New Selfie-Friendly Dual Display Camera Has Y2K Energy

Cheap, compact digital cameras continue to be all the rage, with new models popping out of the woodwork from every which way. The latest in Japan, the DIGI+ Dual Display Digital Camera DGP-DCM01, combines a translucent body design with a secondary selfie-friendly front screen.

As CAPA Camera Web reports, the DIGI+ Dual Display Camera is priced at just 7,980 yen, which is about $50. For a limited time, until July 8, it’s actually even cheaper there, down to around $37.

There’s no shortage of cheap new digital cameras right now, though, so what makes this camera special? The lightweight, 102-gram camera features a 1.3-inch display on the front, joining a 2.4-inch panel on the back. This front display makes it easy for people to frame their selfies. It’s not unusual for a higher-end, more expensive camera to have a swiveling screen that users can flip out for self-portraits, but it’s fairly unusual for a camera to have a fixed front screen like this.

Of course, the DIGI+ is a cheap, compact camera, so prospective purchasers must keep their expectations in check. The camera has just a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor, which by 2026 standards is extremely low-res. Given that the camera has a 3.64mm lens that delivers a 75° field of view, similar to a 28mm lens on a full-frame camera, it’s also obvious that the 5MP sensor is small. A roughly seven times crop factor means the sensor is probably something like a Type 1/2.3, which is even smaller than the main sensor in most modern smartphones.

All that is to say that image quality is probably not going to be a strong suit of this camera. Instead, it purports to have appeal thanks to its compact form factor, front display, and stylish design. The translucent body is reminiscent of classic late-90s, early-2000s electronics, like a Game Boy Advance or a Nintendo 64.

The DIGI+ is not the first affordable, clear-cased digital camera to hit the scene recently, either. Last fall, New York City-based lifestyle brand Manual launched the Holo, a $95 point-and-shoot digital camera with a Y2K-inspired translucent design. Y2K vibes are definitely trending.

The DIGI+ DGP-DCM01 is now available in Japan for 5,980 yen (about $37) until July 8, after which the price will increase to 7,980 yen ($50).

Image credits: Sourcenext