Stare Straight Into Your Subject’s Soul With This Strange New Camera

South Korean consumer electronics startup Lutra Inc. has launched a camera brand, Humans of Authenticity (HOA). HOA’s first camera, the HOA A1, looks weird as hell.

Like the widely-panned Godox C100, the HOA A1 says “no, thank you” to a viewfinder and, for that matter, a screen. The HOA A1’s rectangular frame itself is the viewfinder. If that sounds strange, it’s probably because it is.

"Frame is designed to be a viewfinder," HOA says. "Look through it with both eyes open, and feel the air. You can capture the scene just as you see."

As the company's few in-situ product photos show, the user winds up looking rather unusual, staring just over the top of the built-in lens at their subject.

Speaking of the built-in lens, HOA says it is a 26mm equivalent f/1.75 prime lens. It is paired with a 16-megapixel Sony IMX image sensor. The output images, presumably JPEG only since RAW isn't mentioned, are 4656 x 3104, which is about 14.5 megapixels.

Gratefully, HOA shares the sensor's size, which is a rather unusual move in the broader "odd digital camera" segment. It is a Type 1/2.53 image sensor, which delivers around a six-times crop factor. So while an f/1.75 aperture sounds fast, users should not expect a shallow depth of field by any stretch of the imagination.

That said, it's impossible to say anything about the HOA A1's image quality right now because HOA isn't sharing any sample photos, citing the need to "fine-tune the camera's color and tone in collaboration with photographers."

Time is running out, given that the company says the camera launches on December 21, "just in time for Christmas." Whether it's a fantastic present or a camera-shaped (?) piece of coal remains to be seen.

The camera's built-in battery offers up to eight hours of standby or 90 minutes of continuous shooting, per HOA.

Now is a good time to mention that Lutra Inc. also has extensive experience with blockchain and digital asset authentication. A core tenet of HOA's debut camera is celebrating authenticity. Subjects can see the photographer's face while they shoot; after all, this is about building connection to reality.

The camera authenticates every photo with "ShootProof," which creates a certificate that binds "image and data" at the time of capture. The certificate is recorded on a public blockchain. It's also anonymous, unlike some similar authentication technologies.

"ShootProof proves a photo is real," says HOA.

"Photography is endangered. Generated images are everywhere, making it hard to trust what you see," the company says. Fair point.

"That’s where ShootProof matters. It proves images are captured, not generated -- protecting photography’s credibility."

Photographers can also sign their photos through a "signature mode." Basically, photographers create a signature in an accompanying app; whether it's a legitimate one or a goofy little illustration is up to them, and the camera then slaps that signature onto the corner of every shot.

There's no way to know what this will look like yet, but it's an interesting idea. The smartphone integration goes far beyond this mode. The user's phone is the only way to view photos, although exactly how it works hasn't been detailed yet. Photographers will tap their phone on the back of the camera, and then some wireless transfer will occur. Photos can be captured without any connectivity, but Wi-Fi is required for viewing. HOA adds that the network is required to "safely authenticate" photos.

The HOA A1 First Edition launches on December 21. The first batch, comprising just 100 units, will be engraved with numbers from 001-100. Customers can reserve a specific number on a first-come, first-served basis. The HOA A1 is 360,000 KRW, or $289 USD. Preorders haven't opened yet, and interested buyers are advised to follow the company on Instagram to learn more.

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Image creditsHumans of Authenticity