The VistaQuest VQ1005 Digital Keychain Camera
VQ1005 1.3 Megapixel Digital Keychain Camera by VistaQuest
By Byron McFall
30 December 2007
There seems to be a resurgence of interest lately in the toy cameras of yesteryear. Some of this is in part because of a new found interest in film, but another part of this is because of the unusual results you get from the cheap simplicity of these "plastic wonders." They produce quirky, artfully unprofessional photographs with over saturated colors, blurry focus and vignetted edges. This style of photography has been credited with bringing a mysterious and childlike wonder back to more serious photographers that find themselves losing the joy they felt when they first started taking pictures. But what about today's toy cameras? In the new digital age of photography is there a toy camera that can bring these much sought after qualities without the ever increasing cost of film processing?
Well . . . yeah. Often overlooked (and even more so now that most cell phones contain cameras), the recent availability of keychain cameras at the front registers of department stores has produced at least one such "plastic wonder:" the VistaQuest VQ1005 1.3 Megapixel Digital Keychain Camera. Seemingly the modern equivalent of yesterday's toy camera, it produces over saturated, blurry, slightly vignetted, and oddly beautiful photos. It can even produce small 30 second silent videos with these strange qualities (actually the vignetting becomes slightly heavier during movie mode). It offers two focusing options (I like to call them "blurry and close", and "blurry and faraway") making it fairly adaptable to different situations, but with the absence of a preview screen and the limited function of its viewfinder, it also brings back one of the secret joys of shooting with film: that wonderful anticipation of not knowing what you got.
The tiny device can easily be fit into your jeans' pocket or even concealed in the palm of your hand (it's a little bigger than a roll of film and box shaped). Even more amazing than its size, is its ability to use SD/MMC cards. You can pop the same memory card from your "real" camera into this and shoot away without losing any pictures should its single AAA battery inevitably run out.
Of course using it is fun. The non threatening size of it makes it ideal for daytime "street photography." Its toy like stature quickly puts any candid subject at ease...after they ask you if it's a real camera. Lately, I often find myself shooting random everyday objects wondering how they are going to look through it's unusual lens; which brings me to the most important aspect of the camera: it's easy to always have it with you, because the "best camera" is whatever one you have when that something amazing catches your eye.
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