“Looks over specs” –As smartphone cameras reach 100MP, 20-year-old compact cameras with single-digit megapixel counts are booming in Japan
As smartphone cameras reach triple-digit megapixels, some are reaching for 5MP compact cameras with CCD sensors. This is why
The trend of 20-year-old compact cameras with low megapixel counts booming in Japan has been driven by a shift in consumer preferences towards prioritizing "looks over specifications," often referred to as the "Y2K style." This is evident at Five Star Camera, a used camera store chain in Japan that has seen a surge in demand for older cameras, particularly those equipped with CCD sensors of around 5 to 7 megapixels.
Manager Ryoya Hayakawa explained that the grainy image quality favored by these cameras is seen as a retro style that iPhones cannot replicate. While modern digital cameras have largely moved on from CCD sensors to CMOS, the older sensor format is well-known for its color rendering, which can give images a unique "film-like" look.
This retro aesthetic is further enhanced by the cameras' lower-resolution files, early digital color science, and cheaper lenses. However, the trend towards these older cameras comes with a downside: price. Some models, such as early Ricoh GR series cameras, have been selling for four times their original price. The demand for used compact cameras has reportedly increased five times over what it was five to six years ago.
Written by urgent.news from Digital Camera World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
