Fotorgear, best known for its retro camera-style phone cases, is building its first compact camera, and the Campix brings a flip-up waist-level viewfinder, film-simulation dials and clip-on lenses.

Fotorgear has opened deposits for the Campix, a retro-styled compact digital camera that will launch on Kickstarter.

The Campix has a black-and-silver finish and mechanical controls that nod to classic film cameras. Its most unusual feature is a waist-level electronic viewfinder: the top flips up to reveal a screen that you look down into, much like a medium-format TLR or a Hasselblad V-series.

Dials and film simulations

There’s a film-wind-style dial that mimics advancing a roll of film, and a separate top dial that switches between six built-in film simulations. A companion app lets you upload your own presets or LUTs, so the look isn’t limited to Fotorgear’s defaults. A pop-up TTL xenon flash sits beside the viewfinder.

The Campix has a built-in 26mm lens. Additional lenses clip on over the top of it, in the same way as smartphone add-on lenses, rather than being true interchangeable lenses with their own mount.

What we still don’t know

Fotorgear hasn’t yet published a spec sheet, so key details such as sensor size, resolution and video capabilities are still unknown. Those will make a big difference to whether the Campix is a genuine creative tool or more of a fun, lo-fi camera.

Still, we like the idea. Waist-level shooting changes how you frame and how people react to you, and it’s a feature that has been almost entirely absent from digital cameras. If Fotorgear can pair it with decent image quality, the Campix could find plenty of fans among street photographers and film shooters looking for a digital companion.

As with any crowdfunded product, backers should bear in mind that delivery dates and final specifications can change.

Fotorgear Campix specifications

Fotorgear Campix price and availability

Fotorgear is taking fully refundable US$5 deposits on its website ahead of the Kickstarter launch, unlocking discounts of up to US$150 plus an extra year’s warranty and priority shipping. Three packages are planned: Campix Basic, Campix Set and Campix Full. Expected retail prices run from around US$209 for the camera to US$509 for a three-lens bundle. A Kickstarter launch date hasn’t been confirmed.