Escura’s $50 InstantSnap Toy Camera Looks Like an Instant Photo Print – PetaPixel
Photography company Escura showed off a fascinating InstantSnap camera at the 2025 CP+ show in Japan. The unusual and affordable InstantSnap camera is basically a large optical viewfinder surrounded by a white frame, akin in overall size and shape to a small instant photo print. Escura is best known for its retro-styled hand-cracked instant camera, the Escura Instant 60s, and the Hasselback that enables photographers to shoot Instax film on old Hasselblad cameras. The new InstantSnap camera is a significant departure from Escura’s past offerings, although it still channels the spirit of simplified image capture. As reported by DC.Watch, the Escura InstantSnap is roughly the side of a credit card, although a fair bit thicker, and weighs a shade under 30 grams (one ounce). The unusual camera has a large cut-out for an optical viewfinder and does not feature any digital display. Photographers hold it up, line up the shot using the viewfinder, and snap a photo via an embedded and reasonably well-hidden button below the viewfinder. Photos are captured via a tiny camera on the rear, which has just 1.3 megapixels of resolution. The camera reportedly has a fixed shutter speed of 1/125s for photos, although it can also switch to a video mode thanks to a small switch on its side. This switch also lets users enable effects like frames and borders. A special version will sport a Showa-inspired retro style, complete with a different viewfinder appearance, and offer special retro-inspired photo effects. Images and videos, which will be pretty low-resolution thanks to the 1.3-megapixel sensor, can be stored on a microSD card or transferred to a computer using the built-in USB-C port. Escura has not shared detailed specifications for the InstantSnap camera, although the company says it will be released in May for around 7,000 yen, which is about $47 at current exchange rates. One of DC.Watch‘s hands-on photos also shows that the camera has a 3.2mm f/2.8 lens, suggesting that the image sensor is extremely small, as expected based on its size. Supposing a typical wide-angle 24mm equivalent focal length, that would be a crop factor of 7.5, which is roughly around the same crop factor as a tiny Type 1/3 image sensor found in low-end smartphone telephoto cameras. The Escura InstantSnap is clearly in the “toy camera” product category, meaning that photographers should not expect much by way of rich features or excellent image quality. However, it could be a fun little camera, especially for beginners or children. One thing is for sure: the camera has a highly unusual design, and it won’t be expensive. That’s surely enough for some customers. Image credits: Escura and DC.Watch Become a PetaPixel Member and access our content ad-free.© 2025 PetaPixel Inc. All rights reserved.
