Vivitar Retro Keychain Camera Review: Walmart's $12 Camera Tested
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The quick verdict
My roughly $12 Vivitar Retro Keychain Camera saved 640 × 480 photos, about 0.3MP, even when I selected higher resolutions in its menu. I also could not get it to record video after trying several formatted cards.
That did not match the 14MP and Full HD claims on the package I bought. I would treat my tested camera as a toy for rough photos, not buy it expecting the advertised image quality.
Watch the full video
A tiny plastic camera
My camera had USB-C charging, a microSD slot, and simple mode and power/shutter buttons. The body was very light.
The large lens shaped piece on the front was decorative. The actual lens was a tiny opening nearby. The package also advertised internal storage for up to 100 photos. I did not verify that capacity.
What the camera actually saved
| Claim or setting | Result from my unit |
|---|---|
| Photo menu offered up to 14MP | Saved photos remained 640 × 480, about 0.3MP. |
| Lower photo resolution selected | The saved dimensions still remained 640 × 480. |
| Full HD video on the package | I could not get video recording to work with the cards I tried. |
Those are the results from my camera. I would check saved file dimensions and actual recordings before relying on a menu label or a number on the box.
What I found inside
During the teardown, I found the battery attached to the board with tape and the display attached to the battery. The camera module was identified as an OmniVision OV2659.
OmniVision describes the OV2659 as a 2MP sensor with 720p video capability. That describes the component, not what the completed Vivitar camera successfully records.
I did not establish why this camera saved only 640 × 480 photos or why video failed on my unit. The teardown alone does not prove which part of the hardware or software caused either problem.
Would I spend the $12?
The low price makes it easy to regard this as a novelty. I can understand wanting rough digital photos for a casual project, but I would decide from the files shown in the video.
I would skip it for important pictures, usable Full HD video, or the detail suggested by a 14MP label. Before keeping one, test image saving, card operation, charging, and video within the seller’s return period.
My verdict
My results were far below the package claims. A small price did not make those claims useful. I would only consider this camera for its actual rough output after seeing the test, with no expectation that its highest menu setting improves the saved detail.