Kodak Charmera gets early-2000s Millennium Edition
Reto’s new Kodak-branded collectible camera adds seven glossy designs, more filters and frames, while keeping the original Charmera hardware.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Reto is releasing a Millennium Edition of the Kodak Charmera, giving the small collectible digital camera seven early-2000s-style looks. The update matters for buyers because, according to The Verge, the changes focus on design and software effects while leaving the camera’s basic hardware unchanged.
The Verge reported that Reto, the company licensing the Kodak brand for the Charmera, is pricing each Millennium Edition camera at $34.99. The new models use glossy metallic finishes across several colors and designs, with styling drawn from technology and visual trends associated with the early 2000s.
The Charmera line has been sold as a playful, low-cost camera rather than a serious photography tool. The Verge said the original version gained attention in part because of its price and retro shells inspired by Kodak’s 1987 Fling single-use camera.
New filters and frames
The Millennium Edition adds software features alongside the new exterior designs, according to The Verge. The updated camera includes seven photo filters and four new retro-style frames that can be applied when taking pictures.
The earlier Charmera offered a black-and-white setting and four high-contrast color pixel filters, The Verge reported. The new edition adds four more filter choices: coral, honey, teal and violet.
The new effects appear aimed at the same audience that bought the first model: people looking for a novelty camera with deliberately retro results. The Verge noted that the filters can also help mask the limits of the camera’s small sensor.
Same low-end camera inside
The hardware carries over from the original Charmera, according to The Verge. The Millennium Edition still uses a 1.6-megapixel, 1/4-inch sensor and captures still images at 1,440 by 1,080 pixels.
Video recording is also unchanged, with AVI files topping out at 30 frames per second, The Verge reported. The camera supports microSD cards up to 128GB, enough capacity for thousands of photos.
The Verge contrasted those specifications with consumer point-and-shoot cameras from brands such as Canon and Sony around 2000, which it said already used sensors above 2 megapixels. That comparison underscores Reto’s positioning of the Charmera as a toy-like collectible rather than a competitor to modern compact cameras or smartphones.
Reto has not rebuilt the Charmera around stronger imaging hardware in this edition, based on the details reported by The Verge. The Millennium Edition instead extends the product’s appeal through new shells, added filters and more frame options at the same inexpensive collectible-camera tier.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.