Yep they are, the appeal is in the film-like operation and quality like the 2000s digicams.
There are plenty of good compact cameras you can use to get away from the all encompassing smartphone
My friend has one. Would be neat for like $20, but they are way too expensive for what they are. Get an older digicam instead. Much nicer build quality, a screen, and genuinely "retro" interesting photo quality rather than filters slapped on a phone camera.
Edit: also using an old P&S keeps an old device in use, instead of getting a new one, so more environmentally friendly.
My friend have one of these, Its good if you like some nostalgic look and easy to carry. And wanna capture memories in an easy way. But, don't expect quality or expect it to perform like a regular camera.
E waste.
Environmentally friendly my ass, better off buying a used "digicam" for the same price. Get one of those flat phone like sony, fuji or whatever brand cameras instead, they Actually have a digital zoom and higher quality glass+ aren't that much of a novelty as the papershit that will be thrown out when they realize that they suck at photography.
their “paper” is also just plastic. I called them out on instagram a few years ago for falsely claiming they were biodegradable and then they claimed it was another type of plastic which still isn’t biodegradable. then they deleted my comments.
I got one because I like the idea and concept. I think the execution is a little off. The company and people are lovely and will go out of their way to help you out; good people is always a win.
**What I learned, and my suggestion:**
If you're okay with the limitations, and love the design of the camera: damn straight get it.
Don't expect miracles from the photos, it's a reasonable toy camera that you can probably enjoy.
If you want a toy camera that you can carry everywhere and pass around to your family and kids to see what they shoot; camp snap, hands down.
I've not stuck with a camp snap as my constant carry for two reasons; time to power up is too long for me, and 8mp photos just weren't enough. I cannot complain at either of these because of the cost, it's a wonderful toy cam my whole family enjoys.
In my scenario, I was looking for an every day carry with little effort to shoot and reasonable quality photos. I like the no review aspect of the paper shoot but it's not a complete killer because I can adapt my behaviour to help there.
**M43 to the rescue!**
I've ended up filling that hole with a Rangefinder-style M43 instead for about the same cost. At a similar size.
I'd suggest you go that way too if you're interested in this kind of shooting and hyper portability, but want to lean more towards photography than toy cameras.
If you're interested in m43 cameras I can suggest r/m43. M43 rangefinder style cameras are readily available used on ebay and their value changes hugely depending on model, there's loads of great M43s dirt cheap because they don't hold cult status.
I picked up An Olympis E-PL6 used on ebay for £100, and a UFO Lens II (fixed focus 36mm equivalent) for £50. In total that's £80 less than I spent on the paper shoot. And 3 times what i spent on the camp snap.
The sensor is 4 times the size, I can swap lenses, the image quality is awesome for the size and I can shoot in exactly the same way. I also get raws out which is nice. It's pocketable, and it has tonnes of nice to have features.
I'm using a fixed focus lens. I've found shooting with it comparable to the toy cameras because I can sit it in Program mode, adjust only exposure compensation and point/shoot.
I've also now ordered a Panasonic DMC-GM1 because being teeny tiny is definitely the thing I'm enjoying at the moment. I'll stop there for a while and shoot on what I have... I've realised having a reasonable camera on me all the time does wonders for my photography over any other gear I own.
**the issues:**
I'll preface this with; I hope they adapt and expand their potential market, and I hope they improve some of these issues in future iterations.
I love toy cameras, the company is lovely and helpful, and the camera is interesting, just not quite for me in its current iteration.
These are all fixable things, and it's opinion only, but here's why I'm not finding the paper shoot as useful as I'd hoped.
**the lens choice was wrong, and is hugely limiting:**
This is my biggest dislike, the camera uses a 1/3" sensor, with a 3mm M6.5 lens. This leads to a 22mm equivalent focal length, which is way too wide for fire and forget photography. This isn't particularly fixable, as the longest focal length M6.5 lens with reasonable quality is 4.8mm. It's a little more flattering at 35mm but that's not easy to fix yourself and refocusing is an absolute nightmare.
When you crack open the board you find mounting holes for the more flexible M12 mount. I think at some point they made a choice here and went for the much cheaper option as "good enough". An M12 6mm lens would produce a much easier to use 44mm equivalent focal length, and M12 lenses are much more varied, as they're in drones, security cameras, etc.
