It’s 2024 and retro-style digital cameras like the new Fujifilm X100VI are all the rage, but research by musicMagpie has produced surprising findings about the real retro technology people are looking for online.
While film photography is certainly in vogue as Generation Z turns to point-and-shoot cameras like the Kodak Ektar H35, it appears that compact digital cameras from the 2000s and 2010s, like the Nikon Coolpix S6900 (pictured above), are becoming increasingly popular. a comeback.
Thanks to search analytics from TikTok, eBay and Google, Nikon Coolpix has an edge over tech including the Motorola Razr, iPod Nano, Sony Walkman and Nintendo DS – all of which are hugely popular in their own right – with Coolpix rising by more than 8,000% year on year on Google, and about 700% on Tiktok and eBay (you can see the full results below).
The Nikon Coolpix S6900, which launched in early 2015 and received three stars in its Ny Breaking review – and which is far from one of the best compact cameras – is the leading model in this retro revival, with eBay searches for it up 37,567% and Tiktok is looking up 34.543%.
Image quality is certainly not the cause of the peak in demand for the Coolpix S6900; your modern smartphone takes better photos. More likely it’s the neat design, which includes a flip screen for selfies and a built-in rear kickstand (see below) – something we recently saw in the Canon Powershot V10 vlogging camera – which, incidentally, was the first new Powershot model in several years. with Powershot being the name for Canon’s compact camera line, which made us wonder if Canon had reopened its interest in compact cameras.
I’d wager that the S6900’s availability in pink is a bigger reason – according to the survey, pink is the most popular color in this particular retro-tech revival. But perhaps I should also admit another, more superficial factor: celebrities like Kendall Jenner are popularizing the old school by recently posting selfies using vintage digital cameras.
However, I take the research with a grain of salt. Not the numbers, but the conspicuous absence of Canon Powershot models and other camera brands such as Sony and Olympus, which were active in the 2000s and 2010s, when digital compact cameras still existed. Surely there is also a search volume for those brands? Nevertheless, it is striking how Nikon Coolpix outperforms other popular retro technology such as flip phones, MP3 and cassette players.
Camera companies have long given up on producing new compact cameras, simply because the best camera phones perform better and demand has all but wiped out. However, it seems that such cameras, now labeled as ‘vintage’, are becoming popular again – and despite their poor image quality, some of them have nice design features that we don’t really see in today’s best cameras, such as the built-in S6900. -in rear stand.
Now’s the time to ask a family member, or rummage through the drawers at home for vintage digital compact cameras like the S6900. Besides potentially making money given the rising value of such models, you might rediscover what all the fuss was about all those years ago, or find joy in using a simpler point-and-shoot model.
- eBay is a popular place to find vintage digital compact cameras, but there are also approved second-hand stores we recommend, including MPB, Adorama, BRA And KEH in the US, while UK shoppers can also try it MPB plus Wex photo video And Parking cameras.