The retro camera trend has created a seemingly endless number of new still cameras that look old – but video cameras have largely been left behind. The Camp Snap CS-8 brings the retro craze to video, and I’ve never had more fun shooting video than I did when trying out this Super 8 digital dupe. The camera’s launch comes with a $150 / £112 introductory price, a deal that’s about to expire on October 31.
The Camp Snap CS-8 looks like a camcorder straight out of the 1970s, down to the handle and trigger-style recording. But looks can be deceiving, because the CS-8 is actually all digital.
While there’s no film inside, the CS-8 keeps the retro feel from its body for the footage as well. There’s a dial that selects different color modes, and the analog setting has those old school washed out colors, and even the dust and scratches of old movies.
As I was uploading the footage that I shot on the CS-8, however, I realized that I had never really had that much fun with a video camera before. There’s just something freeing about shooting with the old-school dials and the trigger-style shooting.
The CS-8 has a viewfinder to compose the shots, but there’s no screen. I think that was the other half of why the CS-8 was so enjoyable to use. With no screen to check the shots on, I stayed in the moment more and shot less. With its trigger-style recording, the retro camcorder is meant for shorter clips rather than hour-long recordings.
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The CS-8 isn’t about the latest specs – there’s no stabilization, the digital zoom quality is terrible, and the sensor is small. But that’s not what the CS-8 is about. It’s about getting that retro look, and you don’t need the latest tech for that.
The Camp Snap CS-8 launched with a 25 percent discount for pre-orders – but that deal is set to expire on October 31, when the price will go from $150 / £112 to $199 / £149. Pre-orders are still estimated to ship ahead of the holidays.
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