Last year was a big year for more premium modern 35mm cameras; you have the Pentax 17, the Lomography MC-A, and this one. The RETO Kodak Snapic A1 marked a major shift for RETO in their camera lineup. I’ve reviewed two of their previous offerings (Ultra-Wide & Slim and Kodak Ektar H35N), which are basic and cheap feeling; the Snapic A1 is a lightyear leap forward. The A1 offers a few things previous cameras did not: first, automatic film advance and rewind, second, two focus points for the three-element glass lens, and third, a proper OLED screen for information. And while it is advanced in some ways, it has limitations in others (ie, single shutter speed). But of the three, this is also the most affordable, which made it a no-brainer to review.
Camera Specifications
Manufacturer: RETO
Model: Kodak Snapic A1
Type: Point-And-Shoot
Format: 135 (35mm), 36x24mm
Lens: Fixed, Kodak MC f=25mm F9.5 (3-Elements)
Shutter: Gate-Type, fixed 1/100″
Dimensions (WxHxD): 118x62x35mm
Weight: 117g
Power Source: 2x AAA Battery
Year of Manufacture: 2025-Present
Background
RETO is still a relatively new player in the camera manufacturing field. While I cannot trace the company’s history, it started making a splash in the film photography market in 2022. RETO has always been a company that aimed to recreate and reinvent older cameras, mostly the cheap options from the 1980s and 1990s. Since their inception, they have been developing a range of cameras. One of their original offerings was the RETO Ultra-Wide & Slim, a modern recreation of the Vivtar Ultra-Wide & Slim, a cult classic camera. A three-lens 3D camera followed this, but the biggest boost for the company was the licensing rights to use the Kodak name. This led RETO to produce a pair of half-frame cameras, the Kodak Ektar H35 and the improved Ektar H35N, both of which are excellent. The RETO Pano, a faux-pano camera, followed this up. The one thing that made the RUWS, H35, H35N, and RETO Pano similar was that they were all built on the same basic platform. Yes, there are differences among them: a better lens, a different film gate, and a flash. But at their core, the cameras are all the same. This is what made the Snapic A1 an excellent addition, while it offers something close to the earlier offerings. Gone is the manual advance/rewind; instead, there’s an automatic mechanism, an all-glass lens, but you are still stuck with a two-position focus and a fixed shutter speed. But if the A1 is one thing, it helps provide RETO with more tech to build even more advanced cameras in the future.
Impressions
I remember the first time I saw the Snapic A1, and let me tell you, my brain immediately went to the Ricoh GR series for the A1’s look. While not a perfect one-to-one representation, it is hard to tell the difference at 40 yards. The A1 is small; it fits in almost any pocket, hangs around the neck, or can be tossed in a side pocket of your camera bag. It won’t add too much weight or take up too much room. Despite the size, the camera fits nicely in the hand, and the lens has a bit of a standout, so you are at least warned if your fingers are getting in the way of the optics. The camera has a dedicated on/off switch, which is excellent. The OLED screen is decently bright, though it loses some brightness in direct sunlight. It provides plenty of information for you. There are two focus points, set via a toggle switch on the lens itself. The shutter release is bright and bright (day-glo orange) and well placed. The mode button, however, is not in a good spot for me; I tend to hold the camera with two hands. And the mode button is right where I put my other hand, so I tend to hit it, which accidentally turns on the flash. So I do have to remember to check before tripping the shutter. It’s a minor thing; I only have to remember that this camera is probably designed for one-handed operation. The build quality of the camera is far better than previous RETO options, well-made, heavier than others, but not enough to make it uncomfortable. Plus, having no manual rewind and automatic film advance is always helpful.
