The Digicam Renaissance

It’s a night out with the girls, the vibes are great, everyone is talking until one of your friends pulls out her digital camera. Now, if you are out of the loop and have never heard of or seen a digicam, it’s just a small, portable camera that fits in your pocket, like the ones you would see in 2000s TV shows. They are everywhere, whether you see them trending online or at any function, it seems as if everyone owns a digital camera for some reason. 

Why the Revival?

Now the real question is, why are they regaining popularity? For the past decade, they’ve been out of style. With the rise of cell phones and higher-quality photos, it was bound to lose business. Gen Z has taken up the cameras our older relatives used to bring back that nostalgic feeling. The point of a camera is simple – take pictures. Compared with a cellphone, which has so many distractions—doom scrolling, calls, social media—a camera has one use and one use only. It helps with decreasing screentime. These are considered “point-and-shoots”. They are fun to use and play around with, plus once you use it on flash, there’s no going back. Even if the digicams are considered “outdated,” the photos on them turn out much better than any I have taken on an iPhone. There’s no added filter, no app modifications/Photoshop, it’s just you as you are.

The Perks of a Digicam

Should you get a digicam, and what’s the point? As someone who’s been using various point and shoot cameras for the past couple of years, these are the main pros of using a camera like:

• It saves your phone battery when you are out! 
• Since the screen is tiny, you don’t need to waste time retaking a picture. Bonus points if your camera screen is blurry, you don’t even see the final pic until you transfer it to your device.
• The best part isn’t the night itself; it’s waking up the group chat the next day once all the photos are transferred from the SD card to your phone. 

Finding the Right Camera for You

If this influenced you to join the digicam renaissance, you might be asking yourself, where do I get one? Well, first off, there are so many types of cameras, so you’ll want to figure out what your budget is. Once you have that in mind, you can consider which brand you are looking for. Are you willing to splurge on a fancier camera/bigger brand, or go for the no-name ones for cheaper? In my experience, I like popular camera brands such as Sony, Canon, and Nikon. You can find cameras from these brands at a range of prices, on the cheaper side as well. If you don’t know which brand to pick, I highly suggest checking TikTok to see how the photos look. 

Personally, I own a few cameras: a Nikon Coolpix S5100, Nikon Coolpix L22, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9, and a Vivitar ViviCam XX14. The Nikon is a better-known brand; the quality is pretty crisp, and with flash, it looks amazing! While the Vivitar was on the cheaper side, it has a grainy quality that gives it a more retro vibe. Like me, do your research and see how the end photos look on TikTok to see which camera is for you!

Where to Buy One?

Now that you have decided on the camera, where would you buy it? There are sellers on Instagram who hold markets where they sell cameras. In the past, I have used eBay. A tip: make sure to look through all the pictures and descriptions before buying. Sometimes there are scratches and dents you might not notice at first glance. There could also be other issues: flash doesn’t work, battery lid doesn’t fully close, camera is in only one language, normally Japanese. But the main one is, if it is really cheap, it might be too good to be true. Check if it’s selling for parts or if it is really selling it used.

I bought my Nikon camera for a reasonable price. It came with a camera strap, charger, and battery, although other cameras may not. Don’t ever settle on the first listing, as you might not get all the inclusions.

I bought my Vivitar at a local thrift store for around $15, which was a steal, especially as it came in the box brand new! So look for a camera at a local thrift store before jumping straight to online, as resellers tend to get the best of us. 

Whether it’s a cheap thrift store find or a vintage eBay splurge, these cameras have become the ultimate social tool. They’re a way to disconnect from the doomscrolling while still capturing the world as it is. As the digicam renaissance continues to grow, I am here for all the benefits and fun!