Why Your Teen Wants a $35 Camera (or a $1,085 One)
What it is
Your teen's phone takes flawless photos, and they're bored of flawless. The trend: cheap, lo-fi digital cameras for grainy, flash-blown, 2008-energy photos. The viral favorite is a $35 keychain camera. At the extreme end, the grail is a used Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II going for over a thousand dollars.
Why it's spreading
Phone photos all look the same; digicam photos look like memories. It's also a small rebellion against the algorithm — these photos live in camera rolls and group chats, not feeds.
The one thing to know
If your kid asks for the Canon, check the junk drawer first. Half of these cameras are sitting in a drawer in your house right now.
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