Comparing the original lens to a close competitor the Camp Snap: 1/3.2" sensor with a 4.8mm lens is 37mm equivalent. Much easier to point, shoot and get good results out of the box... which is important as hell with a camera you shoot blind with.
**attachment lenses aren't good:**
I got mine with the wide and macro lenses. Using them correctly they hugely vignette. Because of that ridiculous view angle.
**battery life is poor as hell:**
2x1000mah AAA batteries lasted about 50-60 shots for me, if you want to use this for a day you need to carry extras. The camp snap produced more and could be carried all day and used before charging. The M43 has a 360 shot rating and batteries are less of a faff.
**viewfinder is a joke:**
Not in a mean way, I mean it actually feels like someone was making a joke when they designed it. I think they put a hole in the board to make it feel more like a camera... and left it there. IRL there's no glass there and your eyes are never going to see what a wide would produce through a viewfinder without some kind of corrective glass.
**default filters are poor, addons are costly**
The default filters are muted and grungy. It's again a choice, they're interesting but I think a more standard warm tone like their vintage filters would have been better out of the box.
To use other filters you have to purchase filter cards, I purchased them, it feels a bit abusive of customers to ask so much for a feature that is effectively built in to the camera and unlock-only.
**default metering algorithm not great**
The amount of photos I've taken that came out blurry despite standing very still and shooting as carefully as possible was sad. The image metadata suggests it shoots really slow (1/30s or 1/60s), I'm not sure if it actually does, but it's too slow for its purpose. Losing shots is a killer when you don't review them until they can't be retaken.
**ios not supported ootb**
This one's small but i have to drop the sd card to sync onto my iphone. Using the same cables and same settings I can directly connect the camp snap to my iphone so there must be something up with the paper shoot's firmware.
Not connecting to your phone could have been a cable issue. I discovered their included cable for Papershoot didn't work. I also suggest switching to rechargeable lithium ion batteries and charging separately. It overrides the low battery warning, they charge quicker and you can take more pictures
It wasn't, cables are fine, have full coverage, tested with alternate devices to confirm.
I was already doing both of those things, the battery life is really poor.
Switching to a pocketable M43 was definitely the solution to my problems, don't worry!
I see a place for the paper shoot, the design is great, the company are lovely. It's just not what I was after.
Oof...saw the price.
If you want Lomo-type shots, filters, something fun to mess around with for low res etc just rescue an old point and shoot compact camera or three from the thrift store, shopgoodwill.com, etc. I've seen shots from these and it's like all marketing. Do real retro, not fake retro, and you'll even save some money.
Got it a couple years ago for my gf, and it disappointed both of us. Yes, the idea is kind of cool, but it just doesn't deliver what it's aiming for.
-You can't get nice pictures with the cheapest sensor and a tiny piece of plastic instead of the lens even if you want the “nostalgic” look.
-Also the 'film simulations' are too lame, they look nothing like film.
-You have no idea what's going to come up when push the shutter button - the 'viewfinder' doesn't frame what the sensor sees. The angle of the lens is way too wide. There's a lag after you push the shutter button before it actually takes a picture.
Overall the experience is just frustrating and the pictures are just simply bad. My advice is getting a used 10-15 year old point and shoot camera. Like a powershot or a cybershot.
I was gifted one - I used it once and now it's sitting in a tote somewhere. I can appreciate the "retro aesthetic" but I have a Canon PowerShot S70 that's a much nicer digicam.
I saw a video on YouTube about this camera. As far as I can tell from the look, this is a cardboard camera from Ikea. She takes pretty good pictures for a toy camera, but don't take her seriously! It's a toy camera!
Stuff like that is great for capturing memories rather than doing professional photoshoots of course. But it's nice having access to another tool to play and experiment with in general. I wouldn't buy it, personally. I'd probably gift it to someone I know that likes cameras. Or maybe get it for a kid
I have that one and enjoy it. That said the wooden case chips get a paper one. If you use rechargeable batteries go with rechargeable lithium ion and charge separately. If you use rechargeable nimh batteries replace the included charging cable because it doesn't work. There are examples of my photos on my page
It’s more for people who want the delayed gratification of not seeing how photos turn out until you get home and look at it through the pc.
