Last Updated on 11/21/2025 by Chris Gampat
For years, I’ve been asking for a point and shoot camera. Well, I’ve been asking the industry for it. But the Japanese manufacturers mostly shy away from them while Leica makes super pricey ones that are worth every penny. That’s why I’m so happy that the Camp Snap Photo camera has made its way into the hands of photographers. But with that said, it’s not designed to give you the best image quality around anything. Instead, it’s designed for your kids — who are probably either Gen Z or Gen Alpha.
We previously discussed the Camp Snap Photo Camera a little while back. And we were sent a review unit to play with. Right from the start, everyone I showed it to fell in love with the looks. The device reminds me of some sort of retro camera from the film days. It’s designed to look and feel like a disposable camera. But it’s not. In fact, the company did quite a bit of keep it at around $45. For example, there’s no LCD screen — and I love that. It means that you actually need to look at the moment as it’s happening in front of you.
It’s also simple to use. To power it on or off, you press and hold the shutter button for at least two seconds. When the back display shows a number, then you’re ready to shoot. When it’s powered down, the camera has been turned off.
To hold all those photos, the Camp Snap Photo Camera has a little Micro SD card inside. To get the photos off of the camera, you plug it into your computer like any hard drive or like some other cameras.
It shoots JPEGs, and to illuminate the scene, it’s using a little LED flash. Said Flash is one of the weakest we’ve seen. This is what I often say when some folks warn that the industry is heading toward LEDs rather than actual flashes. To be honest, the LED experience with the Camp Snap Photo Camera truly lacks the magic of using a flash. A flash is a quick little burst of light. But because of the Camp Snap Photo Camera uses such a small sensor and such a cheap lens, it needs more light. With that said, the LED will stay on for a period of time to illuminate the scene.
I can’t even begin to tell you how annoying that is.
But if you’re shooting during the bright daytime hours outdoors, you won’t have that experience. Instead, it’s going to be a quick snap. In fact, the Camp Snap Photo Camera makes an electronic camera shutter sound when it fires.
The photos are something that Gen Z and Gen Alpha will love. In my jaded Millennial eyes, the images look like the not-so-great photos that early digital point-and-shoot cameras shot. For that reason, so many folks will love what it can do. Personally, I preferred all the characteristics of those cameras but with faster lenses.
What I’m specifically referencing here is color noise, big digital noise grain, odd colors, and more. Plus, you can’t even focus the lens on the camera. However, your kids probably won’t care. And overall, it’s a major aesthetic that people tend to love these days. Think of it like the days of using film point-and-shoot cameras during the digital era for a marketing campaign. Lots of photographers were perplexed by it. But all that art directors want is something different.
With all that said, the Camp Snap Photo Camera is something that’s just different enough. I’m not sure that I’d use it over my film point-and-shoot cameras when I go partying. But I can totally see myself doing that when I go hang out during the daytime. Brian over at Camp Snap told us that more advanced cameras are coming. So I’m very curious to see where those take us.
Pick one up at their website.
Camp Snap Review Update November 2025
The original Camp Snap has gone through a few revisions that went out to customers. But one of the biggest and most awesome things is the fact that the brand actively encourages the hacking of its camera. So brands like Camp Shades have popped up. This is such a refreshing approach that brands like LUMIX and Nikon have taken. Fujifilm and other brands haven’t been so open and encouraging — and that’s disheartening. It’s one of the big reasons why I tend to love these new brands so much — because they understand that not everything is supposed to be a fetishization of reality but an embrace of a dream and a mood.
So after speaking more with founder Brian Waldman, I learned about how the company has embraced and actively promotes other companies like Camp Shades. I went to buy a collection of their filters. The images are stunning after adding the Camp Shades Superior filter — which admittedly is the only one that I’m very addicted to and will stay on the standard Camp Snap that I’ve got. Sure, sometimes the images are dark. Nonetheless, they remind me of a time long gone. My neighborhood, through this lens, looks like a New York that I saw while growing up. I’m currently in the process of finding an appropriate baby photo of me to frame and provide to a local bar — they do that for their regulars. And when I look through those images, I see New York from so long ago. These photos using the Superior filter really resemble that time.
In fact, I’d say that in combination with the crappy-camera aesthetic and the small sensor, I really get the feeling that I’m in the 2000s era.
“Straight out of a Scorsese movie (the good ones),” said Alberto Lima when describing the images I showed him.
Below are some sample images.
