Well, it was 16 years old when I got it. This digital camera turns 18 this August.
It was around 2022 when I realised how bored I was with every photo I posted on Instagram. My iPhone 11 camera was just not doing it for me anymore. Sure, the quality is "good", but to me, it's so good that it's bad. The details are too crisp, the colors are too bright and yet somehow too dull at the same time (and do not even get me STARTED on the horrible quality of even newer iPhones and the whole AI processing thing). I tried filters and editing, and while they helped a bit, I was still not getting the vibe I wanted. I knew that there was only one solution to my Instagram rut.
So, I went on Depop.
My new-to-me Canon PowerShot A720, released in August 2007, came to me in the condition that you would expect a 16 year old camera to be in. It was absolutely filthy. I had to give it so many disinfectant wipe baths to get all the grime off, and just had to throw away the unsalvageable wrist strap. But once my camera was all clean and shiny, I was so excited to bring it on my upcoming trip to the UK.
The first time I used my digital camera was on a night out in Glasgow in May 2023, and on that night I knew I would never go back to iPhone photography.
More pics from the week after that, this time in Manchester:
At this time, I had not yet bought an SD card reader that plugs straight into my phone, so I had to actually wait until I got home from my trip to transfer the photos onto my MacBook, and then onto my phone. My digital camera era on Instagram had begun.
Listen, I'm not a photographer. I don't even know what most of the settings do on this little amateur camera. I love the bright flash and the slight blur. I love the casual vibe this camera gives. Any photo taken on a phone from the past few years would look so much more interesting taken on an outdated camera. And it's absolutely perfect for taking drunk pics on a night out.
And when you pull this camera out in the club, random people will want their picture taken, leaving you to discover a bunch of strangers on your camera the next morning.
As much as I love my Canon PowerShot, it's not perfect. At all. You can definitely tell how old it is. This particular camera runs on batteries and it will constantly be telling you that the batteries need to be changed, even if you've just put in new ones. If you're lucky, the batteries will last you a whole night. Other times, you will struggle to get a few shots between the camera "dying" and turning it back on to try to convince it to keep going. I quickly learned to always keep spare batteries in my bag.
One day in November 2023, I planned to take some pictures, only to discover that my camera was not turning on. Of course, I just assumed the batteries were dead, so I popped in a fresh pair. Still not turning on. The camera was ACTUALLY dead. after some panicking about the horrors of having to rely on on my phone, I went to eBay to buy the exact same camera. I really thought the battery problem was exclusive to just the previous camera I had, but I was so wrong. My new old camera had the exact same issue, and it even came with an additional buzzing noise. I also dropped this camera a month after getting it which broke the battery door, meaning that i always need to have a piece of tape holding it shut. If it pops open, the camera turns off.
Despite the problems and the inconvenience of having to carry around an extra clunky item in my bag, I absolutely love my 2007 digital camera. It makes taking pictures so much more fun, and I can always count on it to get me some cool shots. Don't even try to take a picture of me on your iPhone 16! I'm only meant to exist in digital camera quality!
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