Holy Moly….trying not to say crap…Holy moly I love this little camera. I saw it in the junk bin and thought, “What is that button on the front? Why does it have a microphone picture?? Well, it’s only $3…pay and find out.” So I did….and the camera worked.
There is a viewfinder on the top of the camera as it is supposed to be used with a dedicated tripod…which was not with this example. It was originally released in 1991 and must have been quite a fun thing at the time. The microphone switch turns the camera’s voice-activated shutter on. It has 3 settings depending on how sensitive you want it to be. Of course, it does work in a conventional way, but where is the fun in that. The dedicated tripod activates another feature..the camera moves towards the sound. Without the dedicated tripod, this feature does not work. Apparently, there is a bit that slots into the hole marked with white.
You are supposed to shout “Kanpi” at a party and it turns to the sound and takes a photo. Of course, you do not have to shout cheers, any noise will do, but it is fun to shout cheers in Japanese. When I tried the camera at home I found it very sensitive on most settings.
Apparently, I am a noisy walker. Anyway, then I thought I would take it to school and just leave it by the playground and see what happens.
You can see the word spread and the students got more and more excited trying to make it flash…which I left on “always fire” to make it obvious.
And this is a conventional shot of my classroom, not voice activated.
Once I got the hang of the camera, I loved it. So much fun to use. I will definitely use it again. I really wish I had the tripod. The shots are well exposed, capture movement, are sharp, and clear of haze. Perfect for a party.
Keep or sell: Keep for now.
Holy crazy crap! That’s super cool!
You’ve got to find the tripod!
Great shots BTW.
I’ve got the Snap. Thank you very much. It’s in the sunshine daily at the moment trying to get the grease and lubes flowing again. It’s a fun little camera that I hope to get working consistently again.
I might try to MaCGyver a tripod as the little hole doesn’t seem to do much.
Did you see the link I sent you? Yahoo Japan has pictures of a red one and also has a pic of the box and tripod.
Yes, a while ago I saw a set up for sale on yahoo auctions with the tripod, but I hadn’t tried mine yet so didn’t realise it needed the dedicated one. It was expensive though. Mine was just in a junk bin, no box, no tripods near. I read an article that said it was never released in the US.
Reblogged this on Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic and commented:
She’s always finding the coolest cameras! You must visit my friend’s blog “Camera Go Camera” for more of her great finds and reviews! Chris
I agree. I believe it was for the home market only. What a shame. I could see a fun new version of it in the Fujifilm Instax format. Are you listening Fuji Photo???