Alice doesn't live here anymore: Camera Intelligence's second-gen camera will be called Caira.
Image: Camera Intelligence
Camera Intelligence, the UK startup previously responsible for the Alice camera, has announced its second-generation product, a camera and app utilizing Google's 'Nano Banana' image generation model.
Like the original model, Caira is a Micro Four Thirds camera that connects to an smartphone over Wi-Fi and is controlled from an app on the phone. The new model uses the "MagSafe" magnetic connector on the back of recent iPhones to provide a physical attachment to the phone. Unlike the original model, there will be no version for Android.
The move to magnetic connection to secure the camera to the phone allows the new version to be 25% lighter, and thinner than the original.
Nano Banana uses natural language input to make edits to the image, letting you amend and add to your image in the camera's app. This generative model comes in addition to the camera's AI-based image processing, which was one of the defining features of the original camera.
AI AF
The company's CEO, Vishal Kumar says the camera uses "a new type of autofocus technique we have developed in house entirely from scratch." It doen't "use contrast-based or phase-detect autofocus," he says: "We have built a deep neural network (AI) algorithm that can determine if the subject is in or out of focus. If the subject is out of focus, the AI algorithm then predict how far it is out of focus in terms of distance, and sends a signal to the lens to move precisely into focus."
The Caira camera will be offered via a Kickstarter campaign, starting at the end of October. Kumar says the company has "secured a partnership with a reputable contract manufacturer who has a proven track record in producing cameras for us," and has already built around 50 protoype cameras, ahead of the Kickstarter program.
Camera Intelligence's CEO, Vishal Kumar with the iPhone-attached Caira camera.
Image: Camera Intelligence
He says the company has placed preliminary orders for key components and is using Kickstarter to judge how many cameras it ultimately needs to make. "During the first couple of weeks of the Kickstarter campaign, we will gain a better understanding of demand, but we will likely green-light production before the Kickstarter ends," he says.
"Our production timeline already includes a buffer for unforeseen adjustments. We are aiming for Q1 2026 delivery for the Kickstarter units, possibly earlier for some countries."
He says the company is "partnering with a professional, experienced fulfilment company to manage all shipping," having found this challenging with its original product.
Still waiting for Alice
We spoke Kumar about concerns expressed on the DPReview forums that not all backers of the original product have received their cameras. "When we launched our Indiegogo campaign in 2021, we offered worldwide shipping without fully anticipating the distinct logistical and compliance hurdles in each region. Each region essentially has a different customs duties process and also a consumer electronics testing process, especially for Wi-Fi-enabled electronic devices with built-in lithium-powered batteries."
It subsequently restricted sales to Europe, USA and Japan, where it had cleared these hurdles, and cameras have been shipping in these regions. The company faced a different issue in the UK, where it found itself embroiled in a trademark dispute over the name Alice.
Original customers in other counties will receive their cameras, Kumar says: "We are actively working through the final logistical steps to deliver these cameras without incurring unforeseen costs or legal complications that could affect our operations. Shipping the entire backlog of version 1 cameras is our highest priority, and we have ~20% left to fulfill."
Having learned from these experiences, the Caira will initially only be available in UK, EU and USA. Other regions will be announced "in dur course" he says.
There are no current plans to develop an Android version of Caira, Kumar says, but there will be an online form for users to express interest in creating another batch of the first-gen camera.
Camera Intelligence Unveils Caira - The World's First Interchangeable Lens Mirrorless Camera with Google's “Nano Banana” Onboard
London and New York – October 7th, 2025 – Camera Intelligence today announced Caira, a new AI-native Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera that attaches to iPhones via a MagSafe connector. Caira is the world's first interchangeable lens mirrorless camera to feature Google's next-generation generative AI model, 'Nano Banana' , integrated directly into its product. This powerful fusion of professional optics and advanced on-camera intelligence empowers creators to do advanced image editing in real-time, drastically streamlining content creation workflows.
With the integration of Google’s 'Nana Banana' model, Caira ushers in a new era of on-camera "generative editing, " moving beyond simple capture to offer in-the-moment creation and editing, for spectacular real-time adjustments that were previously only possible through complex post-production software and workflows on laptops.
Using simple natural language prompts users can instantly change the style or colour grade of a scene, transform a bright daytime scene into a dramatic nightscape, or even make hyper-specific additions, like changing the colour of a subject's clothing or hair, or placing jewelry on a person's body, all directly within the Caira app after the photo has been taken.
With Caira, we are not just launching a new camera; we are introducing a new, intelligent creative partner, " said Vishal Kumar, CEO of Camera Intelligence. "Creators need more than just great image quality - they need speed, flexibility, and tools that match the pace of their imagination. By integrating Nano Banana directly into Caira, we are collapsing traditional content creation workflows; we aim to fundamentally shift how creators capture, edit, and share our world. ”
Understanding the profound implications of this technology, Camera Intelligence is developing Caira with an ethics-first approach. The company is actively collaborating with a diverse group of professional photographers to establish responsible use cases. Furthermore, Camera Intelligence is designing ethical system prompts and safeguards within the AI model to prevent misuse. The technology will always adhere to Google’s Generative AI Prohibited Use Policy, and it will not permit alterations to a person's skin tone, ethnicity, or core facial features, ensuring the tool is used to augment creative expression, not to unethically manipulate personal identity.
“We’ve put a lot of thought into this technology before offering it to our customers. Despite the skepticism surrounding generative AI, we believe photographers shouldn't fear it. Thoughtful integration of this has the potential to be truly helpful. We chose Google’s Nano Banana because it's the best model we've seen for maintaining consistent character details and seamlessly blending new edits whilst preserving the original image's optical quality. Its one-shot editing capability is also exceptional, frequently delivering perfect results in a single attempt without unwanted hallucinations. It truly feels like magic. ”
Caira is designed for creators and businesses who demand both cutting-edge quality and unparalleled creative freedom. By leveraging on-camera AI, Caira eliminates the need for laptop-based post-processing for many creative tasks, offering a seamless 'shoot-and-share' workflow for high-quality content creation.
Availability
Caira Camera will launch for pre-order exclusively on Kickstarter, with the campaign scheduled to go live on October 30th, 2025. Interested customers can sign up for launch notifications on the company's website - www.cameraintelligence.com.
