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I love photography. I've loved it since I was a child, and I love the cameras that make it possible to capture life's precious moments. But not every precious moment has to be a big event, such as a wedding or a 50th birthday. I believe a lot of life happens in those small, easily missable moments when you're laughing uncontrollably with your partner and realize just how stupidly in love you are, or when all you're doing is reading a book while your mom sits next to you, knitting.
It's those moments that, as a photographer, you'd feel privileged to capture. And sometimes, you don't need to have the best mirrorless camera at your disposal to snap it. Life's imperfect, and there's a certain charm in using a camera just as imperfect — the Kodak Charmera is exactly that.
It didn't take much for the Charmera to go viral online — this TikTok video alone has over 100,000 views. It's tiny, it's cute, and it appeals to millenials, Gen-Z and Gen Alpha who want a simple camera to take on a messy night out with friends. Oh, and it takes... bad photos, which fit the nostalgia social media has been desperately chasing for the last couple of years.
I've been trying to get my hands on the Charmera for a while now, and I finally got it a few days ago. I've since been testing it for my in-depth review, but I wanted to share my first impressions on it with you as soon as possible, so here they are.
Charm + Camera = Charmera
If you're curious about the etymology of the word 'Charmera,' you aren't alone. The Kodak Charmera is a one-of-a-kind name, and its the photography giant's one-of-a-kind camera too. It's compact, yet it doesn't belong to the PIXPRO lineup of compact point-and-shoot cameras. So, where does 'Charmera' come from, exactly?
It's obviously a combination of the words 'charm' and 'camera,' and 'charm' has a double meaning here. Since the camera is fitted with a loop that can be clipped onto bags and keys, it could mean a phone strap charm, and it's also charming. Oh, and it's a camera. So a Charmera. To me, it's a catchy name, and I love saying it.
Have a look at just how small the Charmera looks compared to other cameras in the photo above. The Charmera measures and weighs barely anything at 2.28 x 0.96 x 0.78 inches and 1.05oz, which means you barely feel it when it's in your pocket or dangling from your bag.
But just because it's tiny doesn't mean it's a hassle to use. It feels comfortable to hold with just one hand, and all of its buttons are quick to register your commands — I think so, at least, with medium-sized hands.
Gotta catch 'em all
The Charmera comes in six different colors, as you can see above, and you can only order a Blind Box which means you won't know what variant you're getting until you open the box.
When I was growing up in India in the 90s and early 2000s, my brother, cousins and I would always buy bags of Cheetos when we were together, and each bag would have a Tazo. These were small plastic collectible tokens with characters from Looney Tunes printed on them. We wanted to collect them all, which meant we'd spend all our pocket money on Cheetos. There's something very nostalgic about that feeling, and the Kodak Charmera hopes to capitalize on it.
How? Well, the Charmera comes in six different colors, as you can see above, and you can only order a Blind Box which means you won't know what variant you're getting until you open the box.
There's also a secret, rare seventh model, a see-through one, which can randomly turn up in one of these boxes. It's rare, like the Chase variant of Funko Pop bobbleheads.
And why wouldn't you want to collect them all? The Charmera is priced very cheaply, with one camera costing $29 / £30 at Amazon.. You can get the whole set too, containing all six colors (and maybe the seventh), and that costs $179 / £180. This is nowhere near as expensive as other compact point-and-shoot cameras, which makes the game affordable and accessible.
Bad images? Who cares
I'll be honest, the Kodak Charmera isn't a technically good camera, as far as my first impressions go. It is fitted with a 1.6MP 1/4-inch CMOS sensor which means images are extremely low-res, especially when viewed on a screen bigger than the Charmera's 0.8-inch LCD — and most screens are bigger than that. The sensor size is too small to deliver decent low-light performance too.
But I don't believe 'good image quality' is the point here at all. The Charmera is designed for fun. Before I started testing it, one of my friends had one at our New Year's Eve gathering, and everyone was enamored by it; it became a big talking point. And that is the point.
It's a camera you can take anywhere with you — from your travels to boozy nights out with friends — without worrying about looking after it or ensuring a drink doesn't spill on it.
I took the Charmera around Bath, U.K. and took pictures of anything that took my fancy. Of course, I'll be taking more before I publish my full Kodak Charmera review but for now, you can see what the image quality looks like. Lo-fi, retro, right? My favorite of the ones I've taken so far is of the pigeons in flight (first flight). It looks low-key artsy.
Even though the Charmera doesn't feature a selfie mirror on the front, my colleague, Erin, still managed to take a selfie, and it's perhaps the best photo of the lot! You also get 12 different looks (seven filters, four frames) such as sepia, monochrome, and film reel, so you can experiment with those. You can see a couple examples in the gallery above.
The Charmera can capture 1080p video at 30fps too, which is fairly impressive for a camera of its stature. But again, because of the small sensor size, it doesn't look as hi-def as videos recorded on bigger cameras. Video recording is a handy feature for those who want to document their adventures with a vintage aesthetic to them. I'll be including videos when I publish my full Kodak Charmera review so keep an eye out.
Looking ahead...
Even though I've been using it for just a week, I'm already charmed by the Kodak Charmera. It's super cute and tiny, and it's extremely affordable. Designed for people who want an easy-to-use everyday camera that captures lo-fi photos, the Charmera is highly portable too.
My first impressions tell me that image quality isn't the best, but my first impressions also tell me that this isn't a camera designed for pro-level photography. It's for those who want to capture the imperfection of daily life, and at that, it excels (so far). Keep an eye out for my full Kodak Charmera review, of course, where I'll be discussing battery life, design and build, and image and video quality in detail!
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