Playing with toy camera

So I've started this year by learning how to expose my imperfection and live on, even when I know I suck. And what better way to do it than being imperfect by design?

This post is sponsored by this little fellow:

It's small. Really small. It's actually so small I have it attached to my keys, and I hardly notice any difference. And it takes really shitty photos, like early 2000s Nokia vibes. Just check out:

I paid for it literally $6. It's a G6 keychain camera with a wide-angle, 16:9 aspect ratio lens that gives a 130-degree view. Its native resolution is 2 megapixels and 1080p in video mode. It boasts higher resolutions, but those are just interpolations - they only increase file size and add noise.

The LCD screen is so small I sometimes don’t even know what I’m shooting. But… it has so many filters to play around with.

I must admit, I've never had so much fun with any other camera.

First, it's cute. I have a smartphone in my pocket, but whenever I shoot with this guy, I smile. Even the colors are cool.

Second, I started taking photos just to capture the moment. I don’t feel the pressure to figure out composition, shutter speed, or aperture. I just know the photo will be awful and in its awfulness charming.

In my case, not caring about quality, or even whether the photo captures exactly what I want, opens up space for experimentation. To play with filters, lighting, composition, or even just shooting from different perspectives and not knowing the final effect. The little LCD tells me almost nothing. To be honest, I can’t wait for the moment when I get home and watch the results with my partner.

I even started taking street photos, which I had felt ashamed to do with my smartphone or more serious camera. I thought it might violate someone’s privacy or ignite unnecessary discussion about them not wanting to be photographed. This camera, no one takes seriously. It’s a toy.

I don’t even take it seriously. I don’t really care if I take a photo or not, so I started asking people if I could photograph them or their spaces. And to my surprise, with a smile on their face, they say yes. I feel it connects me more with people around me. The little camera is a conversation starter, and really meaningful ones. We talk not only about photography but also about the history behind the object of my interest.

Like the time I went to my accountant, and in her office there was a wall full of drawings. When I asked if I could take a photo, I heard the story of her young cousin, her passion to Queen. It's so cool!

Thanks to this camera, I have photos I’d never even think to take. My plan is to take 365 photos this year and compose an album, “2026 in Photos”, experimenting with different filters and image transformations. I’m super excited to see the final effect!

I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t test AI photo enhancement functionalities to see what options I have for improving quality. Below you can see a comparison between ChatGPT and Gemini models with a simple prompt:

Task: Enhance this image to look like professional photography.

Input Context: The source image is a low-quality digital capture. 

Keep the subject structure and pose exactly the same.

Make it look like fujitsu camera.

Original

ChatGPT enhanced

Gemini enhanced

Personally, I feel the ChatGPT enhancement looks nicer, yet modifies the photo too much for my liking. The Gemini model improves the photo quality while still leaving plenty of space for further tweaking.