Lenovo has launched a cheap compact camera, dubbed the Lenovo C55. You heard that right, the Beijing-based consumer tech company, best known for its affordable laptops and desktop computers, has jumped on the compact camera bandwagon and looks set to duke it out with the likes of the Kodak PixPro FZ45 and Yashica City 100.
According to Yanko Design and Notebookcheck this little camera is built around a 64MP Sony CMOS sensor, which can capture 4K video. And while that does sound very impressive for a $69 (approx £51 / AU$107) device, many cheap compact camera manufacturers quote similar specs.
Ultimately, you can only expect so much from a tiny 1/3-inch sensor and I can’t find word of 4K video framerates, but for well under $100, that’s not to say this couldn’t turn out to be a useful little device for the right person.
And with that person in mind, it’s worth remembering that these kinds of cameras aren’t necessarily aimed at photography enthusiasts, with a price point and features that are more likely to appeal to a younger, beginner demographic. As such, the built-in ring light around the built-in f/2.2 lens is definitely a highlight (no pun intended) that will appeal to selfie takers and fledgling content creators. And while the 2.8-inch rear LCD screen appears to be fixed, you'll notice a selfie mirror on the picture above (à la Fujifilm Instax) so selfie takers can still frame the perfect shot.
There’s no optical zoom, although the camera does have an 18x digital zoom. And, according to Photo Rumors, the camera features electronic image stabilization and continuous shooting (no word on the framerate). Press imagery – translated by Google Translate – reveals a 1300 mAh battery with a 120-minute shooting time. The camera also takes microSD cards of up to 128GB, and appears to have a USB-C port.
There’s also a mode dial, of which PetaPixel released a machine-translated graphic of an original press image from Lenovo. This reveals various functions, including filter effects, loop video, slow-motion video, and time-lapse video. However, I do wonder if the latter is in fact a self-timer, given it has an icon of a clockface with the letter ‘S’ next to it. The form factor of this little camera is suitably small, weighing in at 190g and measuring 112x71.5x34.5mm.
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Working within a tight budget? Here are the best cheap cameras. Also, check out the Kodak PixPro Z55 and for those in search of a more premium compact camera, the brand new Fujifilm X Half.
