How digicams are the new iPhones for Gen Z

At a house party in October in Mumbai, the humidity from an overly enthusiastic monsoon was clinging to the windows, and the bass from the music was almost rattling the glass table everyone was sitting around. Suddenly, someone shouted, “Who’s got a digicam?”

A small, chunky silver digital camera emerged from a pocket, a 2008 Panasonic Lumix to be specific. And, everyone crowded in for a photo. All the flashy new phones, with their triple-lens arrays and fancy computational photography, stayed forgotten in pockets. And just like that, all the cool factor in the room belonged to the person holding that relic.

Ultimately, the digicam was the only instrument used to click photos all night. The next day, a Google Drive link was sent to everyone. Yes, photos from a device from 2008 were the only proof the party ever happened.

It turns out that this is a part of a massive new trend, which has basically turned digicams fundamentally into the new iPhones. Earlier, people used to ask for the person with the best iPhone for the group shot. Now they ask for the person with the digicam.

The allure of the 'imperfect'

Why is a clunky 2000s camera suddenly the hottest gadget? Yash, a 20-year-old engineering student and a proud owner of the Canon PowerShot SX150 IS, a 2011 release, weighs in.

“My phone takes ‘perfect’ photos,” he explains, making air quotes. “And why wouldn’t it? It cost Rs 80,000. But they look over-processed. They’re almost too clean. But my little Canon gives me a vibe…the pics are grainy and the flash just makes everything look better. It’s just more aesthetic.”

Top: A smartphone photo vs. Bottom: A digicam photo

That “vibe” is everything. Instagram Reels and Pinterest boards are saturated with this specific aesthetic. Search for keywords like “nostalgia” and “digicam,” and you’ll see it. The search keyword “digicam” alone on Instagram will fetch you thousands of Reels, many with views in the millions.

It’s almost as if, after years of smartphone cameras getting relentlessly better, the Gen Z is actively rebelling against clarity and are actually craving imperfections. They want the blown-out flash, the grainy textures, and the weird, washed-out colour tones.

Gen Zs are also chasing authenticity, candid moments that digicams are known for creating. The perfect smartphone photo is perceived as inauthentic because of its invisible AI manipulation. The “flawed” digicam photo is seen as more real.

There’s a second, more profound layer. It’s apparently also about being present. A digicam forces you to be intentional.

“I can’t just snap and post,” says Aamir Gazi, 25, a professional photographer and digicam enthusiast. “I have to take the picture, then go home, find the SD card reader, transfer the files, then look at them. That delay makes the memories feel… earned. There’s just a lot more hardware involved, and I enjoy the process.”

The extra hassle of transferring photos means you’re basically stuck judging everything on the tiny, low-res screen of the digicam. You can’t really tell how anything turned out, and weirdly, that’s part of the fun.

It brings back a bit of the suspense associated with film cameras, where you had no clue what you’d captured until much later. Digicams recreate that feeling. The delay gives your brain a little room for surprise and discovery, and there’s a real thrill when the pictures finally show up in the WhatsApp group after an event.

“It just adds to the excitement,” quips Gazi.

Another big part of the charm is the built-in limitations. You end up putting your phone away. In a way, the digicam becomes a tool for being more present—unlike a smartphone that’s constantly buzzing for your attention.

Where are people even getting digicams from?

If the kids are lucky enough, they find their dad’s old digicam lying in a dusty drawer in some corner of their house. But if they don’t have one, they have to take to the markets. A visit to one of these markets—specifically in Fort, a commercial and historical district in Mumbai—was necessary to investigate. A small area, less than a square km here, happens to hold most of the digital camera stores in the Southern part of town. It was perfect for the purpose.

The sellers here are very culturally informed. Nishad Camera Corner was the first stop. The owner, Nishad, knows exactly how to set the trap. He deliberately places his vintage stock right in the front to lure in Gen Z passersby. It works like a charm.

In the short time spent chatting with him, three different customers walked in. Two of them were asking specifically for Sony CyberShots, a line of point-and-shoot digital cameras first introduced way back in 1996.

Nishad likens this craze to a “beemari” (in a positive way). He said that the trend started a couple of years ago but has since taken over. “Fashion usually comes and goes, but this trend is here to stay,” he added confidently.

Over at Asiya Camera and Electronics, Mehboob Jahan tells a similar story. “We have been stocking these cameras for decades. They sold, but not nearly as well as they do today.”

Essentially, the “digicam trend” has turned all their dead digicam inventory into gold. Jahan notes that they have Gen Z kids flowing in constantly to ask about their cameras. The prices are wild, too. They stretch from Rs 4,000 all the way to Rs 50,000 for more premium finds.

