CameraHaus Point & Go at SM Mall of Asia: A Week of Trying Cameras With No Pressure
Most people who shoot on a phone have wondered, at least once, what a real camera would do for them. Few have ever picked one up without a salesperson hovering. For one week at SM Mall of Asia, CameraHaus Point & Go fixed that. A pop-up between Nike and Sports Central where you could walk in, grab a compact camera, an action cam, a gimbal camera, a 360 camera, or a drone, shoot with it, ask anything, and walk out. No pressure. No commitment. Just point, shoot, and go.
The idea behind Point & Go
Camera stores can be intimidating when you are starting out. Glass cases, price tags, and the feeling that you should already know what an aperture is. Point & Go was built as the opposite of that. We took the cameras out of the cases, put them on open counters in one of the busiest malls in the country, and staffed it with people whose only job was to hand you a camera and answer questions.
The focus was deliberately narrow. Not the full-frame flagship you might buy someday, but the cameras people actually step up to from a phone. Compacts that fit in a pocket. Action cameras that survive a beach trip. Gimbal cameras that make handheld video look steady. 360 cameras that let you frame the shot after you take it. And drones, for the creators ready to add a sky view to their reels.
Opening day: "you came to just look"
Point & Go opened on July 30, the same day CameraHaus was across the city at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde for CH Camp. Two very different rooms, one idea: put cameras in people's hands.
By the first afternoon the pattern was set. Someone would stop because they saw a camera they recognized from a video. They would pick it up "just to look." Ten minutes later they were asking which memory card to buy. Our team's own caption from that day summed it up: you came to just look, then started planning your next camera.
What people actually picked up
We paid attention to which cameras kept leaving the counter. This is what a week of Point & Go told us about where smartphone creators are heading.
The Ricoh GR and the Fujifilm compacts drew the people who want better photos than a phone without carrying a bag. See compact cameras
The Osmo Pocket 3 was the surprise favourite. Steady video with nothing to balance or set up. See gimbals and gimbal cameras
Akaso and the usual suspects for beach, motorbike, and travel creators who need something that shrugs off water and drops. See action cameras
The Insta360 X series got picked up by anyone making reels, once they saw the reframing trick. See 360 cameras
For creators ready to add a top-down shot, the DJI line was there to talk through. See drones
The Sony ZV-E10 and the retro Nikon Z fc were the step-up cameras for people who already knew a phone was not enough. See mirrorless cameras
The brand activations that made it a week, not a booth
Our brand partners each brought something free to the floor, so there was a reason to come back on a different day.
- July 30 to August 5Point & Go open daily at Entertainment Mall. Every camera on the counters available to try. Announcement · Opening day recap
- Until August 2Nikon free camera cleaning service for Nikon owners. Bring your body, leave with a clean sensor. Post
- August 1 to 5Canon free photobooth and free photo printing for every visitor. Strike a pose, take home a print. Post
- August 3, one day onlyRicoh GR free cleaning service for GR owners. Post
What we learned in a week at MOA
Almost everyone who stopped already shoots daily. They were not learning photography. They were looking for a better tool.
Pocketable cameras out-drew everything else. If it did not fit in a jacket, it got picked up less.
Gimbal and 360 cameras got more hands-on time than we planned for. Reels are driving the next camera purchase.
A free print or a free cleaning brought people back on a second day more than any promotion would have.
Missed Point & Go?
The pop-up is packed away, but every camera on that floor is on the shelves at your nearest CameraHaus branch, and our staff there will hand it to you just the same. Ask for a test shot. That is what the cameras are there for.
- Compact cameras
- Action cameras
- Gimbals
- 360 cameras
- Drones
- Canon
- Nikon
- Ricoh GR
- Sony
- Fujifilm
- Lumix
- DJI
- Insta360
- Akaso
Want Point & Go in your city?
SM Mall of Asia was the first. Tell us where the next one should be, and follow CameraHaus so you hear about it before the counters open.
Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook Find a branchFrequently asked questions
What was CameraHaus Point & Go?
A one-week pop-up at SM Mall of Asia Entertainment Mall, July 30 to August 5, 2026, where visitors could try compact cameras, action cameras, gimbal cameras, 360 cameras, and drones with no obligation to buy.
Did I need to buy anything?
No. The whole point was to try before deciding. Cameras were also available to purchase on the spot for anyone who wanted to take one home.
Which brands were at Point & Go?
Canon, Nikon, Ricoh GR, Sony, Fujifilm, Lumix, DJI, Insta360, and Akaso. Canon ran a free photobooth with free printing, and Nikon and Ricoh GR offered free cleaning services on selected days.
Will there be another Point & Go?
Follow CameraHaus on Instagram and Facebook. Pop-up dates and locations are announced there first.
Thank you, MOA
To SM Mall of Asia for the space, to Canon, Nikon, Ricoh GR, Sony, Fujifilm, Lumix, DJI, Insta360, and Akaso for bringing gear that people were allowed to touch, and to every visitor who came to "just look" and left planning their next camera. See you at the next one.
Browse compact cameras online, or find your nearest CameraHaus branch and ask for a hands-on demo.