GoKawiilCompact digital cameras, also known as digicams, are popular again. Not just new models, and there are a few, but old models as well. Forgotten cameras that lived for years or decades in drawers and cabinets suddenly have value again. If you're like most people and ditched a separate camera for the one in your phone years ago, this might seem surprising. If you ask someone younger, especially teens, they're excited for these "old school" and "classic" cameras. Those of us who had said cameras when they were new, meanwhile, can suddenly feel our "old school" and "classic" bones crumble to dust.
It's understandable to be curious where this trend started. After all, isn't the convenience of taking pictures with your phone better than a separate device? Well, turns out convenience isn't the selling point. You could argue the opposite, actually. Turns out there are five main reasons why these old cameras are popular again and they're logical enough that maybe it's worth trying to find your old digital camera. It might even be worth a little money (or at least a wave of nostalgia).
1. It's retro
Sony CyberShot circa 2005. Yep, this camera (and the photo of it) are over 20 years old. CNET
"What's old is new again," an adage as old as it is new. Every generation is fascinated by the technology and culture that preceded it. People reach a certain age and are interested in things their parents knew and did at that age. See the interest in things like vinyl records, cassette tapes, film cameras and instant cameras over the past few years. There are even new cameras that mimic the look and feel of old cameras.
There's also humor and warm nostalgia to be had by "older" people carrying around the pocket point-and-shoot they had in their youth.
2. It's special
Inset: A much younger version of the author, as photographed by a "vintage" Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 with its "ancient" 10.1 megapixel CCD sensor (not shown). GettyImages/Sean Gladwell/Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Taking photos with your phone, once a novelty, is now mundane. Sure, it captures a moment, but for many, the photo itself isn't special. The moment and the memory it evokes might be, but the highly processed image isn't. Taking out a camera, waiting for it to turn on, and making the moment about taking this specific photo adds to its specialness.
3. Not being on a phone
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