Our editors have compiled a list of the “Top 10 Strangest Cameras and Accessories” for your enjoyment. Which ones are your favorites?

10. Two-in-One Film/Digital Camera

Here’s a first: “a 35mm motorized compact camera with auto-rewind/power-rewind combined with a digital cam that takes 26 pictures at high resolution and 99 at low.” One drawback, it’s only avaliable on eBay. Check out the auction here.

For a price of only £19.99 ($38), you can own your own hybrid camera that isn’t really good at either digital or film photography

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9. iQRIO’s CamP3 Swivel Camera

This iQRIO CamP3 offers video/music playback and a video recorder in addition to normal camera functions. Plus, it includes an SD card slot for memory expansion (2GB max.).

Well, iQRIO has taken the Sony DSC-M1 – maybe even from the same OEM – and rebadged it as their own: the CamP3. The form factor, button layout and whatnot are identical, but that’s not to say that there aren’t any differences

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8. Zippo-Style Camera Lighter

At first glance, this may look like your typical Zippo lighter, but a 640 x 480 VGA camera is revealed when you flip the lid. Other perks include 64MB of built-in memory, USB connectivity, and a photo timer + continuous shooting functions.

Just plug one side of the cord into your camera, and the other into your USB port. The software then gives you the options of printing, formatting, cropping, archiving, and manipulating your photo

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7. Catchu Camera Frisbee

Designed by Adam Sutcliffe, the “Catchu Camera Frisbee” is capable of recording up to 20-minutes of “broadcast quality” video and has no moving parts for maximum durability. It’s expected to retail at $83 when released.

You’ll also notice the frisbee has a cleverly designed vein on top that ensures the camera always points in the direction of flight even while the disc is spinning

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6. The 360 Camera

Using a unique ergonomic cylindrical design, the “360 Camera” by Cedric Tay allows users to easily take panoramic images by just holding the device with one hand. Rounding out the specs on this camera is a built-in inclinometer and angle indicator.

“The 360 is designed with much emphasis on the user interface, with the main operating function designed as a touch sensor, thereby maintaining a flushed surface on the exterior.”

5. Wrist-Mounted Camera

If a cameraphone just isn’t good enough, check out this “waterproof (up to 30m) wrist-mounted GoPro Digital Hero Camera”. It’s capable of shooting 648 x 480 digital stills / 320×240 video and has 32MB of internal memory. Available now for $79.95 here.

You lock it down as flat as possible against your wrist when you’re not using it, and when you want to take a picture, just swivel it up in a perpendicular position and you’re ready to shoot

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4. The Frame Camera by Liteon

From the ultraslim, futuristic exterior to the digital camera inside, Liteon’s “The Frame” makes snapping pictures easy. There are two basic modes: “Natural Zoom”, basically a frame-like viewfinder that allows users to take perfect snapshots at the push of a button and “Natural Thumb” — swing your hand from left to right for easy photo playback.

The Frame is an extremely simple and easy-to-use camera, no matter whether the user is 70 or 7 years old. The Frame has two main concepts to make photo taking and photo playback intuitive and natural

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3. SatuGO – Bouncing Digital Camera

This nifty little bouncy ball type gadget is actually a digital camera that snaps 3.0 Megapixel images when bounced. The SatuGO is notable in that it includes 1GB NAND memory and sports a timer/flash so it can also be used as a webcam. Just plug it into your computer’s USB port for quick and easy recharging. [Source]

2. World’s Smallest Camera

At just 1/18-inch, OmniVision’s OV6920 is the world’s smallest camera CMOS — “making many medical procedures even less invasive for the patient”.

The OV6920 is an ideal solution for low-cost applications requiring both excellent color video performance and a very small footprint. The ultra small OV6920 is a single-chip OmniPixel Camera Chip system, which only needs clock and power to get the NTSC composite signal out for direct interface with a VCR/TV/monitor.

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1. Lego Pinhole Camera

This person took a Polaroid 95a, stripped it down, and than reassembled the camera with all Lego parts. Like a real mechanical 35mm camera, it includes a manual crank which takes 23 clicks to advance one frame. [Source]

Honorable Mention – Thanko’s Camera Binoculars

Thanko’s BINOCA01 combines the functionality of a 2.0-megapixel camera and binoculars into one device. It’s powered by two AA batteries and features 32MB of built-in memory. A few caveats: there’s no LCD to preview your shots and it’s lacking a memory card expansion slot. This device measures 116 x 67 x 37mm and weighs in at 215g. Expect to shell out $145 for this multi-purpose gadget. Available now in Japan.[Source 12]

Author

A technology, gadget and video game enthusiast that loves covering the latest industry news. Favorite trade show? Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.