Nice video! But about memory cards some things are not covered in the video. For example, some Sony cameras only accept MemoryStick(max 128Mb capacity), not Memory Stick Duo or Pro. Same on xD format, some cameras only accept xD(up to 128Mb)not the xD M or xD+M. SmartMedia some cameras only accept the 5V, very rare, the same card used in some Roland and Yamaha synthesizers.

Great info here. Ive been a pro photographer nearly 20 years and doing the digicam thing for years, here is my 2 cents. The big craze right now is CCD sensors but not all CCD sensors are created equal and please know that probably 80% of them are junk. The best of the bunch in mine (and many others) opinion are the SuperCCD sensors from Fuji. They came in 3 flavors. The HR and the SR, then in 2008 for the 8th gen, the EXR, which combines the two and lets you use either one or a mix of both. The SuperCCD starts with the A400 model for the A series cameras and the F10 model for the F series. Just be warned that anything prior to the F40fd will have XD cards which are ridiculously expensive and won't hold many photos. For Canon, pretty much any of the CCD sensors in the ELPH SD series are good, but I'd look for the lower megapixel counts (4-8MP) as they look more filmic IMO. Nikon CoolPix P series is mostly great, I love my P7100. It's a lot of camera for the price and includes more pro features like a built in ND filter. Dont overlook the bridge cameras from Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and others. Several of them have more pro features and great lenses with nice zooms. Lastly, a couple real digicam gems IMO are the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 and FX07. They are the exact same cameras (minus the red badge and thumb rest) as the Leica C-Lux 1 and 2, but much cheaper. They can still be found relatively cheap right now and I think they might be the next models to get really popular. Fantastic colors and an excellent Leica designed Elmarit lens. Good luck.

Buying a faulty camera and fixing it yourself is sometimes even more fun. I do this all the time.

Digicams have garnered hype in unrealistic ways in relation to the photos they produce, because they are such a trendy item to have atm. So, thanks for producing a realistic, thoughtful, and insightful look at the ins and outs of these cameras that gives a better idea of the true experience people can expect to have with them.

There will always be overlooked models on the used market, the trick is not to get caught up in the cameras people post about and get too hyped. Most of these cameras use such similar technology and so few of them have objectively bad lenses that many of them are worth trying even if it’s not cool yet.

Something worth keeping in mind is how model names and numbers can sometimes vary in different regions (e.g., Canon's Elph vs. Ixy vs. Ixus line). When looking for a backup copy of my Elph 500 HS, I came across the Ixus 500 HS which was a completely different model! So if you can't find the camera you've looking for, see if it's available in another country under a different model name. :)

Something else that I have learned from collecting older digicams is that SOMETIMES there is a separate replaceable battery for the clock. The two examples I have are the Canon PowerShot SX130 IS, and the PowerShot A590 IS. These are both AA battery powered, so that may be why there's a separate battery. The clock battery probably lasts for years, but the cameras are old enough that you will likely need a new one. (If the camera asks you to set the time every time you turn it on, the clock battery is dead.) Both cameras use a CR1220 lithium cell that us easy to find in the US (I think it's used in a lot of remote controls). On the SX130 there is a small tab on the left side of the camera marked CR1220, and on the A590 the tab is inside the battery compartment.

Thanks for the shoutout! We actually have tons of used digicams in stock at the moment - you are so right about the influx and everyone trying to get their hands on them recently. This is a great video!

Edited to clarify: for the camera and gear that no longer work, please make sure to recycle when possible. Check recycling options near you, but generally not able to just throw in your curbside recycling bin. For the US, I’ve worked in recycling a long time, and have verified that Best Buy is a good place to recycle old electronics, old cables, and it’s free, usually right in the front inside of the store

11:40 Sensor dusts. They can be easily vacuumed: turn on the camera; zoom all the way in; set your vacuum cleaner to lowest setting; stick camera's lens inside a hose for few seconds. I do it to my FinePix F30. Works everytime.