Nishad has also noticed a classic case of ‘Gear Acquisition Syndrome’ developing. “The buyers are typically college-going kids. They often start with a cheaper model to test the waters. Or they bring their own low-end stuff. They then exchange these models for more premium ones by paying on top.”

But tech that old does not last forever. Digicams, durable as they are, inevitably start breaking down. Normally, that’d mean the end of the line for devices their manufacturers would simply refuse to repair.

But Nishad assures that “third-party repairs” are easy, and that shops are actually sourcing many parts from China. This means a cracked display or lens is not the end of the road anymore. He says that repairs are actually viable for just a few thousand rupees or less.

Understandably, some are skeptical about buying used tech. For them, he points out that brands like AgfaPhoto and SJCAM are quietly filling the gap. Many models starting at around Rs 9,000 were seen on display in these stores.

Offline isn’t the only way, though. People are also fishing old cameras out and putting them on OLX. A search for “digicam” or “digital camera” brings up many listings.

What the market looks like today

Commercially, the overall camera market is growing fast. According to Data Bridge Market Research, the market is projected to grow from USD 8.92 billion in 2024 to USD 12.40 billion by 2032. This happens to be dominated by high-end, high-margin professional equipment, as suggested in a Mordor Intelligence report. But these are premium devices usually purchased by professionals and creators.

Conversely, the digicam trend is happening at the opposite end of the spectrum in that market. A Digital Camera World investigation notes that compact cameras are back in the spotlight after years of decline. This revival is driven by social media trends and a new generation valuing the “tactile shooting experience”.

This trend is reflected in consumer behaviour, even for new products. Subhojit Paul, General Manager, Buying at Croma, explains this hybrid shopping model. “For Gen-Z, the shopping journey almost always starts online,” he says.

“They’re scrolling through Instagram reels, watching YouTube reviews. But when it comes to cameras, many still want that hands-on experience… head to a store to test the grip, button layout, and lens feel. So, what we see is a hybrid behaviour where there’s online discovery and research, followed by in-store validation.”

This brings us to the big companies. How are they responding?

Kodak is leaning into its heritage. It has true digicams like its PixPro line available in India. In fact, it’s the only company in the country still selling new digicams. The line starts at roughly Rs 16,000, and their whole point appears to be blending old-school aesthetics with newer sensors.

Then there’s Fujifilm’s Instax, a line of instant still cameras and instant films, which has thrived for years—and has only grown in popularity over the past few years. It simply proves the company has cracked capitalising on that nostalgia emotion.

The culture and science behind it all

This digicam trend is actually a key piece of a much larger “Y2K” nostalgia wave and does not exist in a vacuum. Y2K is the shorthand for the pop culture vibe of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Think jeans with a low-rise fit at the top and bootcut at the bottom. Combine that with butterfly clips and baguette bags while at it, too.

The digicam just happens to be the technological artifact of the movement. It’s seen as a key accessory, something you slip into the pocket of your low-rise jeans to complete the look. A ‘clean girl’ minimalist photo (a trend itself) looks great on an iPhone. But a ‘maximalist Y2K era’ outfit with all its opulent and flashy elements is enhanced by the blurry digicam look.

There’s a paradox with the trend, though. Again, it’s Gen Z, people born between 1997 and 2012, that are driving this trend—specifically, the younger end of that generation. This basically makes them too young to have truly lived through the Y2K era. So why are they embracing and feeling nostalgic for a time they didn’t really experience?

This phenomenon actually has a name. It’s called “Anemoia,” a term defined as nostalgia for a time you’ve never known. It’s most commonly referred to as “synthetic nostalgia”. In a report, a professor of digital media explained that it is far easier to romanticise a time you didn’t live through, as you don’t carry the baggage. You just carry the filtered memories and visuals.

Even more baffling is that Gen Z is perceived as the most nostalgic generation, despite their young age, as highlighted by research firm GWI. This is seen as a product of their environment. They came of age during a climate crisis, a pandemic, rising economic instability, and an increasingly polarised society. With these uncertainties around, nostalgia acts as a source of comfort and escapism, according to a 2025 research.

Moreover, celebrities like Bella Hadid, Sabrina Carpenter, and Khushi Kapoor have only accelerated the trend when they started posting overexposed digicam-style photos on their personal accounts. But eventually, it was TikTok that emerged as the go-to place for digital camera dumps and edits—and that’s when things really took off.

ALSO READ: Inside Lamington Road: The beating heart of Mumbai’s PC-building culture

A BBC video reports that by 2023, “#digitalcamera” had crossed 220 million views on the platform. And if something trends on TikTok, it trends on Instagram too, and that’s how the whole thing eventually likely made its way to India.

The real question now is if this trend represents a lasting resurgence of all things retro, or if it will fizzle out like other social media fads. The digicam shopkeepers sure think it’s the former, so we’re just going to take their word for it.