Would you rather take a beautiful picture with your smartphone’s two to three cameras or an average picture on your digital camera with sentimental meaning. Yeah… I’d pick the second choice too, but I don’t know why. Digital cameras have been around for many years, but they are spiraling back as a trend with Generation Z. Where Polaroids were popular five years ago, the digital cameras seem to be replacing them. The amount of Instagram posts I saw with captions similar to “summer on film” was quite extensive.
Naima Michael-Crushshon ‘25 received a camera from her grandma many years ago, but just began using it in early June coinciding with the trends. She explains her camera as “a cool retro vibe,” also intending to show her future kids these pictures with variety rather than just the “.5 lens” photos that she takes with friends. Sarah Hsia ‘25 describes how she rediscovered her digital camera early in 2023, stating that these cameras are “capturing memories and making it [the photo] seem more special than just a regular picture on your phone.”
When I went to sleep-away camp two summers ago, I wasn’t allowed to bring a phone to camp, but they allowed digital cameras. The camera I got happened to be a kids camera that took low resolution pictures, but I loved the old school vibe and its ability to capture memories no matter the quality. Likewise, Hsia mentions, “I don’t prefer my camera based on [the] quality of the picture.” Others may not have similar incentives to me for using a digital camera, but will often just bring it to hang out with friends and capture their memories. Michael-Crushshon explains, “If I hang out with my friends or if I go somewhere, I’ll bring it just because I feel like the way that pictures look is super nostalgic… and then it’s like people are excited to take a picture on a digital camera more so than when you whip your phone out and you’re like, let’s take a picture!” Next time you go to take a picture with your friends, consider using a digital camera to have a more vintage look!
