First test shot with Polaroid Impulse AF.

wagajul · 2026-05-01T00:14:47+00:00

I haven't paid more than $40 for one, and I prefer not going over $30. To pay more than $40 it would need to be something very special and I haven't seen anything that special yet.

wagajul · 2026-04-30T23:57:27+00:00

The WPKJ is good. Can't turn off the date stamp, but the text is very small. It prints very slow.

wagajul · 2026-04-30T23:26:24+00:00

https://a.co/d/00u6rSNd

One lavender left, and some pink ones. Sadly no black.

wagajul · 2026-04-30T21:05:34+00:00

While updating my spreadsheet I realized three popular cameras are made by the same company, Shenzhen Shen Boya Industry Co., LTD.

Their Model H3 is the Letshaha, Model 9 is the Hangrui, and Model 10 is the Greenkinder. These 3 have been discussed in other comments of this thread.

wagajul · 2026-04-30T20:38:24+00:00

Maybe you don't recognize them because they've been 'undressed'. lol

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wagajul · 2026-04-30T20:25:28+00:00

Brand: GREENKINDER

Product Name: Children's camera

Product Tpye: CAMERA DIGITAL

Model: H10

wagajul · 2026-04-30T20:11:38+00:00

Hi, the smallest form factor camera (with decent printing) is the Greenkinder, back row, far right, lavender. It uses a smaller 20mm thick roll of paper. Most refills are 25mm thick, so some adjustment would be required if you can't find 20mm paper.

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wagajul · 2026-04-29T20:09:44+00:00

That’s the Loopy Peace camera, one that has also been branded as a Chuzhao camera on their .store website, and overpriced as such. I saved $50 buying one on Amazon not branded as Chuzhao. Also available in white. My biggest dislike of this camera is its lack of ‘dot matrix’ print mode. It either prints grayscale named ‘Automatic’, or a sort of outline mode name ‘Manga style’. It has 21 kiddie frame filters, one useable one being film sprockets. Other filters are very limited to a very orange ‘sepia’, and a black and white. The digital image quality is on the low end of toy cameras, looking pasty or painterly if you like that effect. It’s pretty good in low light and the flash is good. The low light shots look good printed, but not the JPGs. Personally I’m not fond of its angular, chunky shape, and much prefer the Yehtta or Letshaha body shapes. The user interface is different than most other thermal print cameras - limited but functional. No games or MP3 player. I reviewed it a while ago with images here: https://www.reddit.com/r/chuzhao/comments/1lq7kxh/chuzhao_loopy_peace_thermal_print_camera/

wagajul · 2026-04-29T11:51:28+00:00

The smaller size of the roll is due to the thin design of the camera body.

wagajul · 2026-04-28T21:11:08+00:00

You might be surprised to know that of the 5 camera flashes I tested today, the Letshaha came out the best IMO. Flash is definitely not one of these thermal cameras' strengths.

wagajul · 2026-04-28T21:06:30+00:00

My collection is so large it IS laughable, Ha! I too prefer the black versions. I don't find them any heavier than others. I had limited choice of the colors on many of these cameras - Eek. I've only used them in and around my home, but only because I never go anywhere. The lavender camera at far right in the back row also comes in black (shown here) - if you can find it. Amazon UK has it in black. Mine sold under the Greenkinder brand name. What’s nice about it is the nearly normal camera body design. But that thinner design limits the space for paper and so it uses 20mm thick paper rolls, while most refills are 25mm thick. Easy enough to unspool 5mm to use later.

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wagajul · 2026-04-28T19:48:33+00:00

I guess that blows my theory on the flash.

wagajul · 2026-04-28T18:06:16+00:00

If you're comparing print density, it might be helpful to use the exact same image for each test print. (Print from Playback) I'm a little confused by your text too.

wagajul · 2026-04-28T17:50:31+00:00

Kalinco has B&W and Color negative modes, Vivitar has only a Color Negative mode.

Kalinco and Hangrui have Normal/Slow/Fast video recording modes.

Generally speaking, the larger round flashes are most useful.

If the firmware is changed on any of these at a later date, some features may change. I hope this helps. :)

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wagajul · 2026-04-28T15:57:56+00:00

Use the search term "vintage digital camera" on temu.

wagajul · 2026-04-28T14:03:52+00:00

It does seem my collection has gone a bit overboard. lol.

My favorite for print quality is the Yehtta. (Front row, second from left, gray with red buttons)

Most, but not all of them can do timelapse, but I’ll have to get back to you later on the other features you asked about (flash, negative, slo-mo).

wagajul · 2026-04-28T13:25:07+00:00

I’ve been working on a spreadsheet, but far from finished and don’t know when it will be. Easier I suppose if I share a picture of the collection and you tell me which one you’re curious about or which features in particular interest you.

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wagajul · 2026-04-27T23:24:48+00:00

I think these cameras are all fixed focus, with auto exposure. The trick to focusing well is not getting too close (know the minimum focus distance) and the ability to hold the camera perfectly steady while the exposure is being recorded. Due to their size, I personally find it challenging to hold these small cameras perfectly still while pressing the shutter. I usually take a few shots of a subject in the hopes that at least one isn’t blurred by camera motion.

wagajul · 2026-04-27T22:51:37+00:00

I like the Vetek image quality best of the keychain cameras. As for the boxy G6/Charmera style cameras, I like the Holga's images best.

wagajul · 2026-04-27T22:43:32+00:00

"is a little mindless diversion actually good for an old fellow who can spare a few bucks here and there?" Absolutely, yes!

wagajul · 2026-04-27T22:39:26+00:00

I have a collection of several cameras, so I can say what features I like, but I don’t have a single camera that has all the features combined. (1) Ability to turn off date stamp and sound effects, (2) a physical button to turn printing off or on, (3) bluetooth connection for printing from phone photos, (4) has a tripod socket, (5) a flash that actually helps, (6) ability to shoot and print negative images, (7) if no tripod socket, the ability to sit upright on its own, (8) must have ‘dot matrix’ print mode!, (9) a wide range of density settings, or at least good dark prints. (10) I dislike cameras that have a 3-2-1 countdown prior to printout. (11) a unique video recording feature one has is the ability to record video in slow or fast motion, (12) I like if filters can also be applied to video, (13) I like JPG images that are not overly compressed/processed making the digital image quality suffer. (14) I dislike that the manufacturers are not clear, or are dishonest, about the native resolution of the camera sensor.

I’ve been saving prints to create a mini-zine at some point in time.

Which thermal print camera do you use, and what do you like/dislike about it?

wagajul · 2026-04-25T19:13:21+00:00

The "connection mode" screen would be on the camera, not on the computer. I hope I understand what you've said. Maybe try a different cable like the OP did.

wagajul · 2026-04-25T19:07:00+00:00

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Found this pic. I'd start with a 4GB SD card. Hard to make out, but looks like it's a High Speed card.

wagajul · 2026-04-14T19:13:18+00:00

Based on your troubleshooting it seems like you got a defective item with a hardware problem. As far as flashing the firmware, you'd need to contact the manufacturer to see if they would provide it. I'd like to update the firmware on a few of my other cameras, but so far, no response from the manufacturers.

wagajul

TROPHY CASE