I've actually picked up several really neat digicams from a local thrift store. One of them a Sony SLT-A55 (2012) with the kit 18-55 lens and four batteries. Great older and very capable camera. I did buy one old Olympus camera, a very well built point and shoot made around 1999-2000 for $5, but it took xD card and I just couldn't justify buying a card that costs many many times more as much as I paid for the camera. I eventually gave it away. Since then I only aim for digicams that take SD or Sony sticks cards. I also found a pristine Sony DSC-H1 superzoom (2005) that came with a screw on tele lens that takes gorgeous photos for having only a 5 mpixel sensor. Plus it runs on two AA batteries so no problems powering this one! A very informative and enjoyable video, thanks!

Good walkthrough about this side of the digicam culture. It can be a hassle, since it was a bit of a memory card jungle before the rule of SD-cards. Also, the capacity limit of older digicams is essential to be aware of. I’ve found the Smart Media cards to be especially difficult to find, for example.

If you've combined through many of these small sensor digicams from 2001-2010, most suffer terribly in low light, shoot RAW super slow (if it's even offered), and are prone to highlight blowouts unless you really work with your exposure compensation. It's a fun hobby, and honestly you have to enjoy the design of the camera itself as much as what it produces to make it a winner. I treat these all as a novelty compared to my M43, Crop, and FF cameras.

The dust that gets sucked in comes mostly from pocket lint. Sitting around, the lens is closed. So keep the camera on you in a lined pocket, or plastic bag. By the way, the Canon 310 HS has lasted the longest. I loved the sharpness of my pocket Panasonic, but they just died over time, the sensor producing a cross process look with grain. And I never aimed at the sun. Some Fuji models from the heyday let you set shutter speed and aperature up to a point, but the sharpness was not the equal of the Canon. My 310 also had ibis, which combined with the 8x zoom even in video, was remarkable. What made these so great when they came out is their macro. Shooting macro on film, especially chrome, you never knew what you'd get.

I agree, patience is key. I know it's not a digicam, but I finally found a Leica M8 at a local shop for a reasonable price (bonus they gave very fair trade in on a bunch of lenses and cameras I had). I've had an eye open for over a year for this camera. Also, don't go for the flavour of the month - No one seems to talk about the Pentax Optio range for example...

Love your video. I think people need to understand a few things about getting digicams: limitations, age, and diligence by researching. Not all old digital cameras are equal and not all digicams are made for the experienced hobbyists (and pros). A good deal of them are very simple point and shoots with very little controls, so research for a specific camera and have due diligence are important. I think researching and understanding what features you need before pulling the trigger go a long way. It must be said that each camera has unique limitations on what they can do, the specific kind of batteries (which you've covered. Never underestimate the power of third party batteries as long as the ratings and reviews are good enough to help you consider your decision to buy or pass.), and how much you're willing to invest (chargers, memory cards, adapters, and even workarounds to suit your needs). The reality is, these cameras are so old, modern smartphones and modern cameras can do a much better job because the technology has gotten better (and smaller in the case of smartphones) ever since these old digital cameras were in the market. So why do we buy these things? Well, it's simple: it's because it's fun and an exciting *and challenging* thing to be creative. PS: Get USB-powered charging docks for rechargeable AA batteries if you're going for cameras that use AA batteries. Great for traveling and I've actually used a power bank to recharge AAs. Also handy would be using old USB cords and compatible charging block.).

12:50 That video made me buy last tear a Lumix lx100 mk2 for only 140 euros on an eBay auction. It was with the lens stuck because of sand. After doing what he did and opening the camera and cleaning the interior, the camera started to work like a charm.

Actually bought my s90 on eBay after searching for 2 months from someone in Canada.. awesome seller.. was skeptical at first but loving it ...sometimes I forget my phone home but most time I reach for my digicam...need more but 😅my wife mite kill meh lol😂 Have a great day Ali and tanks again for light room profile.🎉❤

Some of the digicams can have the firmware updated to accept SDXC cards. I recently got a fuji F40FD at a flea market and was able to update it to accept newer high capacity SD cards. ***I did have to buy a 2gb SD card just to update the firmware because I threw away all my small old cards when we moved but hey that’s how it goes with these old cameras 😂***

The next photography trend is using retro smartphones in the next few years. An iphone 3 would cost like $300.

I recommend canon G7 or G9 to test the nice old 10mp CCD rendering. Very well built too. Regarding reflex canon 5D, 5D MKII, 40D, 50D or Nikon D100,200,300,700....these are all amazing cameras. Great video about digicams

Some of the best Digicams i have bought recently were the one's the seller said "Probably does not work" and i paid upto $40 with great risk and it turned out to be a 100% working camera which just needed a battery recharge!

