Having talked about a new $57k ARRI camera yesterday, today we hit the other end of the spectrum with the $199 Camp Snap CS-8 Digital Video Camera.
Retro cameras are distinctly on trend at the moment. Lomography is still bringing out new models, 35mm film is resurgent, accessories are rocking the vintage look, and you can even get that essential retro vibe with modern electronics levered into an SLR-era chassis covered with genuine knobs and dials.
This has possibly reached its camera peak to date with the Fujifilm X-half and its Film Camera Mode. This makes you use a manual film advance and even locks playback so you can't see what you've shot until the 'roll' is finished. You then use the accompanying app to 'develop' it.
We now have a new entrant in the most 1970s in the 2020s category though, and that is the Camp Snap CS-8 Digital Video Camera, which is taking pre-orders now.
Camp Snap already makes a popular-with-influencer-types camera which feels like an old 35 mm disposable but is actually a screen-free digital unit that might be one of the world's most simplistic point and shoot cameras. Now it takes that vibe, mashes it up with a Super 8 look and feel, and applies it to the camcorder format with the CS-8.
Again, it's all about simplicity. You hold the trigger to record, can’t see your videos until you get home due to the lack of screen, and it comes with five filters including faded-sepia, grainy analog, washed retro tones, black & white, and what Camp Snap says is a standard film look. You also get four aspect ratios to choose from; 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, and 16:9. These are selected via dials on the side. Press one switch to zoom in, one to zoom out.
Possibly our favourite bit of the camera though is that both the USB-C rechargeable battery and the SD card memory are all monitored with analog meters. This is genius and we demand that other manufacturers add them to pretty much everything with immediate effect.
Elsewhere, it looks like it comes with a 4 GB SD card, and sets can get the data off it by simply plugging the USB-C cable into a computer. It is set to shoot at 18 fps for that realistic Super 8 feel, and as for audio, all we know is it has a 'built-in speaker for audio capture'. Likewise, sensor size is not reported, though a quick look at the lens on the front reveals that the CS8 has an f/2 lens with an 8x zoom.
Wonder how long it will be before some Hollywood movie looking for a bit extra in its marketing reach announces that it's been shot on one...
Pre-orders are open now with the CS-8 shipping in mid-September. Price is $199 / £154, but Camp Snap seems to be running an introductory 25% off offer at the moment.
h/t to Digital Camera World.