Starbucks Is Selling Its Own Brand of Digital Cameras
Starbucks is a camera manufacturer now. The company has announced a series of branded compact digital cameras in China called the Starbucks Retro Digital Camera, which is available now through the holiday season in China.
The cameras are available in red or green colors and appear to be only launching in China. According to Yanko Design, the cameras cost 198 yuan (about $28) and feature a vintage visual aesthetic thanks to a metal and leatherette body along with “dials” and a flash. “Dials” are in quotes because it doesn’t appear as though they actually do anything but are instead just visual flair. The camera is controlled mainly via the small screen on the back, but its biggest change is the dual camera system.
Usually, additional cameras or lenses mean different focal lengths (a la the typical smartphone design), but the Starbucks Retro Digital Camera approached this somewhat differently and instead has one camera on each side of the body. One is located in a traditional spot — inside a large, vintage-inspired “lens” on the front, while the other is located on the back where, traditionally, a viewfinder would sit. Controlled via the menu, users can choose which of the two cameras they want to use: the front-facing one for a more traditional experience or the rear-facing one for selfies. The benefit of that rear-facing camera is that the LCD is right below it, allowing users to easily frame themselves in the shot.
It is highly unlikely that Starbucks designed and developed this camera from scratch. More likely is that the company worked with one of the many camera manufacturers in China to put a Starbucks-themed, vintage wrapper on top of an existing camera. The dual lens system is neat, but not unique to the Starbucks camera — there are other examples of the same design on Ali Express.
This isn’t the first time Starbucks has released a coffee-branded camera. Last year, it partnered with Lomography with a special edition Lomo-Instant Automat that carries the Starbucks brand. This year, though, it appears to be striking out on its own.
China is a huge market for Starbucks — it’s the company’s second biggest market. Combining its popularity there with the exploding demand for compact digital cameras just makes business sense. Just don’t expect this cheap little camera to provide much in the way of image quality.
Image credits: Starbucks
