Kodak’s keychain camera Charmera gets Y2K-inspired refresh

KODAK’S popular Charmera keychain camera released last year is getting a second edition featuring Y2K-inspired designs.

Based on the website of RETO Production Ltd. or RETO Project, the Hong Kong-based global brand licensee of the Eastman Kodak Co., the second collection is called the Kodak Charmera Millennium Edition.

The first release’s designs were inspired by the original 1987 Kodak Fling. This time, the new collection aims to capture the Y2K energy and the high-gloss aesthetic of the 2000s, the company said, with the individual camera designs featuring a metallic finish.

“The Millennium edition continues the legacy as a blind box collectible, making every unboxing a mystery to solve. Inside, the digital experience has been completely overhauled to mirror the dawn of the internet age.”

As with the first release, the Millennium Edition features seven designs, including a “secret” chrome edition.

The cameras can be bought individually, with customers getting one random edition, and also in a set that will contain six blind boxes with no repetitions.

One of the basic editions will be replaced if the secret edition appears in the set.

The latest edition also comes with four new retro-futurism frames and seven color-rich pixelated filters.

Meanwhile, the hardware remains the same. The Kodak Charmera has a 1/4-inch CMOS sensor and 35mm f/2.4 lens, and is able to capture photos with a resolution of 1,440 x 1,080 pixels and record videos as AVI files at 30 frames per second. It also requires a Micro SD card (up to 128 gigabytes), which is not included in the box, and has a 200mAh internal battery that charges via USB-C.

Like the original release, each blind box contains an A5 leaflet and Charmera ID card along with the camera unit, a keyring, and a USB-C cable.

Based on the RETO website, each blind box costs $34.99, while the set is priced at $209.94.

Local pricing and release details remain unavailable, but several Philippine camera retailers, including Henry’s Cameras PH and JG Superstore, have already posted about the new collection. — Bettina V. Roc