price of a disposable camera these days – about $25 in the US and £23 in the UK, and that's before processing – and these are brilliant ways to achieve the old analog experience without breaking the bank (or the planet).
If you're someone who wants a slower pace of shooting, who misses the magic of giving your kids or the rest of the family a disposable camera for a vacation or a wedding, or you're just sick of screens and want a break from staring at electronic readouts, picking up one of these might be the best thing you can do for your photographic enjoyment.
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Check out the best screen-free digital cameras from all the brands – including, if you want a bigger brand option, one of the best Leica cameras and one of the best Fujifilm cameras.
