Novelty Cameras are just as you expect. Not always quality pics, some film, some digital, some plastic, some paper – but just plain fun.
Sorted by release year.
Kodak Charmera Digital Keychain
The Kodak Charmera Keychain comes in 7 different versions. It uses a VGA imager (software upgrades the pic to look bigger. It is made to take so-so pics for the sake of taking so-so pics. It is a collectable camera mainly purchased in “blind” boxes.
Digital Kids Camera
Sold at Five Below. Same specs basically as kids cam with exception to having a monochrome thermal printer attached.
- Supposedly megapixels
- Micro SD card storage
- Pricey at $10 or less (slightly more for the advanced models)
- Rechargeable battery.
- Screen that plays games too!!
- File Format: JPG
- Release Year: 2020-ish
- Added To Collection: 2025
- Working no issues
- Please check out Pittsburgh By Mini-Cam.
- Click for more info – Up Tech
Digital Kids Camera
You’ve seen these at pretty much every big box check out area in the U.S. They look like camera shaped dog toys and pretty much sound like them when you take pictures. On average they use the same electronic as the keychain cameras of the mid 2000s and almost the same specs
- Supposedly megapixels
- Micro SD card storage
- Pricey at $10 or less (slightly more for the advanced models)
- Rechargeable battery.
- Screen that plays games too!!
- File Format: JPG
- Release Year: 2020-ish
- Added To Collection: 2023
- Working no issues
- Please check out Pittsburgh By Mini-Cam.
- Click for more info – kids camera article
Vivitar Mini Digital Keychain Camera
Yes, we had to include these. Why …. well, why not? Throw it in your pocket, snap pics around town, get home, download the shots (not knowing what you took because they have no display), and cringe and the final output. Sort of like getting a set of prints back from the processors when you took them in a $20 plastic 35mm cheapo camera in the 80s. Nostalgia never goes away – it just gets smaller. Supposedly these cams started out around 2008 in various forms from Vivitar and others, Sakar was the main OEM manufacturer.
- A whopping .1 mpix (note: there is a decimal point involved here)
- Up to 20 shots at 322×288 or 4x at 176×144
- Pricey at $10 or less (slightly more for the advanced models)
- AAA Battery – one. At least it’s economical
- No screen – why be disappointed right out of the gate
- File Format: JPG
- Release Year: 2008
- Added To Collection: 2009
- Working no issues
- Please check out Pittsburgh By Mini-Cam, a 2010 photo blog project and entry into Art All Night
- Click for more info – camera wiki – oem manufacturer – manual pdf (at least one version)
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