One night while dealing with a slight bout of insomnia, I came across an ad from Camp Snap. They were launching their first-ever video camera, one that borrowed heavily from the design of the Super 8 film cameras of the past. I nearly immediately added it to my cart and purchased it. Since it arrived in September, it has accompanied me to everything from backyard cookouts to art gallery openings, parades, and everything in between. More importantly, know that we never review video cameras. This, however, is something really unique. But is it for you?

The Big Picture: the Camp Snap CS-8 is ALL About the Vibes

The Camp Snap CS-8 is a camera that doesn’t want to be taken seriously, and that’s the point.

Video-centric devices are almost never featured at The Phoblographer, so it goes without saying that the Camp Snap CS-8 is a notable exception. The charming aesthetic, a camera chassis that is heavily inspired by the Super 8 cameras of yesteryear, and keeping true to Camp Snap’s away-from-the-screen ethos made this a camera that I could not pass up. Once using it, I found that it was the most fun I’ve had using a video camera: even having used more “professional” video devices like the Sony a7SIII, Sony ZV-E1 and ZV-E10, the Canon EOS R50V, and the Fujifilm E-M5. It’s by no means perfect, but like the original Camp Snap camera did for stills, Camp Snap is bringing to video a fun device that keeps you in the moment. All for around $200.

• Pro: Easy to use
• Pro: Distraction-free
• Pro: Amazing ergonomic design
• Pro: Great Image quality with every aspect ratio you’d want
• Pro: Amazing value for a camera (just under $200)
• Con: A little large to carry around
• Con: SD card slot requires tools to access
• Con: Trigger must be engaged in order to record, self-recording requires some jerry-rigging

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

We’re giving the Camp Snap CS-8 four out of five stars. Want to check one out for yourself? Find it on Camp Snap’s website.

Experience

Many of the Camp Snap CS-8’s design inspiration comes from the old Super 8.

I’m never going to forget the email I received from Chris asking if I wanted to get an early copy of the Camp Snap CS-8. I had already purchased my CS-8 and was eagerly waiting for that shipment confirmation. Of course, I said, “yes” and was on my way to the office to pick it up. When I first unboxed the camera, I was instantly enamored with the design – a sleeker version of the classic Super 8 I had seen only in pawn shop windows. Once I picked up the camera, I knew I was going to be in for some fun.

Do not buy this camera if you’re looking to blend in, avoid attention, or are not friendly/not looking to make new friends. I say this because, during the month and a half of testing this camera, I’ve never had so many random people stop me to ask about it

From the outset, the simplicity and familiarity of the design are evident. There are three switches located on the left side of the camera, including a power ON/OFF switch, an image filter switch, and an aspect ratio switch. On the right side of the camera body, there are the Tight and Wide buttons near the viewfinder, and three tiny rectangular buttons just under the nameplate to open the camera’s menu and menu controls. I have literally only used these three buttons once to set up the camera for the first time and have not had a need to go back to them.

The SD Card slot is covered by this door that doubles as the backplate of the CS-8. A minor annoyance.

The camera comes with a pre-installed 4GB SD card (full-sized). Once you’ve unboxed and charged your camera, you’re ready to go. The SD card is user-replaceable, but a small Phillips screwdriver is required to access the SD card slot. This is somewhat of a pain to deal with, especially since the included card will fill up quickly (approximately 30 minutes of total footage on a 4GB card). In our interview with Camp Snap founder, Brian Waldman, Waldman acknowledged that this was a result of a miscommunication with the engineers:

With his latest camera, the Camp Snap 8, Brian regrets not clearly communicating to the engineers that this camera wasn’t designed for kids to bring to camp. So it was designed with the Micro SD card behind a door that requires a screwdriver; and he expressed to me that he regrets that decision.

There are ways to get around this pain point if you’ve got some gaffer’s tape handy. While not the most elegant solution, it is one that will help keep the plate and rear padding on the camera.

The CS-8 is designed with the same pistol grip that made the Super 8s from yesteryear so ergonomically friendly, except it is lighter than air by comparison. The CS-8 is extremely comfortable to grip and use for extended periods; I found it far more comfortable to use for video than even my phone. And in terms of ergonomics, I think that’s really where the Camp Snap 8 has nailed the design process – it is a lightweight camera that’s comfortable to hold and intuitive to use. Unfortunately, the grip is molded into the body and can make this camera difficult to carry around. Not for its weight, but it’s physical dimensions.

Another point of contention I’ve had while using the Camp Snap 8 has been the positioning of the zoom buttons. Although I’m not left-handed, I often find myself using my left hand to hold and film. This meant that I’d have to either switch to my right or awkwardly paw at the top right plate, looking for the zoom rockers. For all the lefties in the world, this will likely be more than a minor inconvenience that could’ve easily been avoided by moving the zoom controls to the top of the camera.

I’m not mad at the inclusion of the tripod mount, but why is it really here?

