DigiCams are Back!
While everyone is flexing mirrorless cameras and smartphones with computational photography capability, suddenly, Digicams from the 2000s are trending now!
Those old point & shoot cameras are selling online like hot cakes! Gen Z is loving them, and everyone wants one!
Sony Powershot DSC H90
As a photographer, I also wanted one and managed to get one in my hands…
I bought a Sony Powershot DSC H90 for myself which is from Feb 2012.
This purchase wasn’t for the trend, I just wanted something that is compact, portable, and NOT A SMARTPHONE!
Optical Zoom was one of the main reasons for purchasing a DigiCam, and the Sony Powershot H90 has a lot of it!
Massive zoom range, 16x Optical Zoom, which is like 24-450mm Full Frame Equivalent, is the reason I chose this model.
CCD Sensor Magic!
Now, you may ask, “What about the sensor?”
The H90 is equipped with a 16-megapixel CCD sensor, which is smaller than today’s smartphone camera sensors.
CCD sensors are pretty old, but this is exactly why I bought it. This old sensor captures images with that old retro film vibe tone.
If you are looking for clarity, sharpness, you will be disappointed. The outputs are kind of soft & that’s why we are here, right?
Images are less sharp, natural (unlike Google Pixels), and eye-soothing!
Contrast Detect AF
The camera has a slow contrast detecting autofocus system, so often you will get mis-focused images (which is aesthetic though), especially at the long end of the zoom (16x)
You have to take time to get the focus right.. The process is slow but fun.
Insane Zoooom!
Speaking of zoom, this little boy has massive zoom capability, like 24mm wide to 450mm telephoto & it’s Optical Zoom all the way.
You can take some decent images with that zoom range but you need decent day light for that. This is a tiny sensor and the lens doesn’t come with fix aperture! It’s f3.3 at the wide end and f6.3 at the long end. The more you zoom, the more light you lose.
Grainy but A E S T H E T I C !
You can increase the ISO up to 3200, but I strongly suggest not cross ISO800! With a tiny sensor, it can’t handle that much ISO, and you can see grains in the image even in ISO 800… but the grains aren’t as ugly as modern camera sensors, you can say the word “aesthetic” here. But pushing over ISO800 can be messed up if you are shooting in a nighttime situation.
Juice Limit
And about the battery, I didn’t care about checking the model, but the company claims it has the capability of taking 290 shots, but since it is a used model from all the way back in 2012, it can roughly give you around 200 shots at best.
Now here is some Pros & Cons of having a Digicam in 2025:
Pros:
Little & Compact, you can carry this anywhere!
Optical Zoom, which could be huge flexibility for you.
CCD sensor magic! Old Retro Vibed images with a flat profile.
Since images look natural, with a little tweak, you can make it look like a Fuji or Kodak Film image
No digital fake sharpness (Pixel, extra sharpness is ugly)
Cons:
These are slow af, better for taking photos of still subjects.
Often misfocus, Contrast detecting autofocus isn’t that reliable.
Almost no depth in images, you can zoom in all you want, but due to the small sensor you won’t get any creamy background blurrr…
Mostly unusable at night, but you can use it in some scenarios.
These are 10-year-old cameras so finding one in good condition is not easy
Mind that you won’t get Sharp, Crystal Clear images like Modern Smartphones out of these Digicams
These are in trends, so these aren’t cheap anymore, even if they are old af
My final opinion is, these aren’t for you if you are looking for a primary photography device. These cameras are slow, not usable in a Running & Gunning situation. Images aren’t PERFECT.
But if you are one of those people who are looking for imperfection, love the retro soft look of vintage cameras, and want to relax while taking pictures and have a primary photography camera already, then you can grab one of these bad boiiis.
You will enjoy the slow, imperfect photography process for sure in this fast-moving PERFECT WORLD!
