Reviewed by Photographer, designer and Cat Lover, Kristen Hudson.

I’m lucky enough to be married to Nic Nichols, who as I am sure you have become well aware, is obsessed with toy and film cameras.  Being married to a camera aficionado has its perks. I’m often enlisted to help test new cameras, and more often than not, I get to carry the bag of cameras, hold film, and walk around with a straw bird on my shoulder all for the sake of art and research. As a reward for being such a helpful and supportive wife, as well as a fellow photographer, Nic found me a toy camera that I could call my own; the Shironeko.

The Shironeko, upon first glance, is my kind of camera. It comes in the best packaging ever designed- a tin with a smiling cats face on it. This camera brings back so many childhood memories, from the nostalgic pop-top can to the white plastic, blinking lights and tin-scratchy sounds. All those toys from my youth that used those gimmicks to captivate kids are wrapped up in one little camera. Think toy camera meets hello kitty and light bright with a fisher price radio twist. Pop the top and inside awaits the most precious little image catcher my eyes ever did spy. The Shironeko is a white plastic 35mm toy camera with black plastic controls and a cats face printed on the front.  There are so many little bells and whistles on the front of this camera I almost don’t know where to begin, and upon first glance, I’m beginning to understand why Nic wanted me to shoot with it. It sort of looks like a girly camera. It’s white, with blinking lights and a speaker that meows at you. The front looks like a cat’s face, complete with a coy wink and a smile. The lens serves as the cat’s open eye, cute, and above that are red and green blinking lights, even cuter, and a speaker flanked by purple-pink petals that meow when you push a button, still very, very cute.

I took this adorable little camera and used it for it’s intended purpose-to photograph cats. The flashing lights and meowing sounds aren’t just so you look really cool while taking pictures, they serve a higher purpose; to attract the attention of the elusive feline. Our 1 year old kitten Gracie served as the model and test subject for the Shironeko, and I must say, her review was mixed. The lights attracted her, but she was not that happy the screechy meows that echoed through the room. I liked the sounds, every time I hit the button, I couldn’t help but giggle. Gracie, on the other hand, as soon as she heard the faux, high pitched meows, would seize up, slick her ears back and shake her head slowly from side to side as if to try and shake the noise from her tiny, fuzzy head. The camera also comes with a pretty powerful little flash. Gracie and I were shooting Agfa 400 film, and even from a few feet away, some of the images were blown out, despite taking pictures in a relatively dark room. The flash also bothered Gracie, who tried to shield her eyes by hiding behind a pillow as I stalked her like the paparazzi. She loosened up and began flirting and posing outrageously, despite the noise and flashing lights. After 24 frames, we were spent, and she spent the next hour on my lap napping and purring.

The next day, I decided to try some natural light portraits using the Shironeko and my muse, Gracie Cat. I went to an area that had a lot of light, followed willingly by Gracie and started taking pictures as she basked in the glow of the afternoon light. This went much better since there was no obtrusive flash to hurt her eyes or cause her to become skittish at the sight of the camera. This time, Gracie cuddled, nuzzled and inspected the Shironeko with the curiosity of, well, a kitten. The only complaint I have with the Shironeko is depth of field, but that is simply part of it being a toy camera. Using natural light and no flash, Gracie was intrigued by the meowing noises, although perturbed at times, but she was very interactive with the camera. She inspected it, sniffed it, rubbed against it, tried to nibble on it, flirted with it, and rolled around while reaching for it.  I think some of the resulting images were really lovely. Lots of blurry, warm light, abstract textures and sweeping movement. All things I love about the unpredictability of toy cameras.

Overall, I enjoyed the Shironeko Camera. It’s fun, it’s whimsical, it’s playful and it’s completely different than any other camera I have used, and as Nic’s wife, I’ve tried just about all of them. The Shironeko isn’t only functional to photograph felines, you can photograph anything with it, but I find myself wanting to use it only with Gracie-it’s an excuse to play with my kitten and see what images I get of her. It’s the camera that channels my inner child, with its pretty white plastic, colorful blinking lights and toy-like automated sounds. So using the Shironeko, I become a kid again, chasing my cat around the house taking crazy pictures and having a whole lot of fun while doing it.

Kristen Hudson is the owner of Milkmaid Press and Jubilee Photography, also check her blog, All Things Lovely.