About Benedict Brain
Benedict Brain is a UK-based photographer, journalist and artist. He is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and a member of the Society’s Distinctions Advisory Panel. He is also a former editor of Digital camera Magazine, and the author of At the end of this book you will be able to take great photos.
Imagine a disposable camera, but with a small digital sensor instead of film. This is the Camp Snap, a simple camera that I was seduced into buying. I have a preference
for quirky toy cameras, so I was fair game for all these online algorithms.
Cheap, toy-like cameras often have a unique aesthetic that some
find it frustrating. However, with the right attitude, its crudeness can be used to creative effect. Camp Snap looks and feels like a disposable camera; although there is a digital sensor, there are few controls and no screen.
On the back of the camera are a flash on/off/auto button and a simple LED frame counter. It’s rechargeable via a USB-C cable and can be connected to a computer to download images stored on a microSD card. Essentially, it’s designed to free you from the distractions of technology and allow you to have unhindered creative fun. And that’s exactly what I did. More or less.
I took my Camp Snap with me on a recent trip to the Mediterranean – I had my “real” camera with me too, but using the Camp Snap was still a great experience. I even took some comparison shots with both cameras. While my Fujifilm medium format camera produced better files, the Camp Snap taught me the fundamental fact that “seeing” is more important than equipment.
The Camp Snap’s viewfinder isn’t very good, so I had to do a lot of experimenting to figure out how the camera “sees” and how it handles light. The low autumn light was beautiful, so one of the things I did was photograph my shadow. It’s not exactly original, but I like how the camera handled the contrast. I came back with
a large collection, some of which you can see here. I enjoyed the simplicity – not having to mess with settings was freeing. I feel like Camp Snap
a constant companion. It’s small, light, and cheap enough (about $80) to put in a bag without being too precious.
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