Camp Snap: my first impressions

Camp Snap is a screen-free digital camera that I recently bought online. I received it two days ago and I've already written Yesterday on this blog about my unboxing experience.

First, a disclaimer: I'm not a photographer, so don't expect a technical review of this camera. I decided to try this device just to take photos to share online without the need for a screen. Just point and shoot. Stop.

This is basically a children's (toy) camera with no bells and whistles. I tested a Camp Snap Model 103B. It comes with a pre-installed flash memory card (4GB) and a USB Type-C cable to charge the internal battery and transfer photos to your PC or smartphone.
There are no setup options. You only have a flash LED that you can turn on, off or set to auto.
You can use three filters on your photos (but they're not built in): standard, vintage, and black and white. To use them, you'll have to download a file from the manufacturer's website and transfer it to the root directory of your camera. Turn it on, wait a few seconds for the update, and you're good to go.

It's pretty neat to be able to change filters, but even though the process is really simple, it's not something you can just do on the go.
Basically, you have to know which filter you're going to use before you go out with your camera. 
If you want to apply different filters to your photos, it is probably best to use the default filter and then use a program like Gimp for post-processing.
Another problem is getting used to the viewfinder. In fact, what you see with the viewfinder is not exactly what you're shooting. So you have to try it a few times and see the results to understand how it works.

Below are some examples of photos, please note that Scribbles (the platform this blog is hosted on) automatically resizes photos once they are uploaded. Most social networks do the same, so this gives you a good idea of what you can expect from this camera.

---

Final thoughts

The Camp Snap camera is a really fun device if you know what you are buying it for.

Pros:

• easy to use, small and light to carry;
• no screen (like in "old style photography");
• just point and shoot.

Cons:

• probably lower photo quality than your smartphone;
•  another device to carry and charge;
•  sensor does not like direct sunlight or dark environments;
•  you have no idea if your shot is good or not until you connect your camera to your phone or PC;
• what you see in the viewfinder is NOT what you get, so you need time to get used to it.