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Digital compact cameras, the kind that were used 15 or 20 years ago, are showing up on holiday wishlists for teens and Gen Zers. NPR's Claire Murashima asked - how come?
CLAIRE MURASHIMA, BYLINE: Smartphones take great pictures, but the cool kids right now are after something different.
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EVIE: I get asked every single day what cameras I use, so I'm going to show you.
QUADAJAH WHITLEY: And y'all know I love pink, so I got mine in pink. But it does come in different colors. It also comes with a wide lens and two rechargeable batteries.
ADINA YAFFA: And I think this is the digital camera that we've been looking for.
MURASHIMA: As TikTok users Evie, Quadajah Whitley and Adina Yaffa point out, old-school cameras are back in style. And just like miniskirts and low-rise jeans, it's a trend that has circled back around. Freelance reporter Elizabeth Gulino covers lifestyle and internet trends.
ELIZABETH GULINO: I think people are feeling really nostalgic for that era, like the early 2000s, when everyone would bring their digital cameras to the club or, like, to a family party and stuff and take those photos. And those images make us feel nostalgic, and I think people are chasing that.
MURASHIMA: Photos have trends, too, like the ones on social media a decade ago that were edited to be oversaturated and high exposure.
GULINO: I know for a moment in the past few years, film really was a big thing, and a lot of people were getting film cameras or were getting disposable cameras. So this is sort of a swing in the opposite direction where digital cameras have become popular.
MURASHIMA: She says the look of the photos taken by these cameras is popular again in part because of their lo-fi vibe.
GULINO: So they definitely look airy, floaty and ethereal when using a digital camera flash in particular.
MURASHIMA: Compared to photos taken by smartphones, images from these compact digital cameras may have fewer pixels, but that doesn't decrease their appeal among newfound fans. Casey Fatchett has been a professional photographer for the past 25 years and hosts "The Nerdy Photographer Podcast." He says digital cameras have taken off among Gen Z because they're tired of seeing themselves in photos taken on phones.
CASEY FATCHETT: There's so much processing that goes on in your phone that you don't have any control over. So I think that there is a yearning among young people for photos that look real, especially of themselves. So there's a feeling there that you can't get from your cellphone camera.
MURASHIMA: Fatchett says digital cameras can also be a way to be more intentional and selective about the photos you're taking since you can't snap an infinite number of shots.
FATCHETT: Whether it's a digital camera, whether it's a film camera, whether it's a polaroid-style camera, your brain thinks about it differently. Like, I only have X number of photos that I can take, so I want to capture something that really matters to me.
MURASHIMA: Vintage is also cool again, so recycling a camera that's been sitting in a drawer somewhere for the past two decades is an option. So is buying an older version of a higher-priced model. I asked Wirecutter's Phil Ryan what to look for if you have the option of buying that kind of camera in person.
PHIL RYAN: Zoom the lens. Make sure that it's actually working. Bring an SD card. Put your SD card in and snap a few pictures. And make sure that it's taking a picture and it's going to play it back. And then make sure that you're going to get a charger with it.
MURASHIMA: And Ryan says, think about what you're going for. If it's that Y2K overexposed aesthetic photo, you can buy a lens for your phone.
RYAN: So you're going to be putting literally a piece of plastic in front of the camera on your phone. Those are definitely stocking stuffers. Those you can get for, like, 20, $25, and a whole set of them.
MURASHIMA: But if you're trying to capture the moment without being on a device and don't care about that trendy influencer look, you can always grab a disposable camera. They're even cheaper.
Claire Murashima, NPR News.
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