We test and review a lot of cameras on Digital Camera World. So when something is special enough for us not just to buy with our own money, but also put on our podcast, you know it's worth paying attention to!
That's very much the case with the Chuzhao TLR Camera – which, in fairness, people were already paying attention to. This camera was all over social media for months and was a huge seller, so people are already pretty aware of it.
But not only is it back in stock, it's also been slashed in price in the Black Friday camera deals over the weekend – down to just $34 in the US and even cheaper at £27 in the UK.
To give that a bit of content, my colleague Chris bought one for himself at its regular $50 price point – and even at that price he felt it was a bargain. It's every bit as cool as it looks; you can see us getting excited about it on the latest DCW podcast, which I've embedded below at the point we start talking about it:
Its signature feature is obviously its design, styled after vintage TLR cameras of the 1930s. As you might imagine, this isn't a true twin-lens reflex camera – but it doesn't just have the vintage aesthetic, as it has some key features that are very much authentic to the TLR experience.
For starters, it shoots in square format just like the Rolleis and Mamiyas of old. But the coolest thing is that it features a top-down viewfinder – which even has the collapsible pop-out mechanism, so you can deploy it when shooting and keep the camera nice and compact when you're not.
It also has a physical film crank that isn't just for show, but actually serves as a control input. It really is a love letter to vintage cameras, which is why old analog geeks like Chris and I got very excited by it!
It's also why this is a brilliant little photography gift – and, rarely, is one that's actually affordable, for when your friends or loved ones inevitably say to you, "Can I get you something camera-related?" Yes, yes you can – any photographer will be thrilled to be given one of these!
🇺🇸 USA deal
🇬🇧 UK deal
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