The Imtecho camera body was designed in New Zealand and is now sold in top designer stores around the world.
It’s the brainchild of Christchurch entrepreneur Tim Solomons who first thought of the idea in the mid 1980s with the introduction of the Swatch watch.
Ten years later he decided to take the idea further. “At that time Apple was talking about iMacs and Nokia was bringing out cell phone covers. I wanted another product that lot of people use and decided on camera. It wasn’t yet fashion product – but neither had the watch been before Swatch.”
Visits to trade shows helped determine the type of camera to use, and the next step was to develop the mould for the camera body.
Solomons asked 15 designers around New Zealand to come up with design ideas, and from the 150 he chose 15 for the initial run. The cameras retail for $99.95 locally.
Beyond survival
Management Commercial
July 21, 2026
After a punishing economic cycle Kiwi businesses are emerging into something of a stabilisation period. Cautiously optimistic, past the worst, but with operating costs still biting and reinvestment held back. Why the next six months will define the recovery, and what business owners need to be doing in that period.
