This Cute Little Point-and-Shoot Camera Has Changed the Way I Travel

I probably shouldn’t be saying this as someone who writes on the internet, but I’ve reached peak technology fatigue. I’m completely sick of my phone. Social media just doesn’t seem exciting anymore. (Seriously, get rid of the pay-for-play algorithm and bring back the old IG.) And I’ve even become uninspired when it comes to something I used to love, photography. This new little point-and-shoot, the Camp Snap, lives in a liminal space between film and digital and it’s just what I didn’t know I needed.

I was gifted this adorable little camera from Choice Hotels as part of a road trip media mailer, and unintentionally, the Camp Snap has become my favorite thing to tuck in my purse, backpack, and beach wagon. It’s drop-proof with hard plastic construction, so it can take the beating that comes with actually using it. Using it the past couple of weekends has made me realize just how much I end up checking texts, emails, and social every time I bring out my iPhone camera. Now, I get excited to “develop” my shots after a weekend with friends out in nature. And the texture of the images is really great too.

There are six filters built into the camera—Standard, Vintage 1–3, Analog, and Black & White—and you toggle them right on the device with no apps required. There’s no digital back, just a simple little viewfinder on a very darling little vintage looking camera. The tonality coming out feels genuine. It’s like I’ve cracked open an old box of Kodachrome photos from my old family albums. That nostalgic aesthetic isn’t something I’m adding to pictures hours later on my phone; it’s baked in from the moment I press the shutter. It changes how I frame things and makes me slower and more intentional about what and how I shoot.

Photo courtesy of Camp Snap

The camera, which was originally created by a Toronto couple who wanted their kids to take a simpler camera to summer camp, shoots with an 8MP lens and holds up to 500 photos on a single charge. It comes with a pre-installed memory card that can hold 2,000 photos, and you transfer them via USB-C. (I will say that the transfer is much more reliable using an SD card reader, though.) That’s plenty for a weekend away, which is what matters.

But no matter what analog point-and-shoot you pick, the real shift is psychological. When you can’t see what you’ve shot until later, you stop second-guessing yourself in the moment or overstyling things. It’s not about performing, and goes back to just noticing beauty that’s in front of you. And because it’s so small you can still pull it out for more candid moments.

I’m not ditching my smartphone. (Though some days I wish I could.) But on weekends when I want to actually be present, when I want to travel like I’m there to experience something and not to document it for later? The little camera that could is what I’ll be reaching for.

We only recommend things we love. If you buy something through our site, we might earn a commission.