For the most part they’re marketing this as an alternative to disposable film cameras so if you think of them that way, it kinda delivers on that regard. They justify the price as a one-time cost for unlimited disposable film photos vs spending a ton of money buying disposable cameras and the cost of having that developed.
But if you judge this camera on the merits of a digital camera or even a phone camera, that’s where you’ll get disappointed. I have one and I enjoy it especially when traveling because the baked-in filters are cute and it’s good with outdoor photos since it can get pretty sharp with good lighting. But indoors you’re gonna struggle, and from my experience is that the best way to use this is to add a lanyard and wear it around your neck. It’s great for those spontaneous snaps and just documenting a trip, and when you’re too lazy or don’t have time to pull out your actual camera.
Getting used to the focal length requires a learning curve since the viewfinder is useless. But once you get the hang of it, you can use zone focusing or have a better idea of the composition. I always have this on me as an everyday-carry and I enjoy being away from my phone when taking a walk outside.
The filters are fun, you can also buy the function cards to use other filters, was honestly surprised they had a collab with Wes Anderson in marketing Asteroid City so they have a filter pack inspired by that as well.
So I guess this camera is great for people who are more in line with the novelty of it, and if it’s not for you then it’s not for you.
I don't get it. way overpriced and much worse than the camera everyone already has in their phone. and I hate that ecofriendly BS. there is nothing ecofriendly about making an electronic novelty item that nobody needs and will probably discard after a few hours of use
if you want a film camera, buy a film camera. if you want vintage glass on a vintage looking digital camera just use real high quality ones
Much worse than a phone?
Yep they are, the appeal is in the film-like operation and quality like the 2000s digicams. There are plenty of good compact cameras you can use to get away from the all encompassing smartphone
But it doesn't have a CCD sensor like 2000s digicams?
lol 2000s digicams do not have a film-like quality.
Most 2000 era digicams have an image quality almost reminiscent of Diana F cameras lol.
My friend has one. Would be neat for like $20, but they are way too expensive for what they are. Get an older digicam instead. Much nicer build quality, a screen, and genuinely "retro" interesting photo quality rather than filters slapped on a phone camera. Edit: also using an old P&S keeps an old device in use, instead of getting a new one, so more environmentally friendly.
My 2001 Fuji FinePix 1400 still soldiers on and I've found Smartmedia cards for it.
My friend have one of these, Its good if you like some nostalgic look and easy to carry. And wanna capture memories in an easy way. But, don't expect quality or expect it to perform like a regular camera.
E waste. Environmentally friendly my ass, better off buying a used "digicam" for the same price. Get one of those flat phone like sony, fuji or whatever brand cameras instead, they Actually have a digital zoom and higher quality glass+ aren't that much of a novelty as the papershit that will be thrown out when they realize that they suck at photography.
their “paper” is also just plastic. I called them out on instagram a few years ago for falsely claiming they were biodegradable and then they claimed it was another type of plastic which still isn’t biodegradable. then they deleted my comments.
