Mini Digital Camera with 0.96 Inch Screen and 1080p Video

Nineteen grams, a loop for a cord, and a screen the size of a postage stamp

Pick it up and the first thing that registers is how little there is of it. Nineteen grams is lighter than a set of house keys, which is the whole argument for a camera like this: it rides on a bag strap or in a coat pocket and gets used on the walk home rather than left charging on a shelf next to a phone that already takes pictures.

On the back sits a screen the maker gives as 0.96 inch. It is a preview, not a viewfinder, enough to check you were pointing the right way and to scroll back through the morning. The cell comes out, the loop takes a cord, and files move across on a USB 2.0 cable. The maker also adds eight filter modes and around 100 minutes of recording on its own promotional panels, which we pass on as its figures rather than ours.

Key Benefits

• Small enough to actually carry 19 g and pocket sized, with a loop moulded into the body for a cord or a clip.
• A screen on the back Given as 0.96 inch, so framing and playback happen on the camera instead of after the fact.
• A cell you can swap The lithium battery is removable and one is supplied, so a spare is an option rather than a rebuild.
• 1080p as stated by the maker Video at 1080p with electronic stabilisation, both listed on the maker's sheet.
• Files move on a plain cable USB 2.0 to a computer, with a cable in the box.

Best for: a first camera for a child old enough to look after one, a lightweight second camera for a festival or a hike, and anyone who wants photographs taken on something that is not a phone.

Why It Works

A phone in a pocket beats this camera on every specification and loses on the only one that matters here, which is willingness. Nobody hands a teenager a phone to take on a school trip, and nobody clips a phone to a rucksack strap on a wet walk. A 19 g camera with a cord loop occupies exactly that gap, and the small screen means the pictures are looked at on the spot rather than discovered a week later.

Quick Product Facts: 19 g; rear screen given as 0.96 inch; video given as 1080p; electronic stabilisation as listed by the maker; removable dedicated lithium cell, one supplied; USB 2.0 data connection; lanyard loop on the body; eight filter modes and around 100 minutes of recording as claimed on the maker's promotional panels; one version sold, the option named Y3000 with screen.

How It Fits Your Routine

Clipped to a bag it comes out on the walk rather than at the destination, which is where most of the pictures worth keeping actually happen. Charge it the night before, put the cell back in, and it is ready.

On a trip it is the camera you hand over. If it goes in a puddle or off a wall, nothing about the day is ruined, which is not true of the phone in your other pocket.

Back home the USB 2.0 cable moves the files to a computer. Keep the cell out if it is going to sit unused for a season, and store it away from radiators like any lithium cell.

FAQ

Which camera am I actually buying? The option named Y3000 with screen, and that is the only thing that can go in a basket. Two different bodies appear in the photographs. The small reflex shaped one with 1920x1080 printed around the lens is not sold here, so order by the option name rather than by the picture.

What kind of sensor is in it? We are not printing one. The specification sheet says CCD and the maker's own panel says CMOS, which cannot both be true. The sensor size on the sheet is not credible for a camera of this weight either, so we are leaving the sensor unstated rather than repeating a figure we do not believe.

Do I need a memory card? The maker never says. There is no card in the packing list, no card slot named in the specifications and no internal memory figure given, so buy a small card to be safe and check the manual before your first outing.

Is it suitable for a young child? The maker markets it to children but prints no age grade anywhere. It is a small object with a removable cell and a loop that takes a cord, so treat it as a camera for an older child under supervision, and do not hang a cord round a small child's neck.