- Retro Compact has no rear LCD and movie-style digital filters
- It offers instant Wi-Fi transfer to Sky or Mobile App
- Kickstarter campaign launching “Mid-June” according to the site
The upcoming Echolens is a digital camera that stands out from the package. It is designed to recreate the experience of shooting on analog films and has no rear screen and built-in movie styles to create warm, vintage photographs. And the X100VI-look-a-like is also really, really affordable.
We’ve seen cameras like Echolens before. We do not mean compact, fast-lens and expensive cameras such as the imperial Fujifilm X100VI, the amazing Leica Q3 43 or even the recent fun-oriented Fujifilm X, although there are certainly a bit of all three in Echolens’ eye-catching retro styling. We mean in pared-back, cheap point-and-shoots like Camp Snap, which also has no screen and a refreshing simple approach to recording.
While details of its lens, sensor and other specifications have not yet been revealed, Echolens seems to be a little more advanced than the camp’s snap. First, it has an LCD indicator on its top plate to keep the number of your shots.
After 54 snaps are caught, you will need to relieve them to your smartphone or cloud via the camera’s built-in Wi-Fi feature to ‘repeat’ the action of changing the film role in your analog camera. This offloading apparently only takes a button pressure and not at all.
Stripped back shooting
The Echolens website promises a minimalist approach to photography and removes much of the tinker that can come in between the photographer and their topic.
This means simplified controls (there is a trigger button, an image transfer button and a dial to turn on and off flash, and it seems to be), a search for composition and nothing in the way of AI image improvement or over-sharpening. Instead, the user can choose from a variety of digital ‘film’ styles designed to repeat the color profiles of classic 35 mm stores.
A USB-C port is also present for recharge, and Echolens’ manufacturers claim the battery will last for several days on a full charge.
Although we really need more details before we can get too excited about this camera – and all the usual crowdfunding warnings still apply – hopefully we don’t have to wait long. Echolens is intended for a launch on Kickstarter in mid -June 2025 with a full release to be followed at an unspecified later time.
What we know at least know is the price: The Echolens Web site FAQ says the camera will be around $ 150 (or around £ 110 / AU $ 230), but the early bird backers on Kickstarter will be able to secure a pre-order for less than $ 100 (about £ 75 / AU $ 155). Which seems like a brilliantly affordable price if this thing lives up to its billing.
Of course, backers sometimes have a long wait for the finished product after a kickstarter campaign closes, so we’ve reached Echolens to try to find out more about their camera and campaign. We will update this story when we have additional info.
