Digital cameras that shoot with the limitations of film have risen rapidly in popularity, but a new option coming from a company known for its smartphone photography accessories packs in a few unusual features. The Fotorgear Campix is a compact camera with a waist-level finder, film-inspired filters, and swappable lenses.
Like other retro-inspired compacts like the Flashback One35 V2 or the Camp Snap CS-Pro, the Campix is a digital camera that aims to look and feel more like film. Part of that design is the digital filters meant to mimic some popular film types, but the other aspect is that the Campix doesn’t have a playback mode to view the images. The Campix also shoots “rolls” of 36 shots.
But while the space for compact cameras designed for unplugging is becoming increasingly crowded, the Campix has a few unusual features. The Campix uses a waist-level finder. Technically, this is a screen, as it's an electronic viewfinder, but like screen-free cameras, there’s no playback.
Fotorgear is best known for accessories like smartphone lenses, and those same lenses will fit on the Campix, another unusual feature. The Campix has a built-in lens, but it can use Fotorgear’s existing T-mount lenses that are built for smartphones, opening up possibilities for macro, telephoto, and anamorphic.
The camera can shoot JPEG or RAW, and Fotorgear says that the photos can be re-processed later with a different film-inspired profile. Double exposures are also supported, along with custom LUTs. The compact camera supports both a mobile and desktop app, with Wi-Fi and USB-C for transferring images.
Like other retro screen-free cameras, however, the Campix packs in a smaller sensor. It uses a Sony-made 13MP 1/3.06 stacked CMOS sensor. (Fotorgear has shared a selection of RAW image samples from the camera, but viewing them also requires downloading the Campix app.)
The built-in lens is a 26mm equivalent that uses fixed focus, so the focus can’t be adjusted at all, which could be a challenge when using add-on lenses that increase the camera’s depth of field.
The Campix uses auto exposure, but there’s a tactile rewind dial. Fotorgear also fit a pop-up flash into the design.
The camera is on the small side, measuring 98mm / 3.8 inches on its longest side. The camera is built with a mix of polycarbonate plastic and metal, with a titanium finish.
Forogear has taken to Kickstarter to fund the Campix launch, where the campaign has already well exceeded its original goal. The Campix is expected to retail for about $209 (about £158 / AU$308 / CA$298) once it launches, but backers willing to take the crowdfunding risk can get up to 48 percent off. The camera is also available bundled with lenses.
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Want a waist-level screen and an optical viewfinder? You'll probably like the Instax Pal 2. Or, browse the best screen-free cameras.