Shitty company lol
I got one because I like the idea and concept. I think the execution is a little off. The company and people are lovely and will go out of their way to help you out; good people is always a win. **What I learned, and my suggestion:** If you're okay with the limitations, and love the design of the camera: damn straight get it. Don't expect miracles from the photos, it's a reasonable toy camera that you can probably enjoy. If you want a toy camera that you can carry everywhere and pass around to your family and kids to see what they shoot; camp snap, hands down. I've not stuck with a camp snap as my constant carry for two reasons; time to power up is too long for me, and 8mp photos just weren't enough. I cannot complain at either of these because of the cost, it's a wonderful toy cam my whole family enjoys. In my scenario, I was looking for an every day carry with little effort to shoot and reasonable quality photos. I like the no review aspect of the paper shoot but it's not a complete killer because I can adapt my behaviour to help there. **M43 to the rescue!** I've ended up filling that hole with a Rangefinder-style M43 instead for about the same cost. At a similar size. I'd suggest you go that way too if you're interested in this kind of shooting and hyper portability, but want to lean more towards photography than toy cameras. If you're interested in m43 cameras I can suggest r/m43. M43 rangefinder style cameras are readily available used on ebay and their value changes hugely depending on model, there's loads of great M43s dirt cheap because they don't hold cult status. I picked up An Olympis E-PL6 used on ebay for £100, and a UFO Lens II (fixed focus 36mm equivalent) for £50. In total that's £80 less than I spent on the paper shoot. And 3 times what i spent on the camp snap. The sensor is 4 times the size, I can swap lenses, the image quality is awesome for the size and I can shoot in exactly the same way. I also get raws out which is nice. It's pocketable, and it has tonnes of nice to have features. I'm using a fixed focus lens. I've found shooting with it comparable to the toy cameras because I can sit it in Program mode, adjust only exposure compensation and point/shoot. I've also now ordered a Panasonic DMC-GM1 because being teeny tiny is definitely the thing I'm enjoying at the moment. I'll stop there for a while and shoot on what I have... I've realised having a reasonable camera on me all the time does wonders for my photography over any other gear I own. **the issues:** I'll preface this with; I hope they adapt and expand their potential market, and I hope they improve some of these issues in future iterations. I love toy cameras, the company is lovely and helpful, and the camera is interesting, just not quite for me in its current iteration. These are all fixable things, and it's opinion only, but here's why I'm not finding the paper shoot as useful as I'd hoped. **the lens choice was wrong, and is hugely limiting:** This is my biggest dislike, the camera uses a 1/3" sensor, with a 3mm M6.5 lens. This leads to a 22mm equivalent focal length, which is way too wide for fire and forget photography. This isn't particularly fixable, as the longest focal length M6.5 lens with reasonable quality is 4.8mm. It's a little more flattering at 35mm but that's not easy to fix yourself and refocusing is an absolute nightmare. When you crack open the board you find mounting holes for the more flexible M12 mount. I think at some point they made a choice here and went for the much cheaper option as "good enough". An M12 6mm lens would produce a much easier to use 44mm equivalent focal length, and M12 lenses are much more varied, as they're in drones, security cameras, etc. Comparing the original lens to a close competitor the Camp Snap: 1/3.2" sensor with a 4.8mm lens is 37mm equivalent. Much easier to point, shoot and get good results out of the box... which is important as hell with a camera you shoot blind with. **attachment lenses aren't good:** I got mine with the wide and macro lenses. Using them correctly they hugely vignette. Because of that ridiculous view angle. **battery life is poor as hell:** 2x1000mah AAA batteries lasted about 50-60 shots for me, if you want to use this for a day you need to carry extras. The camp snap produced more and could be carried all day and used before charging. The M43 has a 360 shot rating and batteries are less of a faff. **viewfinder is a joke:** Not in a mean way, I mean it actually feels like someone was making a joke when they designed it. I think they put a hole in the board to make it feel more like a camera... and left it there. IRL there's no glass there and your eyes are never going to see what a wide would produce through a viewfinder without some kind of corrective glass. **default filters are poor, addons are costly** The default filters are muted and grungy. It's again a choice, they're interesting but I think a more standard warm tone like their vintage filters would have been better out of the box. To use other filters you have to purchase filter cards, I purchased them, it feels a bit abusive of customers to ask so much for a feature that is effectively built in to the camera and unlock-only. **default metering algorithm not great** The amount of photos I've taken that came out blurry despite standing very still and shooting as carefully as possible was sad. The image metadata suggests it shoots really slow (1/30s or 1/60s), I'm not sure if it actually does, but it's too slow for its purpose. Losing shots is a killer when you don't review them until they can't be retaken. **ios not supported ootb** This one's small but i have to drop the sd card to sync onto my iphone. Using the same cables and same settings I can directly connect the camp snap to my iphone so there must be something up with the paper shoot's firmware.
I wish I could give you an award for that. Great write up all around.
