Songs by: J Foerster / N Kramer | leavingrecords.com/artist/j-f...
Album: Habitat II | jfoersternkramer.bandcamp.com...
Label: Leaving Records | leavingrecords.com
Buy the Camp Snap Camera: www.campsnapphoto.com
(and let me know in the comments if you decide to buy)
FilmConvert Nitrate: geni.us/FCNitrate | Save 10% with MIDLAND
RNI Films: reallyniceimages.com
Video filmed with the BMPCC OG + LUMIX G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Check out my eBay store where I sell cameras: www.ebay.com/usr/aperturezeero
Check out my channel where I clean & test digital & film cameras ASMR-style 👉 ‪@ApertureZeero‬
I asked Santa Claus to get me the Camp Snap camera for Christmas, and the jolly man in red delivered. I saw ads for this camera pop up on Instagram, and I was intrigued by the idea of a digital camera that has no screen. You can't see the photos as you take them. I also liked that the images out of camera have a "filmic" look to them so it's possible to just run with the SOOC jpegs.
I had quite a back log of cameras to try out for this channel, but I finally got a chance to take it out on a couple of photo walks in north downtown Omaha earlier this spring. The camera feels cheap but sturdy and there's something nice about not really worrying about shoving it in a sling or a coat pocket and damaging it. I also love this because I can hand it to my kids and not worry one bit about them dropping it.
So what I do I love about this camera?
1. Simplicity
2. Durability
3. Mystery - you can't see your photos on the camera
This alone makes it worth it to give to your kids or even use yourself in situations where you want a camera that can take stylistic photos but you don't have to worry about - the beach, on a hike, etc.
What's not to love about this camera?
1. It's slow
2. It can't really handle high dynamic range situations well
3. It's so light it's hard to keep straight when you take a picture
The shutter on this is incredibly slow. Even for a composed shot with people posing it feels slow. So shooting street photography with this? Not a great idea. This was my biggest frustration - I felt like I missed so many shots because I'd press the shutter and a full second later it would take the pictures. I have many photos of the ground because I pulled the camera away too soon.
If you're shooting into a shadowy area and the bright sky is visible in frame, you are going to have a blown out sky and completely lifted shadows. This camera will jack the ISO and drop the shutter speed to perfectly expose a shadowy area if that's where you're aiming the camera.
There's no "half press" of the shutter button to meter for the light you want to expose for so you can recompose your shot. I do this often with digicams where I'll meter for the sky but then reframe the image to shoot toward a shadowy area. You can't do that with this camera.
You'll notice a lot of the photos of the sides of buildings are crooked. This happens because I feel like I have to press the shutter really hard because it's slow to take (my brain thinks if I press harder it will take the picture faster) but then the camera is so light that pressing the shutter knocks the camera out of level and I have a horribly composed image.
If you're trying to make serious work with digicams or funky digital cameras, I'd probably avoid this one and save it for situations where you're at the beach, you're out in the elements and want something for personal memories that you don't have to worry about.
#streetphotography #campsnap #photography