The Re-Rise of Digi Point-and-Shoot Cams

In the age of smartphones with advanced camera capabilities and professional-grade mirrorless cameras, you’d think that the 2000s digital point-and-shoot cameras have long been relegated to photography history. Yet, something interesting is happening: these simple, compact, low megapixel digital cameras are making a big comeback.

So why are they so in demand right now?

There’s no denying the emotional pull of nostalgia. That is a huge reason why film has made such a big resurgence in the last ten or so years, which has in turn led to a pretty steep price increase in film equipment, making the one-time purchase of a digital camera and memory card much more enticing.

The point-and-shoot digital camera seems to fill the perfect space between nostalgic photos and accessibility. They were once the accessory to carry for everyone from teenagers to celebrities. Compact and easy to fit in a pocket or bag, they made capturing memories easy.

While smartphones have now become the default camera for most people, there’s something to be said about their limitations. Despite having pretty advanced cameras, smartphones are often seen as “workhorses,” not creative tools. Filters and editing apps have made photography more curated, but there’s a certain joy in shooting with a dedicated device that is more intentional.

I recently brought an Olympus Stylus Tough with me on a trip to Mexico to test out how it did as a travel camera. I tried to take a range of photos to see how it performed in different shooting environments, and I am pretty happy with the results.

I found the photos were fairly soft and had lower contrast and saturation. I would think the softness is due to its 14 megapixel image size, and the lower saturation is most likely because it has a consumer level sensor. In brighter lighting situations and using flash I think the images are still relatively sharp, although once the light started getting even a bit lower the images became quite soft and noisy. The autofocus on the camera also did quite well in bright light, but definitely started to struggle once it got dark.

Overall I would bring one of these older point-and-shoots with me again. It was light and easy to carry around, while still giving a sort of vintage aesthetic to photos. It made taking photos of friends more intentional and I did quite like not pulling out my phone nearly as much.

We have a good selection of vintage point-and-shoots on consignment in the store, like this Kodak EasyShare Z1275 for $50 and Nikon Coolpix 5400 for $80. Feel free to come in, take a look, and try some of them out!