Lastly, I’m perplexed by the inclusion of the ¼-20 threaded mount on the grip. While it’s fine that this camera can be mounted to a tripod, I’ve struggled to find a reason to do so if the camera requires that you hold down the trigger in order to keep recording – another callback to the inspired Super 8 design, but the option of what I’ll call an “automatic” mode that would allow for self-recording on a tripod would be amazing.

Image Quality

The Camp Snap CS-8 features a 1/2.7-inch sensor capable of shooting in 2.7K resolution, similar to what’s found in many action cameras, such as older GoPro cameras. This enables the camera to deliver images that are crisper than Full HD video, while also allowing for digital zoom capability. During my testing, I found that the video the CS-8 delivers exceeded any preconceived expectations – I didn’t expect this camera to produce video that could not only be used for social media, but also for longer-form content (though broken up into bits and pieces).

While this camera offers a digital zoom option, be warned – anything beyond a 2.5-3.5x zoom will begin to appear grainy and blurry, resembling mud. In my use, I rarely found a need to zoom beyond 2x, and even then, it was in scenes with plenty of light. The small sensor on this camera suffers from the limitations of physics – without a larger sensor to collect light, darker scenes become this camera’s Achilles’ heel. Overall, this camera will meet the needs of most people, and since there’s no pretense of being a workhorse camera, it’s easy to overlook this in real-world use.

Who Should NOT Buy This Camera

Whenever we review a product at ThePhoblographer, one of the most important questions we ask is: Who should buy it? And while I will answer that question, I have a warning: Do not buy this camera if you’re looking to blend in, avoid attention, or are not friendly/not looking to make new friends. I say this because, during the month and a half of testing this camera, I’ve never had so many random people stop me to ask about it. I’ve tested and used everything from traditional SLRs to oddball cameras like the Sigma Sd Quattro, and none have had strangers wanting to learn more about a camera like this one. For some, the intrigue came from a place of nostalgia. For others, it was the lack of a screen. In letting several people try it for themselves, they instantly knew what it was built for upon bringing the viewfinder to their eye – this is a camera built for fun. It garnered the most attention from women, who all seemed to adore the fact that it was simple to use and lightweight.

The more I thought about the CS-8, the more I realized just how much fun I’ve had reviewing this camera. It’s far from perfect – there are some ergonomic quirks, a steep fall-off in image quality when using digital zoom, and how cumbersome it can be to pack – but even with its flaws, it’s impossible to overlook how much joy this camera brings to the user and those around them. So, unless you’re a year-round grinch that’s allergic to fun, the Camp Snap CS-8 is a must-have camera.

Tech Specs via Camp Snap

• 2.7k video sensor
• 5 customizable image filters
• USB-C rechargeable
• 8x digital zoom
• Shoot in all popular aspect ratios – 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, and 9:16
• Pre-installed 4 GB SD card, upgradable to 128 GB
• f/2.0 f=3.29mm 1 / 2.7” sensor
• Dimensions: 8.75 x 8.25 x 2.75 in

Declaration of Journalistic Intent (CHANGE THIS UP ACCORDING TO WHAT HAPPENS, READ THROUGH IT CAREFULLY)

The Phoblographer is one of the last standing dedicated photography publications that speaks to both art and tech in our articles. We put declarations up front in our reviews to adhere to journalistic standards that several publications abide by. These help you understand a lot more about what we do:

• At the time of publishing this review, Camp Snap ISN’T running direct-sold advertising with the Phoblographer. This doesn’t affect our reviews anyway and it never has in our 15 years of publishing our articles. This article is in no way sponsored.
• Note that this isn’t necessarily our final review of the unit. It will be updated, and it’s more of an in-progress review than anything. In fact, almost all our reviews are like this.
• None of the reviews on the Phoblographer are sponsored. That’s against FTC laws and we adhere to them just the same way that newspapers, magazines, and corporate publications do.
• Camp Snap sent the unit and accessories to the Phoblographer for review and have not asked that it be returned. There was no exchange of money between us or our third-party partners and the Phoblographer for this to happen. Manufacturers trust the Phoblographer’s reviews, as they are incredibly blunt.
• Camp Snap knows that it cannot influence the site’s reviews. If we don’t like something or if we have issues with it, we’ll let our readers know.
• The Phoblographer’s standards for reviewing products have become much stricter. After having the world’s largest database of real-world lens reviews, we choose not to review anything we don’t find innovative or unique, and in many cases, products that lack weather resistance. Unless something is very unique, we probably won’t touch it.
• In recent years, brands have withheld NDA information from us or stopped working with us because they feel they cannot control our coverage. These days, many brands will not give products to the press unless they get favorable coverage. In other situations, we’ve stopped working with several brands for ethical issues. Either way, we report as honestly and rawly as humanity allows.
• At the time of publishing, the Phoblographer is the only photography publication that is a member of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. We champion human-made art and are frank with our audience. We are also the only photography publication that labels when an image is edited or not.

More can be found on our Disclaimers page.