Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin says she is under federal investigation for posting a video urging members of the military not to obey illegal orders.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)
It took me a while to get my hands on the Kodak Charmera – such is the viral popularity of this $30, 30g keychain digital camera, that it sold out on its release day late last year (with what felt like minimal advertising), and it only came back in stock as I publish this review a month later. Who knows, it might be out of stock again by the time you read these words.
And I can see the appeal – the Charmera is cheap, tiny, retro, it’ll easily fix to your keyring, and it’s an actual working camera with a screen.
What's more, there are six 1980s-inspired colorways, plus a limited edition see-through version, and you don’t know which version you’ll get since it comes in a 'blind box'. That’s got gift idea written all over it.
When I unboxed mine, cue disappointment – the black version with rainbow frontage – the one pictured on the box that appealed to me the least. Still, inside the box, a nice poster, a collector card, and a small charging cable.
Image 1 of 5(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 5(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 5(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 5(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 5 of 5(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)I charged the Charmera up and slotted the thumb-sized camera into my pocket where it would live for the following weeks.
The Charmera shoots tiny 1.6 megapixel JPEG photos and HD video (1400 x 1080p at 30fps) through a fixed 35mm f/2.4 lens, has seven photo filters and four animated borders to choose from, stores onto micro SD (which needs to be purchased separately), and has a (predictably) tiny internal battery that is recharged through USB-C.
There’s a tiny 16:9 LCD screen with live view that in practice is even smaller given that images are captured in 4:3, a miniscule LED light that illuminates closeup subjects, and possibly the smallest viewfinder I've ever used, which is novel and in a way works.
Honestly, that’s about all the features and design aspects worth knowing about, but what is the Charmera actually like to use?
Image 1 of 7(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 7(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 7(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 7(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 5 of 7(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 6 of 7(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 7 of 7(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Menus are simple enough to navigate; turn the camera on, and you select either photo, video, or set date using the three buttons on the rear, with the playback button doubling as select.
The power button doubles up as a back button, and then there's the shutter button to shoot photos and video. It takes barely a minute to figure this all out.
Everything about the Charmera is tiny: a tiny thumb-sized body, tiny screen, tiny images. And it's actually kind of fun to shoot with...in the moment. I was certainly charmed by the Charmera, and I think many others will be too.
It's when you plug the camera into a computer or hook up the memory card to view any images taken with the Charmera that the warm fuzzy feeling quickly vanishes.
Image 1 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 5 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 6 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 7 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 8 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 9 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 10 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 11 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 12 of 12(Image credit: Tim Coleman)The Charmera's photo quality is about the worst I've seen from a digital camera in my lifetime – and I've been shooting digital since consumers could, when 16MB memory cards existed (yes, megabytes).
With a resolution being a truly retro 1.6MP and a barely existent dynamic range, photos are more impressions than anything else. A collection of pixels, pieced together.
And that's me commenting on the regular color profile. Use any one of the monotone filters, and things get super abstract.
Photos are like one of the novel, abstract filters you get with a decent digital camera. I guess such dated quality could charm some. For me, it screams short-lived novelty; for others, it could be the camera they always have with them.
My own gripes aside, I also think that the Charmera is so small and so distinct, that I'll keep it on me every day for the months to come.
It's a conversation starter. A whimsical capturer of moments (assuming it's tiny battery isn't flat when you pull it out of the pocket – that'll happen).
The Kodak Charmera certainly ain't good quality. But that's hardly the point, is it? This is a cheap, charming retro gift for the photography lover in your life, that should get more use than a foot spa or marmite-scented deodrant (the UK's most unwanted Christmas gift for 2025). That's the hope from me as someone who hates waste.
The Charmera is far from being one of the best compact cameras, even the best cheap compact cameras, but I don't expect that to slow down its sales.
Kodak is killing it right now with multiple best-selling cheap cameras – like the recent Ektar H35N half-frame film camera, and the PixPro C1 – and the Charmera could just be the pick of the pack in terms of concept (not quality). It's a marketing masterstroke. Who knew a keychain camera could be so popular?
Kodak Charmera: price and availabilityThe Kodak Charmera costs $30 / £30 / AU$54.95 for a single 'blind box', or you can buy the whole set of 6 for $180 / £180 to guarantee getting each colorway. There's a 1 in 48 chance of scoring the limited edition transparent version.