Great video! I got burned on an ebay digicam sale, and watched some videos on repair. I was able to figure out the problem, and fix it. It was a fun little project!

I've been very lucky with all the cheap CCD sensor digicams I've bought so far. I love the old HP Photosmart digicams from the early 2000's. Thanks for the video!

Nice video! I love that you started talking about how difficult it is to find a camera what really works, in my country we haven't so many models and sellers, so I bought 2 cameras online that doesn't worked until found a good one, is very different to the analogical market where you have camera with 40 or 50 years working very whell

A lot of these shops are US centric so please put in the comments below any reccos you may have for international markets!

I've had pretty good luck over the years thrifting cheap digicams. They've always been pretty cheap, and I usually have some AAs in the car that I can test them with (IKEA's LADDA rechargable batteries work great with cameras!). My most recent gamble was a Canon Powershot SD850 IS I got for $5. It was a bare camera with no battery or media sitting in a bin at a thrift store. I got a 2 pack of batteries from ebay, and the camera powered up! I did some test shots and determined that it has some kind of focusing error (it's not throwing a lens error, thank goodness). That camera is in pieces right now while I investigate it's innards. I've repaired Canon Powershots before. Lens errors can often be due to crud that's ended up in the gears that move the lens assembly. The older models can usually be disassembled and cleaned out without too much trouble. This SD850 looks like I might have to desolder some of the component to get to some of the parts.

Growing up in the early 2000’s I have to say all that early tech was so much fun and yes funky. I think my Kodak is a digicam it’s a DC290. I wanted it because in M:i-2 the DC265 was used as a prop, a slightly earlier version to the DC290. Always thought it looked cool and enjoy the quality. To get my M:i-2 feels I grab that camera the shock and Romeo 1 sunglasses 😂

I don't get the term "digicam". It's a digital camera?? Like all of my DSLR's?? They are digital too. I have one 35mm film camera. My question is, is my Lumix TZ60 a digicam, while the 5D, 6D, 70D and the EOS-M isn't? They are all digital cameras, exept for the old 35mm.

Great video . I love the fun of buying a small lot of 'untested' or 'for parts only' digicams and seeing what I can get working. Real hit or miss - but good success rate recently.

Wish I would have seen this about a month or two ago. I recently purchased three vintage cameras from Etsy. One shop I'm not going to mention because the camera was terrible and I got stuck with a wonky camera because the shop didn't have a return policy. The good shop I got the other two cameras from was called Vibing Circuits, The cameras I received looked almost new, the guy tests and cleans each camera and has a return policy! I even got an ebook that had a lot of the same information with a little more detail which was cool. Thanks for the video!!

Sometimes I wish I lived in a big city as shooting in small towns / nature, gets old, real fast, not much happens and you often find yourself taking similar photos after the first 200 or so.

If your thinking "I can fix that!" Uhh... Don't! I'm pretty skilled with electronics. Been doing it since I was ~8 or something, and I've gotten pretty good with a soldering iron. But many digital cameras are a BITCH to work on. Take the HP Photosmart 635: In order to fully disassemble that thing (which I recommend because theirs a RTC battery on the board) you need to break out the soldering iron. _The wires for the CFL backlight are soldered on!_ Along with various patch cables! And then you have the flash capacitor, which never seems to have a bleed resistor installed. Will it kill you? Almost certainly not. _Is getting zapped absolutely miserable?_ Oh yeah! And then some cameras, like the one Kodak I have in my stash, that just die for no good reason.

Regarding the dust issue - as said in the video, you can live with it if it’s small enough to not to be noticed on most shots. You can use basic healing or clone in some basic editing app to get rid of it. Or if you’re braver than just using the vacuum method (which didn’t work most of the time for me), you can try playing surgeon to get to the sensor itself and clean it - carefully. So far, the easiest digicam I’ve opened up are the Panasonic Lumix line up.

