Chuzhao Digital Camera review: a tiny toy camera that models itself seductively on a 1960s TLR

The Chuzhao Digital Camera has consistently being one of the best-selling cameras since it first appeared in 2025 – and having used one now for a couple of months it is easy to see why.

It is one of a number of what are increasingly being called toy cameras – the best-known being the Kodak Charmera which also was launched last year. Both use their miniature form factors and their retro charm to make an instant appeal - and then entice you to buy with a suprisingly affordable price.

The Chuzhao sells consistently at under $50 / £40, and offers for significantly less. Calling this a toy is a bit disingenuous – it is a full-working scale model of a twin-lens reflex camera (a type of medium-format film camera that was popular with working pros in the 1950s and 60s). As such, I think of this as an executive toy – the sort of object you leave on your desk or bookshelf, for people to admire and play with.

Unlike the Rolleicords, Rolleiflexes and YashicaMat twin-lens reflex cameras of yesteryear, the Chuzhao is a digital compact camera. And although it has the appearance of two lenses at the front, only one of these is functional – and there is no reflex mirror. However, the Chuzhao keeps true to the spirit of the TLR with a waistlevel viewfinder in the top of the camera, that is hidden from view when not in use by a pop-up hood.

Chuzhao Digital Camera: Specifications

The Chuzhao features a 1/4in digital sensor that boasts a stills resolution of 12MP. Uniquely for a modern digital camera, the images are square – mimicing the aspect ratio of the roll-film 120-format TLRs that the design is based on. The LCD screen is also square.

Video is shot at 1080p - and here the format is a more conventional 16:9.

The lens is a fixed wide-angle. Chuzhao doesn't give an actual focal length for this, and unusually, there is no EXIF data embedded on the images – so that the ISO range, shutter speeds and apertures available remain something of a mystery.

Images are captured on a microSD card, which (in least in my case) was supplied with the camera which was a nice bonus. The battery is rechargeable, and uses a standard USB-C socket - so you can very probably use the same charger as you use for your phone.

Chuzhao Digital Camera: Price

Made in China, the Chuzhao is available from a number of online stores, but most easily found on Amazon where it is available from lots of its Marketplace merchants as well as from Amazon itself. For this reason, the price you can pay can vary significantly. Looking as I write this, I can see it listed from $39.99 to $49.99 in the US, or from £37 to £89 in the UK. As they are all the same, you could sensibly just go for the cheapest, or choose to buy from Amazon itself.

As well as the standard black version, there is also a red option – which looks great in photos, but I have not seen in the flesh, having opted for the black.

Chuzhao Digital Camera: Design & Handling

The square-shaped electronic viewfinder is found on the top plate of the camera - protected by a pop-up hood that sits on top. This hood snaps into position when flipped up – replicated the action of the standard viewfinder of the old TLR cameras. The big advantage of this substantial hood is that it means that it acts as an effective sunshield making it is easy to see the image on the relatively small 1.5in color LCD screen.

TLR cameras were designed to be used at waistlevel, cradled into your stomach with the photographer looking down at the screen – and the Chuzhao is used in the same way. In practice, you may need to use the camera slightly higher up your body, so that you can see the screen clearly. And as the plastic-bodied camera is very light, it is much harder to hold steady than a solid metal TLRs – and I found this particularly problematic when shooting video.

There are five main controls on the camera: four buttons at the front, and a crank handle at the side that mimics the TLR's wind-on mechanism. This rotating crank is nicely used to scroll through the images that you have shot, but also can be used to initiate video recording. With the latter, you can keep turning the handle for as long as you want the clip to last for. This sounds like a clever idea, but in my tests, it made it even harder to keep the camera steady. Very sensibly, there is a tripod socket – so that those who really do want to shoot video with this can actually get shake-free footage.

The handle is also used rather nicely as an input joystick when setting the time and date of the internal clock.

The four buttons are used to switch from the small number of options you have to choose from on this simple camera - stills or video, color or monochrome, playback or record, and autofocus on/off.

The provision of autofocus on a camera like this is a touch unusual - as an alternative you can switch fixed focus. In my tests, the autofocus felt the best option - but there is a lag as it sets the focus distance, and you can see this on the screen as it visibly homes in. I found this charming – but if you find the delay frustrating, and least you have the option to leave the focus fixed at a mid-distance.

Chuzhao Digital Camera: Performance

I used the Chuzhao on a number of outings during the two months since I bought it – including a Christmas shopping expedition to the pictureque town of Bradford-on-Avon, and a New Year holiday in Istanbul.

With a camera at this price, with a small sensor, and no meaninful creative controls, my expectations for image quality were not high. However, they were certainly better than I probably feared. You can usable, retro-looking images that are good enough to at least show others – and I loved the square image format. I really wish more cameras forced you to compose your images in this way.

Surprisingly, I found the camera performed better in low-light than in bright scenes with more contrast.

Having a one-button option to switch from color to monochrome is also a great feature – but you have to be careful not to switch accidentally

Chuzhao Digital Camera: Sample Images

As I have said, there are no published specifications - or metadata - to tell you the range of apertures and shutter speeds available. So it came as some surprise that some of the best images were taken in lowlight conditions – such as those taken of the dome of the Blue Mosque (above). The interior scenes in the gallery below are also pleasing given the conditions they were taken.

I was much more disappointed with outdoor images, where even in good lighting conditions the images were not as detailed or as well colored as the I'd have hoped for.

Chuzhao Digital Camera: Video

Above: video samples shot with the Chuzhao camera. Keeping the miniature, lightweight camera steady is the biggest issue – although there is a tripod socket if you want stable footage

Chuzhao Digital Camera: Verdict

I have to admit that I love the Chuzhao – it is a camera that I will add to my ever-growing collection of favorite photo memorabilia and treasured old cameras that I have lying on shelves around my apartment.

Given the price, I think the camera is beautifully designed – and I am someone who has actually used one of the original TLR cameras this is based on.

Although it is masses of fun to play with, the results are not great, however – as I kind of expected. Furthermore, the small size makes the camera harder to use than more conventional compacts.

Nonetheless for the money, the Chuzhao is a great gift for any photographer (or as a treat for yourself).

Alternatives

Kodak Charmera: at digitalcameraworld.com

The Kodak Charmera is a similar low-cost digital camera, modelled on an old 110 film camera. It is so small you can carry it on your keychain. It comes in a variety of designs but its 'blind box' means you don't know which you are getting until you buy it!

See other suggestions for the best cameras under $100