The modern camera marketplace is very safe. Even the best mirrorless cameras, by and large, aren't very daring. Lots of megapixels, 4K video, bit of stabilization, bang – chuck it on the market. Aside from ergonomics and the logo on top, there's a whole lot of overlap.
What I really love, and truly appreciate, is when companies do something truly different. When they take risks and try something ballsy.
I have all the respect in the world for Canon making products like the PowerShot V10 and PowerShot Zoom. I doff my cap to Pentax for not just doubling down on DSLRs, but making a DSLR that only shoots black-and-white pictures – arguably the nichest of all niches, in today's market.
So I love wacky cameras that tread where others don't dare. Even when one of the wackiest cameras was also one of the most glorious failures: the Canon Ivy Rec, called the Canon Inspic Rec in Japan.
Released in 2019, this was a palm-sized camera with no viewfinder and no screen – the idea being that you can take photos anywhere while staying in the moment, without worrying about checking every shot afterwards.
The experience of using this camera is incredibly liberating; being free from the obligation of looking at the back screen is a lot like using a film camera, and it's amazingly pleasurable just taking it out and firing a frame when you see something cool.
The problem, however, is that when you can't check the back screen, you have no idea what you actually shot. And with a viewfinder in the loosest of terms, that on its best day is only a guesstimate as to what's in your frame, invariably you didn't get the shot you think you did.
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On top of that, the sensor was a janky 13MP affair – so even if you got the frame you expected, you didn't get the quality you wanted. Honestly, check out the results I got with mine.
Fast-forward to 2024 and we've got the Instax Pal: a palm-sized camera with no viewfinder and no screen – the idea being that you can take photos anywhere while staying in the moment, without worrying about checking every shot afterwards. Deja vu!
The Pal is slightly more successful than the Rec. Despite only having a 4.5MP sensor, the fact that Fujifilm is marketing it as an instant camera to pair with instant printers like the Instax Square Link means that the limited image quality is disguised.
Otherwise, the same issues broadly exist. I have no idea whether the Pal will go on to be a success; the Rec / Inspic sold out on day one in Japan, but was quickly reduced to fire sale fodder in camera sales.
Either way, I admire the heck out of Canon, Fujifilm, Pentax and any other company that dares to try something radical rather than just playing it safe.
You might be interested in the best Canon cameras and best Fujifilm cameras, even if most of them play things a little safer than these two!
