Literally 'card-shaped machine' — named for the slim, credit-card-thin form factor of pre-2010 compact cameras. Compare 单反 (dānfǎn) for DSLR, 微单 (wēidān) for mirrorless.
culture
Once everywhere, 卡片机 made a small comeback in the 2020s as a retro fashion accessory among Chinese Gen Z, especially after celebrity endorsements made the Sony T-series and CCD-era cameras suddenly desirable on Xiaohongshu.
