This odd compact digital camera snaps a photo every time you take a shot on film. But will it be a hit or a miss?

Any film photographer can tell you about the frustration of developing photos only to discover light streaks, fogging, or grey spots. But now, Escura Camera, the inventors of the SnapRoll keychain camera, have come up with an unusual camera to fire off a digital image every time you take a film photo.

LIGAR is a 12MP, 1.5oz (40g) digital stills and video camera that can attach to any film camera with a hotshoe. Like a flashgun, it synchronizes with the shutter to capture a digital image at the same time as the film image. The shutter on the film camera acts like a shutter for both cameras, and that also means compatibility is with any film camera with a hotshoe slot.

The device comes packed into a tiny square body measuring just 48mm x 48mm x 48mm, kind of like a GoPro, and can also be used as a standalone camera.

While I love the idea of this hotshoe camera and the amount of headaches it might save, I’m not convinced it’s going to make much of a splash, if it makes it out of Kickstarter, where its producers are currently raising funds.

In my view, LIGAR doesn’t boast the technical specs to attract serious photographers, and it doesn’t have the Instagram appeal of the SnapRoll and other keychain compact cameras, which is what I think made them a success.

You can shoot retro-looking footage using the built-in filters, but LIGAR doesn’t boast that sought-after vintage look, such as the Kodak Charmera.

Getting into the specs, the camera is just 12MP. In itself, this isn’t too shabby, especially when you consider recent video-oriented mirrorless models such as the Sony A7S III (2020) Sony ZV-E1 (2023) operate at this resolution.

However, you certainly won’t be capturing tack-sharp stills as you would with a proper mirrorless camera, and with JPEG-only shooting, you’re limited in post-production. The video specs are novel at best – LIGAR shoots 2K 30fps in square format – but I can’t imagine anyone buying it for video first and foremost.

Something I think LIGAR has going for itself is the 3.2mm f/2.8 lens, which comes with a 0.45x wide-angle adapter and has 5x zoom. When combined, these features achieve up to a 105mm focal length equivalent of a full-frame camera. The 1.3inch display takes up a fair bit of real estate, which I like too.

All in, despite aiming to solve a real issue, I don’t see this tiny hotshoe camera taking the market by storm as did Escura’s previous release. However, it’s definitely a useful device, and it could inspire big-name film camera manufacturers to incorporate similar functionality into future models.

You can buy the LIGAR hotshoe camera through Kickstarter. The early bird price is 25% discounted at $125 (approximately £90 / AU$175), and shipping rates will apply. Likewise, if you’re in the market for a film camera, then head to our roundup of the best film cameras.

You might also like…

Discover our review of the Pentax 17, which Gareth Bevan, our reviews editor, calls “a simple to use point-and-shoot with great image quality.”