The Chinese Chuzhao (pronounced ‘choose-how’) company has so far produced two delightful little digital cameras, each a miniature copy of a classic camera of the past. First there was a Rolleiflex that I reviewed here last year; this time it’s a Hasselbad. Chuzhao calls it a Vintage 64MP Retro Digital Camera, but Id suggest ‘Chuzelblad’ suits it better. It’s available in black, red, green and grey, all with slightly garish gold fittings.

　　At 10.5x10x6cm, the camera is about two-thirds the size of the real thing, in contrast to the more easily pocketable ‘Rollei’ which was about half the size of the original. On the plus side, the larger body and its cubic shape makes it easier to handle. It also means a bigger 2.4in screen under a hood that flips up at the touch of a button. There’s also a standard tripod bush on the base.

　　Key Features Price: £35.99 (on Amazon, prices vary elsewhere) In the box: Camera, USB-C-USB cable, wrist strap, micro SD card, instructions, cloth bag. Controls: Power on/off, toggle between four filters, shutter release, delayed action, image delete button, playback button, video start/stop, autofocus on/off, zoom handle. Automation: Fully auto shutter programmed exposure, autofocus down to 3cm with viewfinder confirmation Battery: Lithium polymer battery, built-in and non-removable. Surrounding the lens, four buttons control numerous functions with short or long press options. A long press on the bottom left button turns the camera on, then short presses toggle between filters for colour, mono, sepia and high-contrast black and white. A short press on the opposite button shoots the picture, accompanied by an electronic ‘click-whir’ shutter noise. A longer press activates the delayed action, with a 6-second countdown on the screen.

　　Top left, a short press turns autofocus on and off, while a long press activates burst shooting (3 shots in about a second). Finally top right, short presses toggle through photo, video and playback modes, while a long press provides a shortcut to deleting the most recently shot image.

　　The rotating handle on the side of the body operates a 16x digital zoom which also works in the video mode. Clicking this handle inwards brings up the camera’s menu system, where you can change photo and video resolutions and change various other settings.

　　Files are stored on a micro-SD card that fist into a slot in the base. A supplied cable connects the USB-C socket on the base to a USB connection on your smartphone or computer to, transfer the images. It’s also used to charge and charge the battery.

　　Despite grand claims of 64MP resolution, the camera appears to use an 8MP sensor, while recording 12MP image files. In real terms, it can deliver crisp prints up to about A4 size, which is pretty impressive for the price. With evenly-lit subjects, exposure is fine, although a preponderance of light or dark areas in a subject can confuse the metering into over- or under-exposure. And the screen is a bit naff in bright sunlight. But hey, this is a camera that can be in your pocket for less than £40. For that, it’s worth every penny for the fun factor alone.

　　Verdict You won’t buy a Chuzelblad as your only camera. But it’s a great novelty, enjoyable to use and the picture quality is demonstrably better than that of last year’s ‘Rollei’. I just wish Chuzhao had used chrome-coloured fittings to look more like a real Hasselblad rather than gold, which makes it a bit too bling.

　　Size comparisons: Related reading:

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