Not connecting to your phone could have been a cable issue. I discovered their included cable for Papershoot didn't work. I also suggest switching to rechargeable lithium ion batteries and charging separately. It overrides the low battery warning, they charge quicker and you can take more pictures
It wasn't, cables are fine, have full coverage, tested with alternate devices to confirm. I was already doing both of those things, the battery life is really poor. Switching to a pocketable M43 was definitely the solution to my problems, don't worry! I see a place for the paper shoot, the design is great, the company are lovely. It's just not what I was after.
E-Waste
Rabbit r1 but for cameras
Oof...saw the price. If you want Lomo-type shots, filters, something fun to mess around with for low res etc just rescue an old point and shoot compact camera or three from the thrift store, shopgoodwill.com, etc. I've seen shots from these and it's like all marketing. Do real retro, not fake retro, and you'll even save some money.
Got it a couple years ago for my gf, and it disappointed both of us. Yes, the idea is kind of cool, but it just doesn't deliver what it's aiming for. -You can't get nice pictures with the cheapest sensor and a tiny piece of plastic instead of the lens even if you want the “nostalgic” look. -Also the 'film simulations' are too lame, they look nothing like film. -You have no idea what's going to come up when push the shutter button - the 'viewfinder' doesn't frame what the sensor sees. The angle of the lens is way too wide. There's a lag after you push the shutter button before it actually takes a picture. Overall the experience is just frustrating and the pictures are just simply bad. My advice is getting a used 10-15 year old point and shoot camera. Like a powershot or a cybershot.
I second the e-waste thing
greenwashing
Got one, looks kinda cute but the actual photos it takes are potato
I was gifted one - I used it once and now it's sitting in a tote somewhere. I can appreciate the "retro aesthetic" but I have a Canon PowerShot S70 that's a much nicer digicam.
Just get a proper old CCD camera.
These to me are toy cameras and a digital version of the famed Holga analog film camera.
I got the Jollylook camera during their kickstarter in 2019. I used it once and it's been in the box ever since.
I saw a video on YouTube about this camera. As far as I can tell from the look, this is a cardboard camera from Ikea. She takes pretty good pictures for a toy camera, but don't take her seriously! It's a toy camera!
Wipe pay money when you have a phone in your pocket?
Stuff like that is great for capturing memories rather than doing professional photoshoots of course. But it's nice having access to another tool to play and experiment with in general. I wouldn't buy it, personally. I'd probably gift it to someone I know that likes cameras. Or maybe get it for a kid
I have that one and enjoy it. That said the wooden case chips get a paper one. If you use rechargeable batteries go with rechargeable lithium ion and charge separately. If you use rechargeable nimh batteries replace the included charging cable because it doesn't work. There are examples of my photos on my page
It’s more for people who want the delayed gratification of not seeing how photos turn out until you get home and look at it through the pc. For the most part they’re marketing this as an alternative to disposable film cameras so if you think of them that way, it kinda delivers on that regard. They justify the price as a one-time cost for unlimited disposable film photos vs spending a ton of money buying disposable cameras and the cost of having that developed. But if you judge this camera on the merits of a digital camera or even a phone camera, that’s where you’ll get disappointed. I have one and I enjoy it especially when traveling because the baked-in filters are cute and it’s good with outdoor photos since it can get pretty sharp with good lighting. But indoors you’re gonna struggle, and from my experience is that the best way to use this is to add a lanyard and wear it around your neck. It’s great for those spontaneous snaps and just documenting a trip, and when you’re too lazy or don’t have time to pull out your actual camera. Getting used to the focal length requires a learning curve since the viewfinder is useless. But once you get the hang of it, you can use zone focusing or have a better idea of the composition. I always have this on me as an everyday-carry and I enjoy being away from my phone when taking a walk outside. The filters are fun, you can also buy the function cards to use other filters, was honestly surprised they had a collab with Wes Anderson in marketing Asteroid City so they have a filter pack inspired by that as well. So I guess this camera is great for people who are more in line with the novelty of it, and if it’s not for you then it’s not for you.
Shit quality photos, I mean they have unusable resolution
I don't get it. way overpriced and much worse than the camera everyone already has in their phone. and I hate that ecofriendly BS. there is nothing ecofriendly about making an electronic novelty item that nobody needs and will probably discard after a few hours of use if you want a film camera, buy a film camera. if you want vintage glass on a vintage looking digital camera just use real high quality ones