I was shooting an event over the weekend and I couldn’t help noticing something gaining in popularity over the last year or so. If your guess is Crocs with formal wear you would be wrong (not to mention ashamed of yourself for even considering the idea). The correct answer is everything that is old tech is new again. Specifically, phones are out and back in are point + shoot cameras from the prehistoric days of the 2000s. You laugh but I hate to tell ya, that was actually 25 years ago, oldster.
Honestly, I didn’t think those things were being made anymore. However, when checking with my conduit of all things cool, my daughter (and occasional second shooter!) confirmed that people are now freeing themselves from their phones when trying to capture the moment. Staying true to the hipster code of course, the best handhelds are the ones found in ye olde attic or the crawlspace in the basement where all family technology goes to wait for the sun to explode.
However, if you’re looking for thrift store status cool that will also give you modern day quality offering more than 8dpi and 2.5 megapixels, there is quite a range to choose from. Surprisingly, even the most expensive ones cost less than an iPhone (but doesn’t everything these days). Units like the Canon Powershot G7X MKII, Sony ZV-1F and Ricoh GR IIIx offer available features ranging from Bluetooth and Wifi compatibility, HD video and even RAW file format. Of course, if you would rather not do digital at all, the vintage styled Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo can create credit card sized, Polaroid style prints which will make you the most popular / coolest person at the event.
Finally, here is my disclaimer: these are by no means personal recommendations so don’t buy it and then blame me when your significant other finds out you spent a month of grocery money. Also, no one paid or is providing me with any swag for the products mentioned below, this is just a blog not an electronics whorehouse.
