Kodak Charmera: Mini digital camera with a surprise effect

Martin Jud

11.9.2025

Translation: machine translated

With the Charmera, Kodak is launching a digital camera in keyring format - packaged in a blind box. Unfortunately, it is already sold out. Whether this is due to demand or clever calculation remains to be seen.

Kodak and Reto have presented the Charmera, a digital camera that is so small it could pass for a key ring - and so playful that it is sold in a blind box. Blind box means that anyone ordering does not know in advance which of the seven colour variants will be included in the package. The gadget is aimed less at photo enthusiasts and more at collectors, people with a taste for retro gadgets or simply the curious who like to be surprised.

Optically, the Charmera is reminiscent of the cheap film cameras from the 90s and early 2000s - those colourful plastic models with an optical viewfinder that you got on trips, at festivals or as promotional gifts. No zoom, no display, just snap away. The Charmera picks up on precisely this disposable camera look, replaces the film roll with a microSD card and remains technically deliberately reduced. A digital homage to the analogue mass-produced goods that once democratised photography.

The camera comes from Reto Production Limited, a licence partner of Kodak based in Hong Kong. Reto has been developing retro cameras for years and brings them onto the market under the Kodak branding - including models such as the M35 or Ultra Wide & Slim.

The Charmera weighs 30 grammes, measures 5.8 × 2.5 × 2 centimetres and comes with a clip key ring. It takes photos at 1.6 megapixels and stores them on a microSD card, which is not included. Videos are also possible - in AVI format with 30 FPS. The resolution is presumably 640 × 480 pixels, but is not officially stated. Charging is via USB-C. The 0.8-inch display shows the battery status, memory and scene preview, while the optical viewfinder takes on the look of classic 90s compact cameras. In addition, seven filters, four frames and a date stamp can be activated - all deliberately lo-fi and charmingly reduced.

For a short time, Charmera was available from the official Kodak Reto shop for $29.99 - plus shipping and VAT. At the time of publishing this news, it is already on sale. Whether and when replenishment will come is currently open.

Whether the camera is worth it depends very much on your point of view. Anyone expecting a serious digital camera will be disappointed. On the other hand, anyone looking for a playful accessory that is suitable as a gift, collector's item or gag will get a piece of retro nostalgia with a surprise effect. The technology is secondary - what counts here is the look, the format and the idea.

Martin Jud

Senior Editor

martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.ch

I find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.

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