The Kodak Charmera mixes three trends in one – the retro craze, the resurgence of compact cameras, and the blind box – and the trend trifecta proved successful: the tiny working keychain camera sold out in a day. But the company has just reopened pre-orders for a second round, allowing fans to get their hands on the $30 / £30 / AU$46 camera with shipping at the end of October.
The Kodak Charmera is a tiny camera, but despite its size and keychain, the Charmera still takes pictures. The Charmera uses a 1.6MP 1/4-inch sensor to take snapshots. That low-resolution camera, like the retro design on the outside, is a nod to nostalgic snapshots, taking low-fi snapshots.
The Charmera is sold in a blind box – fans don’t know which of the seven designs they will find in the box. That includes six standard designs, as well as a “secret” seventh design that uses a transparent case to reveal the camera’s tech inside. The tiny digital camera uses a design inspired by the 1987 Kodak Fling disposable camera.
The original pre-order for the tiny camera, which was expected to begin shipping on October 06, sold out in less than a day. The camera’s official website, however, has pre-orders back open as of this writing. The second round of pre-orders is expected to begin shipping as early as October 31.
The company says, however, that shipping may be delayed by 1-5 days due to high demand. The company estimates shipping to the US and UK within 3-14 working days, while global shipping may take up to 20 days.
The Charmera’s overnight success and limited availability have led to inflated prices for the $30 / £30, with eBay having several listings for more than three times the original price and one $1,590 CAD listing for the “secret” clear design (about $1,144 USD / £851 / AU$1,736).
Pre-orders are available directly from the manufacturer's website. The price doesn’t include shipping or import taxes.
The Kodak Charmera is created under a licensing agreement with Kodak and is made by Reto Productions, the same company behind the Kodak Ektar H35 half-frame film camera.
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