IThis week, a New range of smartphones from Google A camera capable of generating images using artificial intelligence has been launched, but an increasing number of people are finding it hard to resist the lure of a less advanced device: the compact camera.
American soccer player Megan Rapinoe was spotted taking photos from the stands at the Paris Olympics. Model Alexa Chung captioned A recent Instagram of her with a camera.:“Just another Millennial with a dependency on Snappy Snaps, fighting the digital threat with an analog way. 😑” Recent View Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s family photos show a disposable camera lying in the mess. Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift have been pictured holding their compact cameras.
A mix of digital cameras and film cameras from the early 2000s, a new generation is also embracing old technology. This week on Instagram, Myha’la, a star of Industry, which just released its third season, posted a selfie holding a compact camera. The Bear star Ayo Edebiri brought her own camera to the EmmysBoth are 28 years old. Model Bella Hadid, 27, is a fan of the brand. Across the internet, Gen Z content creators are giving cameras the TikTok treatment, seeking to divert people’s attention from the latest trendy product and offering expensive knock-offs of models.
According to a study conducted earlier this year by Cognitive Market ResearchThe value of the global film camera market is on track to reach £303m by 2030, up from £223.2m in 2023. Kodak has seen demand for film nearly double in recent years and in July, Harman, the UK’s only 35mm film manufacturer, announced it would sell 35mm film to the UK market. announced a multi-million dollar investment in new equipment Inspired by growing demand, Tesco, which still has more than 480 photo printing outlets, has seen a surge in demand for its film developing services, with usage up almost 10% this year.
Earlier this summer, the Pentax 17 was released, becoming “the first film camera made by a global camera brand in 21 years,” according to Paul McKay, co-founder of Analogue Wonderland, which sells film products while seeking to support the growing analog film photography community. Pentax “had to bring engineers out of retirement… to teach younger engineers. All of this because they thought this market was “growing and not going away.”
Shops aimed at younger audiences, such as Urban Outfitters, sell Hello Kitty-themed disposable cameras, Fujifilm Instax Minis in lilac and matcha green, and Lomography cameras.
But many young people are looking for second-hand cameras. On the used goods site Depop, searches have increased by 51% since the beginning of the year. Sarah Kidwai, 25, captioned one of her TikToks attempting to dissuade viewers from purchasing the Canon G7 X digital camera.:“You don’t need to spend $700 on a camera, just buy one on eBay to succeed.”
Part of the appeal of compact film cameras, as opposed to digital, is the way the photos look. Emily Dinsdale, art and photography editor at Dazed, described the aesthetic as romantic. “Even the mistakes are romantic: the light leaks in the first frames of a new roll, the red eyes and the grain.” In a feed full of glossy images, analogue demands attention.
The resulting images from real film cameras will often have “that lovely grainy, nostalgic film quality,” said Creative Review editor Eliza Williams, full of charm and imperfections.
For some older users, it’s all about nostalgia, while perhaps for younger people in particular, “some of the attraction to cameras,” Williams says, “is the idea that they’re an object: They’re usually nice things to hold and they look really nice compared to what other people are holding their phones with.”
Cameras are capitalising on Gen Z’s resurgence of all things Y2K, from low-rise jeans to velvet. “The return of the ‘indie sleaze’ era of the mid- to late 2000s has been well documented,” said Louise Yems, strategy director at creative agency and internet and youth culture specialist Digital Fairy. “During this time, digital cameras were a fairly constant presence.”
He points to the resurgence of nostalgic technology in Internet culture, citing This video of an 1980s party filmed on Super 8 that went viral, as well as “early Internet design codes, such as Frutiger Aero, (which) are also regaining attention.”
The “genius” of cameras is put to good use even when the technology isn’t in use. In the new season of Emily in Paris, which premiered this week to a cacophony of mockery and mirth, the main character’s phone case mimics the look of a compact camera, covering her tireless smartphone with more analog elements.
“On a deeper level,” Yems said, “Gen Z is the first generation with the ability to capture their lives in a totally seamless way. No full memory cards. No spending hours painstakingly transferring their videos or photos from one device to another and then to Myspace or Facebook.” Because of that, he said, “the process of using a compact camera gives meaning, intention and tact to the result.”
In a survey McKay conducted this week, the number one reason people gave for taking pictures with film was that it helped them slow down (66%). “There’s a mindfulness,” he said. “People talk a lot about mental health in this generation when they talk about film photography.” Those who choose to develop their own photos rather than rely on Snappy Snaps will slow down even further.
Dinsdale believes the rise in analog camera use indicates a desire for authenticity in an era when deepfakes imply distrust of the visual image. “People trust photographs taken with a film camera more than a digital photo,” he said, “and this sentiment will increase as AI-generated images become more prevalent.”
He continued: “It all comes down to the idea that photographs taken with our phones are not as special as those taken with film,” given that “digital photography and smartphones have really changed the currency of images.”
For Williams, “At a time when we are all – but especially Gen Z – looking to break free from the pressures of daily life and the addictive qualities of screens, cameras and photography offer a sense of nostalgic pleasure that is healthy and artistic, while also making you look great.”
