Riding on the coattails of its successful miniature TLR-style digital camera, Chinese camera brand Chuzhao is back with the Chuzhao M3, a fixed-lens compact camera that would appear to take a few design cues from the, you guessed it, Leica M3. News of this rather striking little camera came by way of Photorumors.
Under the hood there isn’t much to shout about, what with a 1/4-inch 12-MP CMOS sensor and full HD video, and fully automatic controls. But like the Chuzhao Digital Camera, the Chuzhao M3 isn’t designed to rub shoulders with the premium compact cameras of this world. I’ve yet to see the camera myself, but it’s evidently intended to be a fun and affordable departure from a camera phone, while delivering a trendy lo-fi digital camera aesthetic.
A vision in pastel
Perhaps the most striking aspect of this cheap camera is its design and color schemes. As mentioned, the name and style appear to take a leaf out of Leica’s book, with a boxy rangefinder-shaped body and small lens. On Amazon, you can opt for Gray or Pastel Purple & Mint Blue color schemes. The former is a two-toned gray with blue accents, while the latter features striking purple accents against pastel pink and mint green.
The camera comes with a detachable fill light that looks a bit like an old Graflex flash. However, it appears to be a mini LED light panel with three brightness settings. The camera also comes with a USB-A to USB-C lead, what looks like a wrist strap and an unbranded 16GB SD card, although it can take up to a 64GB. As always, it’s my recommendation to immediately replace any unbranded memory card that comes with a cheap camera.
Lens details are thin on the ground. It’s fixed, the camera is capable of AF and it’s wide, with an aperture of around f/2.8. There’s no viewfinder, which is a shame given the retro aesthetic, but there is a 1.54-inch rear LCD. The camera is said to weigh just 115g, measures roughly 89.5 x 52 x 42.5mm, and features a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery.
The Chuzhao M3 is priced at $69.99 / £69.97 and available at Amazon.
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