Last Updated on 10/06/2025 by Chris Gampat

2025 has been a really great year for point and shoot cameras so far. Sure, there have been a few higher end cameras that people look at and drool because of what it can do. But really, people just want point and shoots. And more importantly, they’ve wanted point and shoot cameras for years. The Japanese manufacturers haven’t been able to really keep up, and so there have been newer companies popping up to do the job. And one of the most hotly anticipated cameras, the Echolens, has been delayed. But why?

In emails with the Phoblographer, the team over at Echolens has been keeping us aware of what’s going on. In August, we contacted the brand requesting a review unit. They told us that the unit will be coming in september or the start of October.

However, with further communications with Echolens, the Phoblographer has learned that the camera has been delayed due to Typhoon Ragasa and the brand hopes to ship in late October. This majorly affected the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Because of that, delays in production have occurred after flood recovery.

We saw similar things happen to the camera industry back a little over a decade ago. But when those hurricanes happened, the entire Japanese camera industry and lens industry were majorly changed. Also in this case, it’s a much different system because Echolens is a completely new camera company that isn’t relying on the other Japanese manufacturers to make things happen. This is another reason why I love these little new companies popping up, they’re not all trying to create the same exact things and features like scene detection and AI aren’t all popping up in cameras at the same time. You can tell that these companies are all working to do something very different.

If you’re not familiar, the Echolens is a camera designed to look like an old Leica rangefinder. But it’s sort of like the newer, cheaper point and shoot cameras on steroids. Here are some notes from previous coverage:

• It’s got a vintage Leica-inspired design
• The team says that it’s inspired by old disposable cameras from the 90s
• Full retail cost will be $150, but Kickstarter pricing will be lower
• There’s a built-in Wifi button to upload images directly to your phone
• There’s no screen
• It’s made with Polycarbonate Composite & Aluminum
• It has a Xenon flash
• It uses WiFi and USB-C
• There are various film filters to capture that vintage look
• Pure images, no AI smoothing or excessive sharpening

I started out in college in 2005 with an 8MP camera. And so ultimately, this camera is going to take me back to what’s now considered a vintage era. In many ways, I can’t wait to get back into that format of thinking and using a camera. Gen Z is going to love that. And I’ve got a feeling that more forward thinking middle millennials, like myself, will adore it too.