SINGAPORE  — If you think the revival of grainy film cameras is a new trend, the young from Generation Z has now moved on to "vintage" digital cameras made in the 2000s for the latest fad in retro photography.

These compact cameras, which typically feature slick metal bodies and built-in zoom lens, are likely to be an essential part of their childhood family trips, since Gen Zers are born in the same era.

As of Thursday (Feb 15), more than 75,000 videos have been posted on TikTok with the hashtag “digital camera”.

The viral trend has prompted CapCut, the go-to video editing tool for TikTok, to release new filters and templates for users to imitate the nostalgic and grainy quality of photos produced by digicams.

American personalities such as Bella Hadid, Charlie D’Amelio and Addison Rae also play a part in pushing the revival of these point-and-shoot cameras.

Analysts said that the trend echoes similar revivals of turn-of-the-century styles, BBC new channel reported.

In Singapore, the popularity of these cameras, also known as "digicams", have spurred several retailers to start selling these cameras in the second half of last year.

Some, such as online shop Digicam Depository, sell both used and new ones.

Occupying a small pop-up stall at the Chinese New Year bazaar in Chinatown since February, the shop boasts an eclectic collection of cameras from brands such as Samsung, Sony, Nikon and Canon.

A TikTok video of Digicam Depository’s latest pop-up stall that was posted on Feb 3 has received close to 500,000 views as of Thursday.

It costs between S$50 and S$450 to get your hands on a coveted piece of these gadgets from the 2000s, two retailers told TODAY.

Other Singapore-based digital camera sellers such as Digijoy.sg, Resurrack and Thriftedclicks also have a substantial following on social media, with some sellers having around 20,000 followers on TikTok.

Unlike photos from modern-day digital cameras as well as the latest smartphones, there is something about the less-than-perfect quality of digicam photos that has captivated Gen Z users. 

In general, these cameras produce grainy, blurry and low-resolution photos with a limited dynamic range, which its young proponents claim are more desirable than high-contrast and sharp images.

For Resurrack, digital cameras are one of its bestselling products, its 20-year-old founder Isaac Loh Jun Hong said. 

The draw of these cameras lies in the “aesthetic Y2K photo and video quality" and the allure of owning a "memory capturing buddy", he added.

The Temasek Polytechnic student also sells vinyl records, vintage clothes and other antiques on Resurrack's website.

Digijoy's founder Charmaine Lee, 23, agreed, saying: "Digital camera results are hard to achieve with our modern phones, in terms of the quality, look and feel."

Raving online about the sentimentality conveyed in lo-fi images, younger digicam users said that the results had them hooked to these "vintage" gadgets.

An 18-year-old TikTok user “tom.4lifer” from Singapore said in a post featuring a collection of spontaneous looking photos taken on a digicam: “Digicam photos are vibes for real.”

Singapore TikTok user “vivsbeautynotes”, who said in a post last October that her digital camera is her latest obsession, said: “The best S$190 I spent.”

Mr Paul Greenwood, head of research and insight at creative agency We Are Social, told BBC that this is a “natural cycle (of trends)”.

When people reach their 20s, "they become nostalgic for the cultural touchstones of their youth".

For Gen Zers, being seen as real and authentic is important, Mr Greenwood said. 

"And that's why we're seeing this trend really play out, because the grainy kind of content you see is basically shorthand for authenticity and realness. That's what Gen Z (youths) are looking for," he added.