Photo: Richard Butler CP+ is barely underway, but it's already been a busy year for the International Camera and Photo Imaging Show. TTArtisan is adding to the growing list of surprises this year by announcing its first-ever camera.
The brand revealed the Folding Instant Camera on its Instagram account, announcing that it is on display at CP+ in Japan.
TTArtisan is best known for its lenses, though it has also dabbled in photography accessories. This is the company's first foray into cameras, however. Its Instagram post says to "stay tuned for the official launch," so details are slim at this point. Luckily, the camera is on display at CP+, so our team that is in Japan for the show was able to go check it out and gather more information. At the booth, a representative told us there's no official price for the camera yet, but that "it should be around $300. "
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The Folding Instant Camera is retro in more than just looks. As the imagery shows, it uses a foldable design with bellows. It will feature a fully mechanical design with a spring-loaded shutter that doesn't require batteries. Like mechanical cameras, the shutter requires manual re-cocking before each shot. It will offer shutter speeds from 1 sec to 1/300.
Photo: Richard Butler
The camera features a 75mm (43mm equiv. ) F3. 5-22 lens with a Cooke Triplet design, which was patented in 1893. It is made up of three air-spaced elements – two biconvex lenses surrounding a biconcave lens – which helps reduce distortion and aberration. Of course, given there is no power for the camera, it will be manual focus only.
TTArtisan didn't provide any information on exposure or metering, but a close look at the lens reveals an aperture ring, shutter speed control and DoF scale, meaning it has full manual control, unlike most modern instant cameras. The model on the show floor also has the TTArtisan Light Meter II on top of the camera, suggesting there isn't a built-in light meter.
Photo: Richard Butler
TTArtisan promises soft bokeh and a bulb mode for long exposures. It will use Fujifilm Instax film and looks to be of the Mini variety. The images posted to its Instagram account suggest the camera will come in a range of colors, including blue, orange, pink, and black.
The camera looks quite nice, and the idea of manual control with instant film is intriguing. It should be available in autumn 2025.
. dpreview.com2025-3-1 19:59