Scalpers have been selling the Charmera for extortionate prices, and some retailers have bumped the price a little, but you should be able to pick up the Charmera for its fair, original price through one of the links below.
Kodak Charmera: specsKodak Charmera SpecsSensor
1/4-inch
Resolution
1.6MP
Video
1440 x 1080p at 30fps, AVI format
Lens
35mm f/2.4
Screen
Really, really small
Viewfinder
Even tinier
Dimensions
58 x 24.5 x 20 mm
Weight
30g
Battery life
200mAh, rechargeable
Memory
Micro SD (1GB to 128GB)
Should I buy the Kodak Charmera?(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Buy it if...You're looking for a cheap gift for the photography lover in your life
I can personally think of multiple people in my life who would love to receive a Charmera.
You'd appreciate a cheap, always with you camera that isn't your phone
It weighs 30g, is about the size of your thumb, shoots bad photos that could appeal to anti-tech heads and it costs $30 / £30. The Charmera is an easy sell.
You want decent photo quality
It's no exaggeration to say the Charmera produces the worst quality photos I've seen for quite some time – they're awful from a technical standpoint.
You need a reliable camera
For me, the Charmera would be a whole lot more useful as an every day carry if its battery life wasn't so bad.
Another perfectly executed cheap camera is the original Camp Snap, available for around twice the price of a Charmera. Think of it as a digital version of the single-use camera – a larger, screen-less 4MP shooter with retro design. I'm a fan.
Read my Camp Snap Camera review
ProsI'm not going to dig into technicals of how I've tested this novel point-and-shoot camera. In short, I've rattled off hundreds of photos in good light and bad, played with the various color filters and shot short video clips. Image quality is predictably bad, but short battery life is particularly unfortunate.
First reviewed January 2026
Rubio once called Trump a "con artist." He's now among his most loyal defenders. New Yorker writer Dexter Filkins describes Secretary of State Rubio's character, political transformation and ambition.
The Microsoft-owned Clipchamp is distinct from most video editors, since the main draw here is that you can edit videos in your browser (provided that browser is either Chrome or Edge).
There’s an obvious advantage to that - as long as you’re logged in to your account, you can work from any computer. There's no need to check you have top-end computer specs and you don’t need to install any additional software.
Now, this isn't going to compete with Premiere Pro, Final Cut, or any of the other best video editing software I've used. As the name suggests, it's a lot more basic than those apps, and a lot of its use depends on adding content to pre-built templates.
I took a look at how easy it is to use the tool, and whether Clipchamp has a place in the creative workflow.
Clipchamp: Pricing & plans(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)Being able to edit online is one thing, being restricted to only a couple of browsers is another. I’m not a fan of being forced to work with a specific browser. Personally, I like Firefox and Safari, but Clipchamp is only compatible with Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. If you already use these browsers, great, but if you don’t, you’ll have to decide from the outset if that restriction will put you off using this video editor.
As for the price, Clipchamp comes in two flavours: ‘Free’ and ‘Premium'.
‘Free’ is surprisingly generous, letting you work on projects up to 1080p, have access to what they call ‘AI editing tools’ for audio and video, grant you the ability to record your computer’s screen, webcam, and audio, and all without any watermark anywhere, which is pretty cool.
As for ‘Premium’, its projects can be up to 4K, and you gain access to premium stock assets, filters and effects (‘Free’ only has a basic assortment of those).
Unfortunately, though, you can't get a Premium subscription as a standalone. Instead, Clipchamp is bundled with Microsoft Office 365, so if you’re not one for subscribing to business software, you’ll have to decide if Clipchamp Premium is worth getting for between $100 and $130 a year - which is quite hefty for an online video editor - or whether a tool like Canva Video might be the better pick. On the bright side, if you already subscribe to Office, then you can have fun with Premium right now.
Clipchamp: Getting started(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)You can choose to use your email address, or log in through your Google or Microsoft account… except if you choose to work on personal projects, Clipchamp will then inform you only Microsoft accounts are able to do that.
And that’s after giving your email address, created a password, and clicked on many, many emails and buttons,
Making it clear what the state of play is from the get-go would’ve saved me a lot of time. It doesn’t really endear you to the service you’re about to explore.
However, I decided to put that little hiccup - something that could easily be fixed with a few lines of text at the login page - to the side, and set off exploring the online service.
