Taller Children

Hi, I would love to introduce you to my tiny friend, Hamster.

LOL, that's not its name, but a friend of mine told me one time, "Bring that camera of yours.  That tiny one."  I was trying to trick her into trying to pronounce the name, but instead she said, "The one which means, I dunno, 'hamster' or something in Japanese."

My camera was probably offended and instead of laughing at my friend, would've said, "Harinezumi means 'porcupine' in Japanese.  Hello, look at the tiny illustration above my lens.  Does that look like a hamster to you?"  Yeah, my camera's got an attitude, simply because everyone who sees it and learns what it can do suddenly wants one just like it.

panda with flower accessory not included :P

This is Digital Harinezumi 2++.  It's like the iPhone or the iPad of the toy camera world - because a few months after I got the 2++, Superheadz, makers of wonderfully cartoonish toy cameras, came out with this:

via Oh Shoot Us

and then a few months after that, these:

via Photonet.org.uk

and then a few more months after, the 2+++.  Imagine my dismay.  The 2+++, if we were to base on the number, only has an additional plus, but it has millions of color modes (okay, maybe just 10), while the 2++ has two.  But then I started thinking, the 2++, as it is, can do a lot already.  How dare I try to belittle this little camera?

This camera can take 8mm-inspired videos such as this one:

Manila Weekend 09/11-09/12 2010 from kannika p. on Vimeo.

It can take photos like these:

Like the best toy cameras, it loves a sunny blue sky and distorts images in a funny way (see third photo).  I'm not really sure when the distortion typically happens, because I have had one too many photos (that I will not share, but you can take my word for it) of myself with Conehead-like foreheads.  Not pretty.

Because it has very few control buttons (aside from the shutter release button and the power button, it has two - menu and okay), you need to master the buttons to know exactly what they do.  They're not that straightforward, so it's not always "borrower-friendly" (meaning, people who borrow it will have a pretty hard time mastering the buttons at first go).  I have had quite a few mishaps with this camera as well, because of these buttons.  Sometimes, the buttons don't respond as quickly, so it's better not to press on the buttons too hard or you will end up with an empty memory card.  This happened to me twice already - never happening again.  Tip: don't delete while out.  The camera has a tendency to be a little slow on the uptake sometimes, and so if it freezes when you're trying to delete a photo, just don't.

There's no lock button here, so if you want to save up on CR2 batteries which empty quite easily (even just leaving them inside an unused camera for a few days can empty them out), leave the battery out if you're storing it inside a crowded bag (like mine).  The power button is soft, and you don't want to have your zumi eating up all the precious battery life while inside the bag.

Aside from these, there's really nothing to complain about the zumi.  It's a quintessential part of my tiny trips and travels, and a great tool to play with when you're bored.  Example?


dream come true from kannika p. on Vimeo.

I think you're going to like the Digital Harinezumi.  But please, Superheadz, I'm begging you, after the 2+++ stop putting another +.