Experiences
The A1 is far less advanced than its contemporaries, the LOMO MC-A and the MiNT Rollei 35 AF. However, it is still a perfectly capable camera if you understand and work within its limitations. You should note that the camera has a fixed shutter speed of about 1/100s and a fixed aperture of f/9.5, so it’s important to choose the right film for the conditions. For outdoor work, I usually go with 100-200-speed films, but in bright conditions, a 50- or 80-speed film will work fine. Indoors, you’ll want faster 400-800 films, especially if you use flash, since it isn’t that powerful on the A1. Remember, if you do develop your film at home, you can always adjust development to compensate for brighter or darker conditions. Loading the film is semi-automatic. Load the film, pull the leader across, close the back, and the camera will automatically detect and indicate you need to press the button until it’s loaded. I find it works better with thicker bases. While the A1 loaded my first roll of Fomapan 100 without issue, it struggled with Fomapan 200, which uses a slightly thinner base. But it also loaded the rolls of Ilford film without any issues. Then get out there and have fun. I found that the camera works best when working with one hand, as your second hand may accidentally trigger the flash modes. The shutter release is big, bright and hard to miss, and there’s enough gap to prevent your fingers from blocking the lens. The camera also hangs nicely around your neck with the supplied lanyard, and it even has a device to help adjust the length of said hang. Plus, the camera weighs almost nothing yet has some heft, so it doesn’t feel cheap. And it can easily fit in any pocket or bag without taking up any space. The film advance is good; there are some spacing issues, and it tends to struggle in colder weather and after frame 30. The viewfinder is clear and bright, no frame lines, but you get what you see through the finder. The OLED screen works well in any condition, with plenty of information about the flash mode, frame counter, and focusing point. There are two, infinity to 1.5m and then 1.5m to 0.5m. I find the camera works best in the wide mode, as it can be tricky to nail a closer focus. Rewind can be automatic at the end of the roll, or you can rewind it mid-roll, plus it leaves the tail out of the canister, an added and unexpected bonus. If there’s one word to describe this camera overall, it’s fun. Once you get into that groove and understand its limitations and realise it’s far from a fully automatic camera, you can get some pretty good images out of it.
Optics
Compared with the previous RETO options, the lens on the Snapic A1 is excellent. Now, this isn’t a lens that could match the quality of the multi-element lenses I’m used to in my SLR kit, or even the average point-and-shoot from the 80s and 90s, but don’t let that stop you. The Snapic A1 features a three-element, all-glass, coated lens. I’ve worked with similar lenses in the past with excellent results. The 25mm focal length is a nice balance between ultra-wide and normal, giving you the best of both worlds. Plus, having worked with the Miranda 25mm lens, I’ve gotten to know the focal length, and it works well and suits my style of photography. While some might prefer something a bit closer to that ‘normal’ field of view in the 30-45mm range, I’m happy with going wider. It also works well with the fixed f/9.5 aperture, delivering a good depth of field at that focal length. The one thing you do have to watch out for is the two-point focusing. I’ve mostly worked on this using the ∞-1.5 m zone, which works well for what I use the camera for. I did switch to the 1.5m-0.5m setting; I’ve found this one a bit more troublesome. When you get closer to .5m, it doesn’t work as well. I’ve also seen no real problems with image quality, including fall-off or vignetting, and the lens is surprisingly sharp.
Lowdown
Is the Snapic A1 a good camera? Yes, it is, but it can also be better. There are a few things that could make this camera a bigger contender in the growing space. The first is the ability to adjust the aperture; having a fixed f/9.5 aperture is good, but could be better. The second is a bit more troublesome, a multi-speed shutter with some form of auto-exposure. But the A1 is a great foundation for those items. I expect RETO to add some of these to the A2 and A3 models. I can see aperture first, then the shutter in another model, mostly because shutters and AE are difficult to manage these days outside of big companies. But if someone out there is looking to get into film photography and doesn’t want to risk an older camera or has no desire to use an SLR or a rangefinder, but also doesn’t want to sink big money for a Pentax 17 or MC-A, then the A1 is certainly an attractive option at around 100$ the fee to enter is affordable and leaves plenty of room for film in the budget.
Further Reading
Don’t just take my word for the Snapic A1; check out reviews from other awesome camera reviewers!
35mmc – Kodak Snapic A1 Review: Overthinking with Well Built Simplicity
35mmc – Kodak Snapic A1 – the cure to overthinking everything
Matt Loves Cameras – Kodak Snapic A1
AnalogCafe – Kodak Snapic A1 Review
The Darkroom – Kodak Snapic A1 Review: A Simple $99 Point & Shoot Film Camera!
Learn Film Photography – Why This Camera will Sell the Most Film
theFINDlab – Is Kodak’s New Camera Worth $99 (Snapic A1 Review)