What a great video! Thanks for covering so many common topics about digicam❤

It's worth remembering that damp kills electronics. It also rots glass (with mould). So be careful where you buy from. Texas and Arizona: you're probably OK. England: stay away, it's a sodden hole :-( Where I am there are towns I won't buy from because they're mostly under water. If you can, buy from suburbs where rich people live - they have nice dry houses.

omg I love the intro and your style! I probably watched 2 hours of your videos today :)

Once I saw the opening I wasn't sure where this was going to go. Haha

I’ve been super lucky and found 2 amazing digicams that work for 15€ in a flea market. Almost wish I bought some more! Had to buy a battery but was so happy it works, I didn’t even know they became trendy again haha

For my money (and it doesn't take much of it), the Sony Mavica models MVC-FD73 and FD75 offer the best combination of vintage digicrap images, odd (but useful) image processing, and general fun in use. Both of these record massive zero point four MP still images on floppy disks. The thrill comes with the sound and visual effects you get with each shot: Clack chuk chuk chuk clump goes the shutter and then the spinning floppy. As the same time, the word "MAVICA" is spelled out letter-by-letter on the rear LED screen to show recording progress. These two models - unlike their predecessor and the later models that record to miniCD - also have built-in digital filters that capture your choice of full color, pseudo color IR, pseudo solarization, b&w and sepia tone. These cameras, being Sony, are built well and are durable. Scour the thrift shops and you can still find 3.5" external floppy drives that connect via USB 2 ports; I'm using one with Win11 with no driver issues at all. Heluva lotta fun for under $50 total investment!

Alibaba and similar retailers sell Olympus XD card adapters that can fit a micro SD card in them.

I don't have it yet, (and it's not really cheap) but I was very surprised at the Ricoh GRD line and how you can use the purpose built battery, or two AAA batteries. Oh, and one of my favorite JPG only digicams, the Sony TX30, you gotta watch out for ones that have had sand (since they are waterproof) in the slider cover and some even had foggy lenses or salt-water issues. But the hot orange (mine) and magenta versions are glorious and for pocketability, they are hard to beat. Please do an episode covering all the best "All weather" digicams.

i just treated myself to a Sony Cybershot DSC-W5 for my birthday recently and I'm really looking forward to getting to use it more! It really is a 2005, low controls, no dynamic range, point and shoot with not much sharpness but nice colours and most importantly, it's really responsive. My biggest criteria was something that would be fun and give me the itch to keep shooting more. Looking forward to it! It's a little tool that I'm hoping will have me paying attention to the world and scenery rather fiddling with camera settings, small, portable and doesn't take itself, nor let me take myself too seriously

is the discord still active? i want to join but the link is not working 😢😢

A big problem with all of these is that they're from the 2000s - the era of lead-free solder. They're all gonna die sooner or later. Kind of makes you wonder if making all electronics completely disposable by removing the lead will end up being a long-term environmental gain. Seems like a whole lot of landfill coming down the pipe.

One more thing… just because it’s working doesn’t mean it is working. I’ve picked up digicams that appear to work but in practice don’t - things like broken mode dials, SD card springs, and so on. Some are still functional but may cause you some issues or headaches - so don’t overpay.

That "lithium" part cracked me up. This video is so fun. New fan, love your channel, ma'am ! xD

I personally find it better when you buy a compact digital camera that you hunt out a new one within your price range as it will be brand new under warranty and come with at least one specialist battery for that model but the drawback being it is normally made by a no name company While being sold under a known brand name so the specs may or may not be honest depending on the company but with still be reasonable for the cost but if you do buy pre owned then stick to ones that take traditional batteries that are easily available from any supermarket but even then it's still a risk because the most common failure will be the shutter they all have maximum life expectancy

Definitely need some patience to find what you want at a good value price. However, when you do find it, move like lightning because they tend to get sold fast!

CF cards, or rather the CF card interface, can be the Achilles' heel for a camera. It's way too easy to damage the pins through careless or rough card insertion and unless you know to look for it, very frustrating to troubleshoot when you keep getting card errors when everything else seems to work fine. Have experienced quite a few crushed pins in Olympus EVOLTs and a Canon 7D. In my experience, it's impossible to DIY fix, but you can *hope* the XD slot still works. It's also fairly common for the XD locking mechanism to fail, so you can't get the card to stay in the slot...but I've had success surgically extracting the ejection spring so the card just sits in there and you can insert or pull it out easily without spring assist. Lastly, even if a CF pin or two is crushed, the CF reader may still miraculously work. I have an E-500 with no fewer than two crushed pins and it still reads/records to CF cards no problem. But I also have another E-500 with crushed/broken pins causing total CF failure that appears to have bled into the XD functionality too, for some reason. Everything else works fine, but it's a total brick without those card readers.

