Everyone Owned It In The '80s — Now You Can Own This Retro Gadget With A Cute Twist

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If you were around in the '80s or '90s, chances are you remember disposable cameras. But there was also The Fling, or Kodak Fling, a single-use camera kind of like the disposable film cameras from the '90s. It wasn't much larger than the 110 film cartridges popular at the time, and it cost less than $10, making it fairly accessible to pretty much anyone. 

Now, in the spirit of bringing retro back, the Kodak Fling has been reborn with an adorable twist. This time, Kodak is calling it the Charmera and has outfitted it with digital photography features. It operates as a still camera, a digital camera, and a video camera with built-in effects, including four frames and seven filters to choose from. It's keychain-sized, captures 1440 by 1080-resolution images at 1.6 megapixels, and has a built-in MicroSD slot and a rechargeable battery. And yet, it remains relatively affordable by today's standards at $35. Given that it's not a single-use device this time around, that's really not a bad price to pay for such a novel gadget.

Some would argue that there is simply no need for a budget digital camera anymore, with most phones including a high-quality, professional-grade option. But the allure of the Charmera seems more about its cute style and collectability than its capabilities.

A neat feature of the Kodak Charmera is that they were originally available as blind boxes. Similar to blind bags you might buy your favorite collectibles in, Charmeras were bundled in non-descript packaging, so you were never quite sure which style you'd get. It adds an air of mystery and intrigue to your purchase. They sold out almost immediately after going up for pre-order because people loved the idea so much.

On the Kodak site, they're much more available these days. A single box is $35 as mentioned, but you can also buy a whole set for $210, which contains six blind boxes with no style repetitions. Even for the whole set that's a minimal cost compared to pricier digital cameras. Although if you're serious about the hobby, you might want to go with one of the affordable cameras that make photography more fun. They tend to be more capable at taking higher-quality photos and have more features than something like the Charmera. Still, if you're into collecting unique tech or want to share with friends and family, the whole set might be more than enticing for you. Plus, there are quite a few clever uses for an old camera like this, especially with the updated digital flair.