Camera

The Camera is an item in Pokémon GO. It's an item that allows players to take pictures of Pokémon. This item connects Trainer to the game's GO Snapshot feature.

This item is given to the Trainer by default at the beginning of the game. This item cannot be thrown away and takes up one item space in the Trainer's Item Storage.

Post version 0.135.0
The camera is an item that has existed since the game's initial release in 2016. This item would allow Trainers to take pictures of Pokémon in the wild (by selecting the camera icon at the top of the screen during the encounter) or after they were caught. If the phone's camera was enabled, then Trainers would be able to take pictures of their Pokémon with a photo-backdrop while the Pokémon stayed idle.

GO Snapshot update
The camera received a major update on February, 2019. This update changed the appearance of the camera as well as introduced Trainers to the GO Snapshot feature, which pairs the camera with an AR system that allows Pokémon to interact with their environment. After the Pokémon was caught, the Trainer could use their camera to scan a flat surface. After the Pokêmon appeared, Trainers would now be able to take pictures of the Pokémon from any angle by walking around the Pokémon. This feature also introduced photobombing, which involves a Pokémon (or in some cases, characters) appearing in front of the picture captured, spawning after doing so.

In-game description
''A device to capture photos of Pokémon. Photos can be shared with others.''

Original Description
When you encounter Pokémon in the wild, you can use your camera to photograph them.

Trivia

 * The camera can be worn by the Trainer as a backpack item, which can be obtained for free.
 * There is a medal known as "Cameraman", which can be obtained through Pokémon/characters photobombing pictures.
 * Smeargle can only be obtained through the camera's photobombing feature.
 * Photos taken by the camera will automatically be saved to the player's camera roll on the device where the photo was taken (with the acceptation of photos taken of wild Pokémon, which can be deleted before being saved).
 * Certain Research tasks involve taking pictures of specific Pokémon, typically depending on their Type.