That retro and nostalgia sell is something we do not doubt, we have seen it with numerous products already. But what about The Fragment 8 is already going too far. This camera seeks to emulate the experience of a Super 8 camera so much that they have gone too far. Read on and then tell us what you think.
The Fragment 8, a Super 8 camera
If you are of a certain age or are interested in the subject of photo and video cameras, it is very likely that you have known or know what type of cameras the Super 8 are. Well, The Fragment 8 is a proposal designed by a film director and industrial designer who seeks exactly that: to make an exact replica of those old cameras. And when we say exact replica, we don't just do it because of the design, but also because of its technical capabilities.
Similar in design to those Super 8 cameras, The Fragment 8 is made of plastic and metal. But what is striking is its interior, it is a digital camera but too limited. All for that argument of wanting to emulate the original experience.
This camera has a sensor whose maximum resolution is 720p. So both the photos in JPEG format and the videos in MP4 are going to be very close in terms of sharpness. And of course, taking into account the screen resolutions that are already handled on a regular basis, everything is very poor.
But as we said, that is because it seeks the same cool of the Super 8. To do this, it also limits the cadence of frames per second at 9 and 24. And to add a bit of value or extra features, it gives you the option to create GIFs automatically. Although the most striking point is that the greatest of its limitations is in the recording time: only 120 seconds.
That is, with this camera you will not be able to record more than two minutes of video. Does it really make sense? Because, emulating the aesthetics and offering little resolution have a pass, but the other. In the end, if what you want is to have that cool of super 8 is as easy as installing an app on any smartphone and that's it.
we went from nostalgic
The Fragment 8 I admit that it has its attractive point due to design issues. It is or can be a good gift for video fans, one more ornament for your shelf of vintage cameras and lenses, but little else.
The good thing is that, even though it is a Kickstarter project, if you decide to support it, the camera will only cost you about 82 euros, which is not a bad price. But let's see if the objective is achieved, although it is also true that everything indicates that it will be feasible.
Share with you the newly designed camera – Fragment 8 pic.twitter.com/v4b085b71v
— Fragment 8 Retro Camera (@8Fragment) December 21, 2019
However, I think we are getting too nostalgic. Logically everyone can do what they consider appropriate, but this type of proposal is complicated. If other bigger companies couldn't launch anything really viable, like Kodak or Yashica, it's still pretty but fleeting. And if it does come to fruition, I don't think they'll have any luckier than thousands of mini versions of classic consoles sitting in a drawer on a shelf.