Move Over Kodak Charmera, Meet the New Trend in Town: Badgera!

DIYP was the first to predict the rise of the keychain or charm camera which would sweep the world as the Kodak Charmera. We’re now here to predict another trend that could capture the hearts and pocketbooks of photographers near and wide…meet the Badgera.

Say, what? No doubt, you’re familiar with the piece of neckwear that adorns conventions, events, and many workplaces that is known as the badge. This rectangular chunk of paper bearing your name, typically ensconced inside plastic, is worn around the neck on an, occasionally flamboyant, ribbon that advertises a sponsor. A discrete attachment clasp fixes the badge to the ribbon and off you merrily go with everyone suddenly calling you by your name.

Amplifying this concept just a bit, the “Badgera,” adds a 48MP camera into your badge medley giving you the unprecedented ability to now photograph all of those folks who keep calling you by your name.

A Wafer Thin Wonder

Officially known as the, unglamorously named, “Digital Camera FHD 1080P Kids Camera 16x Zoom Anti-Shake, 48MP Compact Portable Ultra-Thin Point Shoot Camera Gift” (yes, Badgera is a much better name), this new concept in photography leaves the now “dated” Kodak Charmera behind in the dust. First of all, the price is very hard to beat. Priced at $9.95, the Badgera is an astonishingly thin, 48MP camera with autofocus, image stabilization, and a 2.8″-diagonally measured LCD. Naturally, you get a 1080P video capability along with a, best-ignored, 16X digital zoom.

Unlike yesterday’s trendy Kodak camera, the Badgera comes equipped with a pre-installed 32GB microSD card. Furthermore, there’s 10 color filters, 8 mode/subject settings, and an unexpected optional “soft” sharpness capability for helping you capture that perfect expression on the face of your fellow convention goers and office coworkers.

Rounding out the camera’s packaging is a USB-C charging cable, wrist strap, carrying bag, and instruction manual. Both charging (please note: the camera takes 2-3 hours for charging) and data transfer are possible through the camera’s onboard USB-C port.

Up until now everything sounds too good to be true, right? The proof, however, is in the photographs that this ultra-thin camera is able to produce. Please judge these photographs for yourself. Each photograph was cropped to remove a date/time stamp that is embedded in every image:

Supplementing convention, event, and workplace badges with a camera is not some crazily concocted concept. Manufacturers, like M5Stack, have begun venturing into adding tools to the badge ribbon/clasp, too. In the case of M5Stack, an e-paper tablet with zero-power consumption (e.g., when the power is OFF) can still display a high-resolution photograph featuring your likeness and contact information. Maybe with a little programming you could couple the e-paper badge to the Badgera turning you into a walking mirror of the world in front of you?

Enjoy.

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