A couple of days ago, I featured photos of Midtown Manhattan shot with the Fujifilm X Half. I called that camera a toy, even though it had a hefty price tag. I also bought another toy camera on my trip to New York. A true toy that’s a very reasonable $69.

Sometimes low expectations are liberating. At that price, I assumed the Camp Snap would simply be a novelty—a camera to enjoy for its simplicity rather than for the quality of its photographs.

Much to my surprise, I prefer these pictures to those from the X Half, which costs over ten times as much.

The biggest image-quality problem with the Camp Snap wasn’t the resolution or sharpness. It was the aggressively digital look of the JPEGs, which conflicted with the disposable-film aesthetic the camera was trying to emulate. My goal was to soften the image through post-processing to create a more film-like look. So while the Camp Snap is intended to be the ultimate point-and-shoot with little more than a shutter button, I processed these JPEGs more extensively than I typically do from my serious cameras to achieve the look I wanted.

Of the three pictures, this one has an especially old-timey look—the kind you see in vintage postcards with slightly wonky colors. Ironically, that nostalgic feel didn’t come from an expensive camera with carefully crafted film simulations. It came from a $69 toy camera and some thoughtful post-processing.

I also like the composition. It clearly documents Park Avenue and the surrounding neighborhood while hinting at the newer supertall buildings rising in the distance.

Notice how much brighter and more cheerful these images are than those from the Fujifilm X Half. I greatly prefer this rendering. Rather than trying to create a moody atmosphere, the Camp Snap reminds me of the optimistic travel photographs and postcards that encouraged people to explore new places.

With little more than a shutter button, there isn’t much I can do besides press it. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to catch the cyclist with just the right amount of motion blur. Once again, this toy camera with its dead-simple controls produced a lovely, unexpected photograph.

The stately residential building, the red awning, and the graceful tree create a balanced composition. It’s another reminder that composition matters far more than expensive equipment.

I also find it amusing that I’m using a $69 toy camera to document one of Manhattan’s most affluent neighborhoods. My version, wrapped in light-blue denim, looks more like a child’s gadget than a serious camera. That may actually be one of its greatest strengths. It’s so friendly and unassuming that I feel comfortable photographing almost anywhere without attracting attention.

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