Once in a while Kickstarter comes out with projects that I find interesting and worthy of backing. The Rewindpix is one such project. The proponent’s proposal for this project it that they are creating a plastic lo fi digital camera that aims to simulate a disposable film camera. I know that there are so many other similar lo fi cameras like the Camp Snap and others but what differentiates the Rewindpix is how polished the whole project looked like even from the proposal stage.
The Rewindpix was literally built like a disposable film cam. It is plastic (although there is a more expensive aluminum version), It has a tiny 13 megapixel Sony sensor, a 35mm f/2.2 lens, a huge optical viewfinder, a built-in xenon flash, a micro sd card slot a switch that let’s you choose from 3 presets which you can load through its mobile app. It contains a rechargeable battery which can be recharged via the built-in USB-C slot. The camera is focus free with minimum focusing distance of 1 meter. The mobile app contains around 30 film simulation presets , all of which are user customizable. And like a disposable film camera, there is a film advance wheel, which you need to advance in order to take the next shot. Very gimmicky but it adds to the “analog” charm and authentic dispo-cam feel. ( I am cheap, so instead of buying the stick on front grip accessory, I simple 3d printed my on simple white grip).
The camera has 2 modes 1) In camera mode – this lets the user shoot it like a regular digital camera choosing between 3 built-in/non- user changeable film filter presets, after which the images are transferred via USB-C to your computer or mobile device. 2) Film mode – This mimics a real film camera shooting experience. It lets you to take 1 roll of film ( max of 36 shots) at a time. You can mix and match the 3 presets in one roll during shooting. Just like shooting film, once you have taken 36 shots, you need to unload the film by transferring the shots to your phone via the mobile app. There is a dedicated wifi button which activates the camera’s wifi for you to connect to the phone to do the transfer process. After unloading the film, you can then load the next roll of film with 3 film presets. You do not need to complete all 36 shots before transferring the shots. Just like a film cam, you can choose to stop mid roll and “develop” your roll. All film simulation is applied by the app during the “film -development” once you transfer the shots to your phone. There is a tiny OLED screen in the camera that simply shows your battery meter and film preset chosen but just like a film camera, there is no way for you to preview and review the shots in camera.
Although I received the camera about a month ago, I had yet to really take time to put it through its paces. So when I travelled to Baguio last week for 3 days, I decided to really test it by shooting a roll with it. I choose to shoot with the PT400 (portra 400 film sim) and the BWHC (Kodak Tri-X 400 high contrast simulation). It was gloomy and cloudy in Baguio and there were even a couple of tricky light and low light scenarios. The camera performed really well. The film sim preset worked like a charm. It passed my test with flying colors.
There are a couple of things I would improve for next version of the Rewindpix , 1) Please make the frame lines more visible and accurate. As nice as the viewfinder is, the frame lines are not visible once you place you peer through the viewfinder. 2) Please make the SD card slot easier to access without the need to use a screwdriver to remove the tiny screw. 3) Make the app easily transferable, I was planning to let my son use it for an upcoming trip but it seems like the app is locked in to my account only. Making it difficult for other users in the future should I decide to sell this and upgrade to a newer version. 4) lastly, a replaceable battery would be a nice option to have. I can safely say that the Rewindpix lived up to my expectations and this is a really fun camera to use and is small and light enough to carry along anywhere. It is now part of my EDC.
Here is the roll I took with it in Baguio.
As usual, I appreciate your likes, feedbacks and if possible share my post to others should you like it. Thank you so much and God bless .
Daniel's Lighthouse 