This cheap compact camera is so retro, it doesn’t have a screen! Kickstarter set for summer

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It’s got the Leica and Fujifilm looks that kill, but can the Echolens garner the crowdfunding it needs to become a reality?

A product image of the Echolens retro compact camera on a dark background
A lack of a rear LCD makes this little retro compact an interesting prospect (Image credit: Echolens)

Following my story on the Minolta MND65, it’s certainly been a day for cheap cameras. But I have to say, the Echolens has really piqued my interest, if only for the novel idea of producing a retro-themed digital camera and completely removing the rear LCD screen. For starters, this will help reduce manufacturing costs, but it also gives this little camera a unique selling point, should it meet the crowdfunding support it needs when it launches on Kickstarter in the summer of 2025.

Specs are thin on the ground, but this doesn’t appear to be just another cookie-cutter cheap compact camera. The website includes what I can only assume are sample images that look like they’ve been shot on film. And indeed, Echolens states: “Authentic Film Feel – Our unique film filters recreates the warmth of classic cameras”. Echolens also mentions there will be “no AI smoothing or excessive sharpening”, which certainly fits with the film-era aesthetic.

If this is a sample image from the camera, it certainly looks like a film photo (Image credit: Echolens)

Speaking of aesthetics, the product imagery reveals a rather classy-looking little camera à la Leica M11 and Fujifilm X100VI. Heck, the Echolens logo even sits within an orange circle on the front of the camera, akin to that famous Leica red roundel. Cheeky indeed… And sure enough, the leatherette extends round the back of the camera to reveal, well, more leatherette, since there’s no LCD screen.

Something I have noticed in the product photos is a small screen on the top plate with the number 54. And while I cannot confirm this, I'm wondering if this number is a frame counter. It seems superfluous to have a frame counter with such large memory cards nowadays, so could it be that the Echolens will have a small amount of onboard memory to further replicate the film days of yore?

I actually think, given the lack of an LCD screen, this could be a plus point. If you’re going to go that retro, you might as well lean into it.

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A close-up product image of the Echolens retro compact camera on a dark background
Could this little screen be a frame counter? (Image credit: Echolens)

The company has also revealed that the camera will allow you to instantly transfer files from camera to smart device using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It’s also touting an impressive battery life, claiming; “Snap for days on a single charge”.

So, unusually for an ultra-cheap release, this has the potential to provide style and substance. I’ll be looking forward to learning more about the Echolens in the near future.

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Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

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