The Camp Snap Pro doesn’t have a rear LCD, a feature that’s a bit of addition by subtraction, and in line with the company’s brand identity. Camp Snap started making cameras for kids going to summer camps that don’t allow devices with screens. Even though it was made for kids, I found a lot to like about the original Camp Snap when I reviewed it last year. I’ve spent so much time reviewing high-end photo gear that I found it creatively freeing to use a back-to-basics camera, and I’m impressed at how good its pictures look on social media and screens, especially for the price.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
The Pro sticks close to the same core concepts as the standard edition (still available for $69). It has a real xenon gas flash, which fires in the blink of an eye and is bright enough to freeze motion, light up a subject in a dark room, and fill in shadows on a sunny day, things that the LED flash on the original Camp Snap just can’t do. I also like that the Pro has four different picture profiles, any of which you can customize via a web page, instead of just one for the original.
The Camp Snap Pro measures 3.0 by 5.0 by 1.5 inches (HWD), just about the same size as two typical smartphones stacked together. It fits into the side pocket of my jeans easily, and is light for its size at 5.1 ounces. The Pro is a little larger than the standard Camp Snap (2.5 by 4.5 by 1.0 inches, 3.4 ounces) and the Flashback One35 V2 (4.2 by 2.1 by 1.2 inches, 5.2 ounces), but not too big to fit into the side pocket of my jeans.
I’m a fan of the Camp Snap Pro’s industrial design. It steps away from the original’s colorful exterior for a two-tone silver-and-black finish, matching the look of a classic film camera. Yes, it’s all plastic, but it looks very good. If you prefer a more colorful digicam, both the standard Camp Snap and the Flashback One35 V2 are available in a variety of colorways.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
I’m less enamored with the decision to use a built-in, non-replaceable battery. It’s long-lasting, allowing for around 500 photos on a full charge, but like all rechargeable batteries, there’s a chance that it will eventually stop taking a charge, turning the camera into another piece of e-waste. Granted, this is a very common criticism of inexpensive digital cameras—the standard Camp Snap, Flashback One35 V2, and Kodak Charmera don’t let you change the battery either.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
A 4GB microSD card is included, offering enough capacity to hold between 800 and 1,000 photos. The card is protected by a latching door. The camera ships with a Philips head screw securing the door, so parents don’t have to worry about a young child opening it up and swallowing a teensy tiny microSD card, but it’s easy to remove the screw if you prefer easy access, and the latch keeps the door from flapping about in any instance. If you don’t want to fiddle with the card, you can use the USB-C port to transfer photos to a computer, phone, or tablet, and to recharge the battery. The port is covered by a rubber flap. It’s also worth noting that the Pro has a standard tripod socket on its baseplate, something that’s not included with the standard Camp Snap or the Flashback One35 V2.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
There’s not a lot in the way of controls. The top includes the shutter release and a dial to switch between Standard, Vintage 1, Vintage 2, or Black-and-White capture, while the front has a switch to adjust the flash power. The flash switch isn’t marked, so you’ll have to remember that its lowest position turns the flash off, the middle is for low power, and the top is for full power.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
As mentioned, the Camp Snap Pro doesn’t include a color LCD on its rear panel, but it does have a four-digit monochrome display that shows how many photos you’ve taken. The rear display also shows the date, time, and speaker volume. You’ll have to open the memory card door to access the buttons for setting the clock and adjusting the speaker volume. By default, the camera plays a shutter noise through its speaker whenever you take a photo. I usually turn off in-camera sounds, but the shutter noise is helpful with the Camp Snap Pro—the camera is so quiet when taking a photo that I wasn’t sure if I had snapped a shot with the sound turned off.
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(Credit: Jim Fisher)
Since there’s no rear display, you’ll use the optical viewfinder to frame your shots. The Camp Snap Pro’s viewfinder is decently large for a compact and shows a clear, bright image, but unfortunately does not cover the entire field of view of the extra-wide 22.5mm equivalent lens. You’ll see a lot more around the edges of your photos than you do around the viewfinder, which takes some getting used to.
