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Both Rolleiflex and Leica have miniature digital versions of their classic camera models.

The Rolleiflex Mini Digi AF 5.0 digital camera comes in both classic coal black and head-turning vivid red, though it is likely that anyone wearing a miniature Rolleiflex around his/her neck will be turning heads regardless. Weighing in at 2.7×4.4×6.2 inches and 15.7 ounces, the Rolleiflex Mini Digi fits right in the palm of your hand. Despite its intriguing size, the photos it produces are nothing to write home about.

It should be understood, however, that these cameras are only novelties and not meant to replace any DSLR or even a current point-and-shoot.

The camera captures classic square-cropped images at 5 MP (though more like 3 MP), albeit at low quality. The Rolleiflex Mini Digi can currently be purchased for $299 at Amazon.

Similarly, the Minox DCC Leica M3 weighs in at 2.9×1.1×1.7 and 3.8 ounces. Several users of the camera have noted that the body is clearly made with plastic, a disappointment to some, though reasonable given the size of the camera. Would anyone really want  that small of a camera to weigh any more? It has more appeal to be worn as a novelty charm on a necklace than to be used as a serious camera. Either way, the camera’s charming quality makes it a great conversation piece and works just fine to take snapshots wherever you are. The Minox Leica has a 5 MP sensor with 3 MP hardware resolution. It can even take 320×240 video clips. The Minox DCC Leica M3 is on sale at Amazon for $149.

Toy cameras have for the most part been considered secondary in the world of photography.  However, toy cameras can sometimes produce much more interesting elements in a photograph than a digital camera can.  Lomographic cameras are the most popular toy cameras on the market today.  Lomographic cameras are all about capturing the moment while at the same time producing unique results such as light leaks, vignettes, and highly saturated colors.  The camera shown above is called the Action Sampler Flash.  I own many lomographic cameras, but this one has to be my favorite.  The most important element to consider when taking a photograph with this camera is what type of environment you are in.  This is called the Action Sampler Flash for a reason.  Make sure you take the photograph in a place where people or objects are constantly moving!  A theme park, bike ride, or drive in the car are good places to start.  This camera has four seperate lenses and once the shutter is pushed, the lenses expose a quarter frame of your image each 1/4 of a second.  There is a fixed aperture, a fixed shutter speed, and no focusing so feel free to experiment with it.  The best time to take photos with this camera is during bright daylight, however when night hits, pop up the four-step sequential flash and light up a room. With the flash it’s best to take photos a maximum of five feet away from you.  The flash takes two “AA” batteries which come with the camera when you order it.

Overall, this is a great experimental camera that is much more fun than just a one time use Kodak, and has less professional, technical aspects than an expensive DSLR.

Check out the Action Sampler Flash and more lomographic cameras at the Lomographic Society International (US).