Fstoppers Reviews the Chuzhao Mini TLR Retro Camera: OK, This One’s Actually Fun

Aug 21, 2026 - 01:15

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Fstoppers Reviews the Chuzhao Mini TLR Retro Camera: OK, This One’s Actually Fun

I'm some kind of glutton for punishment. I've reviewed all manner of cheap cameras, and then even cheaper cameras, all so you, the reader, can get a good laugh. I went into this review of the Chuzhao Mini TLR thinking that I was going to provide more entertainment by lampooning the camera, but alas, I can't.

It's actually fun, and the picture quality is not as bad as its price would suggest.

Deep breath here.

When I say the picture quality "is not that bad," I have to qualify this statement. The camera still leans heavily on the nostalgia factor, with a body designed to look like an old-school twin-lens reflex camera (think Rolleiflex), even operating with a waist-level finder that you view from above.

The similarities with a TLR camera end there. This is a digital camera with a 12 MP sensor, and it shoots 1080p video with mono audio. There's nothing retro about that.

Why It's Fun

For those who have never used a waist-level finder, shooting while looking down into the camera is a wholly different experience than shooting with the back screen or a viewfinder. In this case, the view is a screen and not through the lens, but the novelty is still there. There's also some amount of discretion that comes with shooting from the waist, something that could benefit street photography.

The Chuzhao Mini TLR's waist-level viewfinder.

The fact that it looks like a miniaturized version of a classic camera was a talking point everywhere I went as people asked me if it was some sort of vintage model or a film camera of some sort. It was a good conversation starter. The fact that it was so small, about the size of a small bar of soap, made it easy to carry in the palm of the hand or the side of a backpack. While it looks retro, looks are about it. For instance, where you'd expect to see lens information on the front, you instead see "Inspiration at your fingertips" on one lens and "Capture the essence of every moment" on the other. There are some numbers on the side by what mimics a film advance lever, but they are meaningless. You can, however, use the lever to browse pictures in playback mode or start video in record mode.

What's Inside That Counts

This is normally the part of the review where I take apart the camera and reveal that it's basically a cheap webcam that's been slapped into an equally cheap plastic shell with mushy buttons and zero redeeming qualities.

However, I liked this camera, and I intend to keep using it, and so for once, I'm not taking it apart. It even takes decent enough photos for me to say with some degree of confidence that this isn't a generic webcam. For instance, on a day out at Montauk Point, I was able to point-and-shoot my way to this lovely frame:

Which brings me to the unique square photos that the camera takes. It forces you to think differently about compositions.

When taking the photo, there actually seems to be some autofocus going on, which is another tell that it's not a webcam. There's actually some shallow depth of field achievable with foreground objects, and even when pixel-peeping, the quality seems to mimic an OK point-and-shoot camera from one of the major brands. This is not the same as the $20 (or $6) Amazon cameras that seek to fleece buyers.

Video quality is also surprisingly good, even at 1080p. Here's a shot of the ocean directly from the camera:

There's no stabilization and audio isn't stereo, but in a pinch, it will do. Interestingly, it doesn't shoot video in the same square format as the photos, and so this is likely a crop of the sensor to make it horizontal. I wouldn't use this for serious work, but to capture a "feeling" of someplace, it's perfectly suited for the task.

There's a tendency for the camera to overexpose in bright sunlight, and there's no way to dial it in at all. Witness what the camera chose as an exposure for Portland Head Light at sunrise:

I tried again on a different day, and in a photo that should have been like shooting fish in a barrel, the camera consistently botched exposure in daylight situations:

The frame is pretty sharp, and colors are good, but it looks like the dynamic range of the camera can't keep up with its aspirations.

Still, though, sometimes with the combination of sensor, lens and whatever processing algorithms are going on, the camera can produce some nice colors and range in its images:

I could go on about the image and video quality, but there are no surprises here. Fundamentally, it's a small-sensor camera with a middling lens. That's not why anyone's buying the camera. It's for an experience that's somewhere in between a phone and a mirrorless camera, while focusing on being fun. A fun gift, maybe, for the photographer friend in your life.

Conclusion

Though it's a little pricier at about $35 compared to the bottom-of-the-barrel junk on Amazon, between the camera, 16 GB memory card and the cable that comes with it, it's actually worth the price of admission just for the experience. Would I take it as the only camera for anything serious? No, but as a fun camera to shoot on the side of a real camera, or one for the kids to noodle around with, it's excellent.