Olympus Air, Caira, and Photography

by Rian

Before some may assume I must be talking of photography in commercial or professional sense, I am not. Just recently, I was searching for a better way to scan my old books, only to find the “real” solution used in archiving was DSLR or Mirrorless cameras on tripods with professional softwares. It is a solution, but it is not the solution for home or for the hobbyists. Though it is far from photography, my interest in telescopes almost always comes back to bite in a same way — the most pro models and pro conventions are not always the answer.

In photography, there was once a camera that peaked my interest: Olympus Air. I don’t know what became of the product, to be frank. It was a mirrorless camera that would attach to a phone. I thought it would be phenomenal modular system for the future. But at the same time, it was also a niche product targeted towards hobbyists. Like it or not, professionals would want dedicated ‘bigger guns’ than an accessory to a smartphone, and for most amateur photographers, cameras on flagship smartphones were already delivering decent enough results. This was in 2015.

Now in 2026, a new player called Camera Intelligence is making somewhat similar camera called Caira. I believe the core philosophy to be nearly identical, but only modernized to fit in to the changing smartphone landscapes: MagSafe for attachment, smartphone as the display and the brain, micro four thirds, and so on. Maybe the angle is more on integrating AI softwares to streamline the process. But I’m going to be honest — the only upside I see from the promo is that it will act as a camera + editing suite on the go. Perhaps that’s what creators really want, I cannot tell.

There is, one thing, I do wish these smartphone-based cameras will change, however. I use DwarfLab’s DWARF 2, still having great fun with it. But one thing I don’t like, consistently across board with these types of products, is batteries. Li-ion batteries degrade. It’s a fact of life. But these cameras often outlast them. In my case, because it’s meant to be positioned outdoors, I usually end up plugging it in to a power bank. DWARF 2, in that regard, is an exception — battery is removable, and it is meant to run physically detached from a smartphone. Whereas, Caira, from what I can gather, has a built-in battery, and using a power bank with it is not an option. In fact, I do wonder if the manufacturer is waiting for the rumored reverse MagSafe charging from smartphones (to accessories).

Regardless, I do want to emphasize the price tag on Caira, $999, makes it more or less an experimental product for the time being. I saw a Waveform podcast where one of the speakers pointed out it might be the solution for iPhone Air. For a model with less focus on the camera prowess than simply being thin, it will be a good accessory. And I wonder what does iPhone Fold or Ultra (as latest rumors call them) make of the camera. The rumors indicate that Fold is likely going to have compromised cameras as Air, but should it include MagSafe (there is a rumor that it might not), Fold, assuming form factor works with the shape of the camera, could also benefit from it.