Clipchamp: Interface & experience(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)The home page looks fine. You’ve got a sidebar on the left to gain access to your settings and ready-made templates, among others, while the bulk of the page is devoted to tips and tricks to encourage you to try new features (I was offered recording from a webcam, and using digital voices to turn your text into speech). You’ll also see a few featured templates, a button to edit by yourself, and another with the help of AI, and at the bottom, all your previous projects.
Nothing new here really in terms of design and layout, but it’s simple and clear, which helps you get to where you wish to go.
I thought I’d try out the manual editing first, as that’s my usual bread and butter… And I must say, it works really well. To the left is a sidebar containing all available tools. From there, you have access to any media you uploaded to the service, a library of stock assets, text tools and transitions, templates (again), and a section dedicated to recording media. This includes webcam, a connected camera, your desktop, or a microphone (all of which worked really well). This is also another place where the ‘text to speech’ option can be accessed.
All well and good.
When it comes to editing, it’s all about dragging. Drag a clip from your library to the timeline to add it to your project. Repeat the process, to build up your edit. Drag a clip’s edges to resize it, drag an entire clip to move it around; select an item in the timeline for its changeable parameters to appear in a sidebar to the right. It’s all pretty intuitive and standard fare.
The one thing that annoyed me is how small the preview section is. This is generally the part of the interface that needs to be as big as possible, so you can see what you’re working on. Here, it’s tiny.
Worse still, dragging the playhead along the timeline doesn’t update what you see in that preview section, so you can’t quickly scroll to another part of your edit and carry on working: you have to wait for the buffering to end.
That’s an obvious downside to working online, but it’s also a frustrating one if you’re used to working fast. If you’re a casual editor, you might be fine with that though.
Clipchamp: Recording(Image credit: Microsoft)You get four recording options in Clipchamp: Camera, Screen, Camera & Screen, and text-to-speech. These work exactly as you’d expect - grant the app access to your mic and webcam, select which window, tab, or desktop to record, hit Share.
It’s not a bad shout if you need a no-fuss one of the best free screen recorders for no-fuss, no-hassle set-up and use. It's also useful for recording piece-to-camera videos and webinars.
The built-in text-to-speech software is slightly different. It’s like a robot narrator. Input content into the text field, choose a language and voice that fits your video, then tinker with the pitch and speed to create something that passes for human speech.
The variety across the board here is excellent. However, some voices were much more natural than others, closer to ‘realistic’ smart speaker voices than the usual stilted robots found in Microsoft apps. Save the sound clip and you can drag it onto your timeline like any other media.
Clipchamp: AI editing(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)Now, might AI overcome some of the buffering I experienced? After all, if the algorithms do the work for you, it should be a much easier affair.
To be honest, this was one of the most disappointing aspects of Clipchamp. I can live with a bit of buffering. But the claims of AI editing are laughable.
First things first, I uploaded some footage - and that process is absolutely fine. Then I had to like or dislike a bunch of themes, or select the option ‘choose for me’.
When it comes to orientation, it’s either landscape or portrait (the more numerous options I found when editing manually weren't present this time round). There is an option to choose from a handful of songs and fonts, or just accept the default selection that’s been presented, and then export.
As the algorithm does its thing, I was offered various ways to save the project: save to the desktop, upload it to an online storage service such as OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox, or to social media sites such as YouTube, TikTok or LinkedIn.
Then came the big reveal.
I have to say, I wasn’t impressed with the output. Sure everything was edited for me, but the choices were anaemic.
I uploaded widescreen shots and requested a vertical video suitable for social media. The algorithm didn’t crop my footage. It just presented it with massive black bars top and bottom. This was not what I was expecting.
The editing was also unimpressive. Oh and the preview section during export could also be bigger (what is it with Clipchamp and tiny preview sections?)
I tried multiple times, and noticed the edit seems to follow the order the clips were in, and it didn’t even edit to the beat of its chosen song. I mean, really, that should be a basic feature for an AI tool.
If, like me, you’re not happy with the results, you can always ‘Keep Editing’, i.e., take the work already done by the machine, and refine it to your liking in the manual editing section. That could definitely save some time. Frankly, I’d bin the whole thing and start properly from scratch. But maybe that’s just me.
Should I buy Clipchamp?(Image credit: Microsoft // Future)Buy it if…You’re looking for an way to edit online, with some simple tools that are well implemented, and best of all, the free tier doesn’t watermark your output!
Don’t buy it if…You’re not a fan of having to wait for the interface to catch up with you, you’d appreciate a bigger preview section, and are far from impressed by the lamentable AI feature.
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