So you want a digital Rollei?

[yossi]

I just realize that there is a similar product by Kenko Tokina of JP since last quarter of 2024. This Chuzhou toycam seems to be an improved version of the Kenko Pieniflex but priced it lower. One major difference is that the Kenko one doesn't have a VF.

Toy camera PIENIFLEX

From the Peiniflex Specifications, the image size of 5MP appears to be interpolated one. The actual image size is only 0.95MP. I suspect it is the same for Chuzhou toycam. So 12Mp or 48Mp are not going to have much difference in terms of IQ. By the way the Pieniflex's IQ looks even more pixelated cf. the Chuzhou. I think this (sample pix of Peiniflex) doesn't look better than shawn's one 😅

 

[shawn]

I

From the Peiniflex Specifications, the image size of 5MP appears to be interpolated one. The actual image size is only 0.95MP. I suspect it is the same for Chuzhou toycam. So 12Mp or 48Mp are not going to have much difference in terms of IQ. By the way the Pieniflex's IQ looks even more pixelated cf. the Chuzhou. I think this (sample pix of Peiniflex) doesn't look better than shawn's one 😅

I saw a few reviews suggest that the Chuzhao might be upsampling. I tried to check this with some 2.7 megapixel shots from a 24 year old digital camera and upsampled to 12 megapixels and didn't get the same sort of artifacts of the Chuzhao. If I cranked up noise reduction then I ended up with pretty much the same look. It is still possible it is upsampling but I don't think the artifacts come from that.

Same from a section of a D1H JPEG. Upsampled on right, upsampled with NR on left.

 

[shawn]

At Amazon, I notice that there’s the 12Mp version for $51 and a 48Mp version for $81. 48Mp???
And how does this little guy measure/set exposure?

I doubt that is actually correct. The title says 48mp (with flash) but everything else is showing 12 megapixels and there is no flash. Exposure is automatic, it blows out highlights easily.

 

[shawn]

It doesn't write any shooting data to the exif but based on the NR and the limited DR it might be shooting at a high ISO all the time or at least ramps it up very quickly. Will try in full sunlight tomorrow to see if that improves.

Just tried testing this, it does vary ISO with light which impacts the NR artifacts.

This is a section of a test shot of a product package from the same distance away indoors (about ev9) vs outside on a bright sunny morning. This is viewed at 100%.


The NR is very obvious on the indoor shot but is also impacting the outside shot too. That one shows some haloing around the text from the sharpening (or could be ringing from the scaling) and the NR has removed detail.

As a comparison to a different camera this is an iPhone indoors in lower light against the Chuzhao outside in full sunlight. iPhone is 12 megapixels in 4x3 ratio and it almost certainly a faster lens. Even with multiple stops lower light it looks considerably better with better colors, more detail and less artifacts. Looking at the M on the Chuzhao it has artifacts on the diagonal lines. That might be evidence it is upsampling.



The iPhone NR has removed detail too but it has done it in a way that isn't nearly as obvious, it is mostly in the texture of the box and the corrigation lines.

This is the Chuzhao outside against the iPhone outside at around 60%:



Now the NR of the phone hasn't smoothed out the corrigation lines and texture of the box.

And then this is the two outside at about 200% to really look at the stairstepping artifacts on the Chuzhao which could be from upsampling.