Photography has always been a magical way to freeze moments in time, capturing memories that can be cherished for years to come. In the age of digital media, where images are often lost in the endless scroll of a social feed, the charm of holding a physical photo or photo album has a nostalgic allure. The Canal Toys Photo Creator Retro Instant Camera brings back the joy of instant photography, combining the retro appeal of instant prints with modern features that allow for creativity and fun.
The Photo Creator Retro Instant Camera is a fun digital camera for kids. Who doesn’t like taking pictures and capturing their memories? But this camera gives instant prints to have fun with. A 12mp digital camera with viewing screen that is easy to use and includes a built-in thermal printer so you can print your photos instantly with no drying time required and you can even add some special effects to get a fun print!
In the box:
- 12mp Instant Camera
- USB-C Charging Cable
- 3 Thermal Paper Rolls
- 1 Sticker Roll
- 4 Pens (different colours)
- Sticker Sheet
- Instructions
When children today think of cameras they probably just think of smartphones, so the Photo Creator Retro Instant Camera is a delightful blend of the classic instant camera of yesteryear packed with contemporary features that will excite photographers of all ages. And it is more than just an instant camera; yes you can take a photo and have it printed instantly but it is also a creative tool to enhance your images as you can add frames, decorate, personalise, and play with your photos before printing.
The Photo Creator Retro Instant Camera is a 12mp digital camera with a generous three-inch screen to take still photos and videos. It features an internal rechargeable battery and built-in inkless thermal printer that instantly and quickly prints images at 200dpi. With three rolls of thermal paper, a sticky roll for up to 250 potential photos, a flash, selfie and video modes, colourful stickers, and marker pens. It’s an all-in-one package that promises hours of entertainment and creativity. You will however need to add a micro-SD card for storage.
The camera is nice and compact, easy to handle, making it perfect for children to manage. It has been designed to be simple enough for young children to easily snap and print pictures and the menu system is simple to navigate allowing them to stamp their creativity on their images.
This retro camera allows you to create fun photos as well as video content. You can print up to 250 prints on each roll of paper and personalise them using its 20+ fun photo filters and effects before printing and with stickers and colouring pens after printing. It features a 3” digital screen so you can view the image before taking the picture and you can easily overlay a filter and frame your picture perfectly. Want a picture of a family member on a Wanted Poster? This camera has an overlay for that, and many others, and is so easy to add.
The camera is supplied with a built in 1000mAh rechargeable battery, so no batteries to constantly be changing. Charging is easy with the included USB-C cable (no charging adapter is supplied), but you can plug into a USB wall socket, laptop, or adapter plug.
Setting up is straightforward with a quick readthrough of the instructions and changing paper rolls is a doddle. It features a flash, shutter, shutter timer, video recording, plus a selfie lens for easy selfie-snaps!
The paper quality is not as good quality or as rigid as a standard photograph paper, the thermal paper is like receipt paper that you get from the supermarket. That said, for budding young photographers that will love to snap away and print every picture, it is perfect, especially as the monochrome images can be coloured in using the supplied pens, added to scrap books, used to make collages etc. and all very cheaply.
While taking pictures can be pleasurable, the real fun starts when making use of the creative possibilities included with the camera. The camera comes equipped with a variety of templates and editing options that encourage you to add a personal touch to your prints. Whether it’s a sticker-covered masterpiece or a carefully crafted instant video, the Canal Toys Photo Creator sparks imagination and brings out the inner artist in everyone.
Overall, the Photo Creator Retro Instant Camera is an excellent little child-friendly camera to get kids interested in photography while having plenty of creative fun. It is so easy to use that adults won’t need any help from the kids!
An excellent way to engage children in a hands-on activity that’s both fun and educational. Kids can learn about composition, lighting, and storytelling through photography, all while enjoying the tactile and visual pleasure of instant prints. It’s a wonderful way to introduce young ones to the art of photography and to encourage them to see the world through a different lens.
While the image quality of the photos and videos is very good, the printed images are monochrome at 200dpi, which too be fair look better than I expected. The printed photo measures approx. 10 x 5.5cm. The photos are printed on thermal paper or sticker paper rather than card stock so you don’t get a rigid photo but it is good for quick snaps and sticking into books, onto noticeboards etc.
And as it is using a thermal printer and thermal paper, there is no ink to change and no mess, making it cheap to run as well.
It’s easy to use, encourages creativity, and provides endless fun for photographers of all ages. The monochrome images and paper roll can be seen as a disadvantage but for getting kids into photography (especially when they want everything printed) is a cheap way to encourage their creativity and they can personalise the photos how they want them. Plus the photos (and videos) can be downloaded to a computer for storage, creating albums and printing at home (if you have a colour printer) or using online photo printing websites for the pictures that are truly worth keeping.
A fun little camera that allows children to easily take photos, edit, customise them and print them instantly. Ideal for sparking creative curiosity, giving children an easy way to explore photography.
The printed photos aren’t the largest but are a good size for scrapbooks, journals and just having some photo fun with friends.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £69.99
Available to buy from Amazon here.