William Faulkner said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” It’s likely he was referring to weightier matters than photography, but we feel it’s apropos in this instance. There’s a generation that came along to reclaim what we’d pretty much forgotten about—and gave it new life in the marketplace. So, we’re going back to the digital point-and-shoot cameras of the late ’90s to mid and late ’00s, when manypixels were expressed in single digits (or maybe a few more). And resolution meant you were resolved to be happy with what you got while you waited for it to get better.
Right now, for gen Z and even some gen Alpha members, perfect is out; out-of-focus is in. Agreeing with that are the New York Times, which gave the subject 1,300+ words in early January, and the Today show, which ran a short piece in late February.
We imagine many digital-imaging dealers also agree. We know for certain that the three we spoke to, who either specialize in or feature used cameras, are doing very well in this market.
Digital Point-and-Shoot Cameras: Private Investigations
Don Alman, behind the counter at K&M Camera in Manhattan, told the Today show folks that K&M buys about a hundred earlier-model P&S digitals weekly. And sells most of them. He told us, “We buy everywhere—online, from other dealers, people who walk in. We’re known for our used camera department.”
The digital cameras’ popularity is probably due to the influence of influencers. However, Alman sees additional motivating factors. “Privacy is a big deal,” he says. “When you take pictures with those cameras, you’re not plugged into social media. Use your iPhone to take photos and you have to opt out of whatever you take being posted. A lot of people don’t opt out.” With the older cameras, it’s pull the card, decide what to post and do the transfer yourself. 
He also mentioned some folks just don’t want the perfection delivered by smartphone cameras. They want their photos to look personal and individual. “Shoot with one of the older cameras,” he says, “and you get images that look completely different than the ones you’re going to get from a current camera.”
Alman’s approach to customers for the throwback cameras is to listen first. “People tell me what they’re trying to do, and I show them options to get the look they want. I might say, ‘Let’s choose between this Nikon Coolpix and this Canon PowerShot. One’s only four megapixels, the other’s ten. Get the four because it’s probably closer to the look you want.’”
Most popular models? “Panasonic, Canon, Nikon, Kodak EasyShare, some Fujifilm FinePix,” Alman says. “We deal with cameras that take SD cards and two AA batteries, so there’s no worry about a battery-and-charger situation.”
Which showed that when it comes to customers, listening, giving advice and fitting gear to current needs doesn’t get old.
Moment to Moment
Jon Safran, president and CEO of KEH in Smyrna, Georgia, says the popularity of mid-2000s digital P&S cameras “has been happening for a while. We think it’s similar to the vinyl records phenomenon.”
He sees it as a result of life in a digitized world. “I think there’s a lot of fatigue out there . . . and people are looking for ways to disconnect.” What’s more, not all are following influencers to the camera counter. “For a lot of people, it was just, ‘I’ll give it to my kid rather than throw it out or recycle it.’ The kids started to really like ’em.”
The lack of picture quality compared to today’s magic boxes doesn’t seem to matter. “It’s not at all about being pixel perfect,” Safran says. “It’s about being original, and in the moment. The moment is real, and the moment isn’t always perfect.”
He also senses that “in the photos gen Z people are taking, there’s little judgment, no equaling the other person’s shot. This is your moment; it’s personal.”
KEH gets its supply of these cameras from folks inquiring at the website, coming in the door as well as showing up at buying events. “Essentially, we’re buying stuff out of people’s closets,” Safran says. “Also, I like to think we have a world-class repairs organization. That allows us to purchase just about anything. We often bring ’em back to life.”
And not only that: “We’re keeping stuff out of landfills.”
The Stage Is Set
Further, Fred Blumenthal, at B&H Photo in Manhattan, is one of the used-gear department managers. He sees this trend as a natural process. “It goes through stages: cameras are discontinued when tech moves forward. No one wants to use the older stuff, until years later it’s back in style and demand because these cameras bring back a look to the image—grainier, but authentic, and maybe surprising: ‘What kind of results will I get? Will they look cool?’”
B&H acquires the cameras from people phoning or e-mailing. “They want to sell their gear, usually to buy something else,” Blumenthal says. “It’s often people going through their attics, cleaning house. 
“However, because we’re always looking to buy gear, we actively search. There’s the web and we go to shows, countrywide. We also buy at the counter, on the spot. There are walk-ins because we have a separate counter for trade-ins.”
A big part of the buying is judgment. “It has to be in good working order,” Blumenthal says. “We don’t do in-house repairs, so it’s judgment on the spot.”
Those cameras then sell in the store, over the phone or online in a quick click-and-buy step. “On the phone, it’s not that quick because those buyers have questions,” Blumenthal says. “In the store, they get everything—see it, touch it, learn how to set it up.”
The throwback P&S digitals are snapped up by young people looking for nostalgia, following influencers or simply latching on to what’s currently cool, colorful and stylish.
Blumenthal adds, “There are also some students who want to learn photography. It’s a combination of fun and getting experience with digital cameras.”
So, while technical wizardry zooms ahead, no one’s losing market share to the past imperfect. And it’s also nice to see photography make some headlines.
