The Escura Instant 60s is a Retro-Styled Hand-Powered Instant Camera

The Hong Kong-based design brand Carbon has unveiled a new camera called the Escura Instant 60s. It’s a retro-tastic instant camera that’s 100% hand-powered, 100% manual, and 100% analog.

Just like with early mechanical film cameras, no batteries are needed in the Escura Instant 60s.

After loading the camera with a pack of Fujifilm Instax Mini instant film, you can select between shooting at f/8 and f/11 apertures.

After snapping a photo, you turn a crank on the side of the camera to eject the exposed film.

There’s also an optional external flash that comes with a diffuser and color gels:

Specs of the camera include a 60mm f/1.8 equivalent lens, a minimum focusing distance of 0.8m, a 1/100s shutter, a bulb shutter with a spring-shutter release cable, multiple exposure shooting, and a weight of 12oz (350g).

Carbon says it came up with the retro design to pay homage to what the 1960s gave us.

“In the 1960s, technology was expanding rapidly alongside design and culture,” the company says. “Technology did not only inspire aesthetics designs but enabled us to embark on unprecedented explorations to enrich the texture of life. This included a rise in popularity of lucite and newly colored plastics used in a variety of products.

“This is a fine representation of our appreciation for the 60’s design trends and desire for the most authentic photographic experience.”

Here are some sample photos captured with the camera:

It seems that manually-cranked Instax devices are a new trend in late 2018: KiiPix is a $40 hand-cranked printer that’s already on the market, and last month Holga announced the Holga Printer that’s essentially the same thing (except with a proprietary Holga companion app).

Here’s a video introducing the Escura Instant 60s:

The Escura Instant 60s is being launched through a Kickstarter campaign, which has already exceeded its initial $38,271 goal. A pledge of about $48 and up will get you one of the first cameras if the project successfully ships in February 2019.