(Credit: Jim Fisher)
It didn't take long for cameras to join the Labubu blind box craze. Much like the wildly popular plush monster toy, the Kodak Charmera comes in a variety of collectible styles. Priced at $29.99, this tiny toy camera doubles as a keychain and is produced by Reto Project—Kodak's longtime licensee and the maker of the Ektar H35 and H35N half-frame 35mm film cameras. After trying it out, I'd say the Charmera might just be the perfect small gift for the photographer in your life.
Look and Style: A Brand New Fling
Before I delve into the details of the Charmera, it's helpful to understand what a blind box is. I'll admit, I wasn't too familiar with the term when I first heard about the Charmera, but as someone who grew up regularly visiting comic shops, the concept is quite familiar. A blind box is like buying a pack of Magic: The Gathering trading cards (or, if you were less of a nerd, baseball cards)—you know that you're going to get something, but your chances of getting a rarity like the Black Lotus are about as good as winning the Powerball.
Labubu started the big blind box fad for 2025, and Reto is getting in on the fun with the Charmera. It comes in one of seven different colors. You have a one-in-six chance of getting it in yellow, blue, red, silver, rainbow, or a Mondrian-style art print, but just a one-in-48 shot of getting the rarest, which comes in transparent plastic so you can see the tech inside the camera. You can watch me unbox one in the video below:
The Charmera borrows its design from the Kodak Fling, a cardboard and plastic disposable camera that sold for $2.99 back in 1987 and wasn't much bigger than its built-in 110 film cartridge. The Fling wasn't the first disposable camera (Fujifilm beat Kodak to market by a year with its QuickSnap), but it's historically important as it popularized the concept with American snapshooters. It was only on sale for about two years before Kodak replaced it with the FunSaver line, which used the bigger 35mm film format.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)I've only seen pictures of the Fling, but they show it to be an excellent piece of industrial and graphic design. Its simplicity is on show; Kodak essentially wrapped a 110 film cartridge and tiny plastic camera in cardboard. The Fling is done up in Kodak's iconic yellow color, and puts the lens right in the middle of the rainbow stripe K logo.
I ended up pulling a Charmera that borrows its design directly from the Fling, and it looks great. Its colors and typography line up with its inspiration, and I love that Reto replaced the "200" film speed rating with 1987, tipping its hat to the original release year.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The Pictures Are Hot Garbage, But So What, Who Cares?
The Charmera is incredibly tiny (2.3 by 1.0 by 0.8 inches). That's a good inch narrower than a 110 film cassette, if you're keeping score, and it's lightweight, weighing just over an ounce. It comes with a metal clip, making it easy to attach to your keychain or favorite camera bag. It'd be a cool enough accessory if it were just a piece of flair, but the Charmera is a fully working digital camera. It charges via USB-C (a cable is included) and saves pictures on a microSD card (not included).
(Credit: Jim Fisher)It's not a good digital camera, at least by today's metrics. Its pictures are, from an objective standpoint, bad. That's not a surprise, given the technology inside—it features a 1.6MP Type 1/4 image sensor, which delivers photos with blurry details and little to no dynamic range. Landscapes resemble impressionist watercolors more than lifelike renderings of reality.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)Picture quality isn't the point here, and the Charmera gets some mileage out of its lo-fi rendering with the addition of filters. You can swap through a variety, including basics like black and white, as well as both cool and warm tints. It also takes pixelated photos in blue, gray, red, or yellow, and four graphic frame overlays. For those, you can pick between Kodak-themed stickers, an image of the camera itself, film sprockets, or a Windows 95-style app interface. You can also choose to add an LED-style date stamp. The Charmera's imaging engine leans into its whimsical design.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)It does video too. Its 1080p footage is shot with a 4:3 aspect ratio with sound, which also takes me back to 1987. The footage reminds me of home movies shot on VHS tapes. Content creators who want to opt for a retro look will be pleased.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The Charmera features a tunnel-style viewfinder, allowing you to bring it up to your eye and snap a shot. However, its view is significantly narrower than the moderately wide-angle (35mm full-frame equivalent) lens. The rear LCD is a better choice for gauging your frame, as you'd expect it to be quite small and not support touch, but it does show an accurate preview of a scene.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The camera is easy to operate. Simply turn it on with the power button located on top, and you'll be greeted with a splash screen that allows you to select between photos, videos, and the setup menu. Tap the shutter release button to enter photo mode, or use the up and down arrows on the back to switch to video mode or access the menu. To switch between pictures and movies while the camera is already on, simply press the power button briefly.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)When Will It Be Back in Stock?
The Charmera is a hot ticket item. Reto has already released three batches, all of which have sold out completely. It’s clear the company has a hit on its hands. Strong marketing plays a big role here—while the Charmera would still be a fun toy camera even without the blind box gimmick, there’s no doubt that the “game” of trying to get your desired model is fueling sales. I’m sure plenty of creators are still on the hunt for the rare transparent edition.
So how are you supposed to actually get your hands on a Charmera? There are more coming. Reto is using its Instagram account to announce restocks. It's being sold at photo retail shops. Film specialist Freestyle is currently accepting preorders. Other stores, such as PCMag Reader's Choice winner B&H Photo and Roberts Camera, aren't taking orders but will send you an email notification when new stock becomes available. You can try your blind box luck with a single camera at $29.99, or buy a pack of six for $179.94 at either shop—for the latter, you'll either get a full set of the standard colors, or luck out and get one of the transparent editions along with five of the six common colors.
I expect it'll be tough to score one before the holidays if you wait too long, so it's a good idea to set up notifications or place a preorder now if you want to get one for the photographer in your life.