Very Flat, Credit Card Type Size Camera - Do They Exist?

[joko]

im am looking for a simple camera, that is somewhere around the size of a credit card (though bigger or smaller would be ok) but that is very flat, as flat as poss, not like a normal thin camera, but much thinner - like a centimetre if possible - with just a preview screen and a few buttons basically, cheap as possible is fine, it doesnt need to be great quality.

do these exist?

or would this type of thing cost a lot?

thanks

[Buenchico]

You can't change the laws of physics. Any camera requires that a lens is used to focus an image onto a surface, which means that there has to be a gap between the lens and that surface. So even very thin cameras will have a bit sticking out where the lens is. Oregon Scientific did produce their 'CardCam' model around a decade ago (which was also marketed under the 'Creative' brand name) which was only 6mm thick but it still required the lens to pop out when in use. You might be able to pick one up secondhand somewhere but it's got a very poor image resolution:
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2003/06/10/creative-cardcam-review

Nobody would bother producing such a camera these days as even the most basic cameras in mobile phones can produce better images. However, as I'm sure you're aware, photographs from mobile phones rarely come anywhere close to the image quality you can get from a proper camera. That's largely because, in an effort to keep their phones slim, manufacturers can't place the lens far enough in front of the sensor to provide accurate focussing.

Sorry!

[VHG]

A friend of mine had a very small thin camera few years ago but I cant remember the make, however they do exist.

I did a search on "thin camera" and found this web site which reviews a dozen or so, though I have no idea how old the review is (the date on the web page shows todays date but I don't think that is the date of the review).

http://digicamera.com/features/thinzooms/index.html

[HansUrbancka]

One thing for certain...If the camera is Not of great quality, it will Not produce a really worthwhile image.

Most mobile phones will have an in-built camera which can produce reasonable photographs.

That for which you are looking is the sort of item which only appears in '007..Bond Films'.

Nevertheless the following may be of interest to you. :-

http://www.ehow.com/info_8581200_thinnest-smallest-digital-cameras.html

Hans.