The Resurgence of Digital Cameras

Written By: Ashlyn Sorrells

Photos By: Hal Lueking

Modeled By: Zachary O’Dell, Daisy Mcdonald, Ashlyn Sorrells, and Natalie Kallen

Over the last few years, Gen X has ditched the cameras on their phones and adopted new ways to take pictures. Point-and-shoot digital cameras have risen in popularity and become the latest fad. Even though the quality of a 10 to 20-year-old camera is significantly lower than an iPhone, many of us still choose the digital camera over the camera app. So, why exactly is this?

The very first digital camera was invented in 1975 by Eastmond Kodak.  This invention was a follow-up to film cameras and became favored due to convenience. Since then, the digital camera has become smaller and more capable. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the majority chose digital point-and-shoots over film cameras. The switchover from film to digital seems so obvious to us now. Compact cameras could hold hundreds of pictures compared to the 20-30 film cameras can take, you didn’t have to re-load film to continue taking pictures, and you wouldn’t have to wait a week to get your developed pictures back anymore. 

In January 2007, the first Apple iPhone was released. This was a turning point for the digital world and pretty much sent compact cameras to their grave. What was the point of carrying around a cell phone and a camera when your phone was basically both?  As more and more people were acquiring iPhones, the need to buy or use point-and-shoot cameras felt unnecessary. As the quality of iPhone cameras increased, these digital cameras stalled. This was the death of compact cameras, or so we thought. 

In the past five years, more and more people– typically high school or college-age– have been purchasing these compact cameras. Phone cameras are at their peak quality and continue to advance, but many of us are now choosing these 20-year-old devices over our iPhones. I think the main reason for this trend is nostalgia. Many of us grew up with our pictures taken by these cameras, so it only makes sense why we like the look of them. They carry a specific aesthetic that a phone camera doesn’t necessarily have: the grainy, pixelated look with the orange calendar date; it adds personality to the pictures we take. Bringing these point-and-shoot digitals to a party or a group hangout to take pictures with has become especially popular with our generation, and it’s something I think everyone can and should join in on. You can find these vintage cameras on Ebay or any resale website, and they typically run around 20-80 dollars, depending on the quality. The price of these cameras can be on the expensive side, but the potential memories captured on them are priceless!