Great video! I especially appreciate the info about where to buy digicams. I just started and have mainly used eBay up to this point.😀

The one word I look for in digicam and film camera adverts is "Untested". I ALWAYS interpret that as "Does not work". People try to sell broken things for more than the parts price.

Film is still the way 📷

bought a canon powershot sx100 is for a whopping 25$ from a local marketplace. so good

The way I just shared this video to my best friend so fast & said bihhh it’s me 😭 the cameras the cookies !!! The best combination

What about olympus x-940 is it good?

True! It’s not likely that you will find the perfect camera on the first try. You might not understand them till you’ve used it awhile. They do break but the real payoff is the photography education that comes in the process. 😊

This is the video I needed, thanks a lot.

The higher prices are actually pretty helpful, at least for me. It's what's keeping the headline "Local Camera Nerd Found Crushed Under Small Mountain of Digicams: You won't believe what was found on the one he was holding when it happened!" from becoming a reality.

I have 3 digicam… Sony, canon, casio and it is fantastic especially for web publishing and they have a certain something really appealing in Colour and imperfections And it’s really cheap. Love them. And I have Gr3, Fuji X100F , XF10, but I always find myself taking those digicam with me

Following on from a video just released by Snappiness… eBay undoubtedly tracks trends in camera review videos. As such, prices have inflated significantly. In part due to eBay giving suggested pricing when you make the listing. Most people probably don’t know what they sell, so items get listed higher than they’re probably worth. Keep this in mind when eBay shopping and be prepared to hunt around and be patient.

Nice, compact primer. As a life-long thrifter, a lot of the thrill comes in the chase. I also like these old cameras, so that's a plus, and why I enjoy your videos, as well as snappiness'. Funny that you released relatable content on the same day!

Stuck with a camera that takes a Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo? There are adapters for them that take MicroSD that can be found online.

Where you also better look before buying... (manual) FUNCTIONS if you want them. After enjoying a lot my Sony P100 and P200 point and shoots (P100 from 2004 was my first camera ever i found recently) i found a good deal on a W830 from 2014. I did not do my homework and missed the fact the W830 does not have any manual mode at all, beside other heavy restrictions such as maximum 2 seconds shutter speed (P100/200 allow for up to 30 seconds manually!), it can only do "one thing" and any controls are locked until its done with whatever action you made, absolutely horrendous camera for any fast moment you are not ready for. My old P100 and P200 on the other hand... have a full manual mode, they also allow for "manual" preset focus set to 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 7m and infinity, super practical for street photography on either 5m, 7m or infinity for pretty fast capturing with a focus distance you know. The P200 from 2005 can even do astrophotography, mounted on a guided telescope (abused as "basic" tracker...) and with 30 seconds exposure time at ISO 200 and at F2.8 wide open.... WOW, the nearly 10 years newer W830 cant do that at all. Not only would the optical stabiliser mess up the tracked movement, but 2" is by far not enough to capture any dim night sky objects. Luckily, the W830 is just my super basic point and shoot for daylight and outside in the nature, video usage (720p30 is looking pretty ok and its stabiliser is AWESOME!) and easy flash photography (mostly pet portraits inside). The P100/P200 serve more towards manual usage, always wide open because of horrendous accumulation of dust inside the lens (not sensor, i cleaned that on all of my point and shoots) and when i wanna be really creative and care absolutely not about image quality/sharpness. Always make sure that the camera CAN DO what you want/expect from it, otherwise you will be dissapointed and you have to deal with reselling it.

Do you know the Canon powershot digital ELPH SD10 series? I got the IXUS i the European version of it when I gratuated 20 years ago. I still have it somewhere, would you recommend me to dig it up or try ro find a better retro digicam?

Make sure you check what kind of batteries the cameras use and if they are even still available. Lots of old cameras with proprietary batteries are just not available anymore. Also I would check which cameras have manual mode, there are a ton of cameras with poor automatic modes but are still pretty good in manual mode. And then some cameras just do not have a manual mode at all, if they don't have a manual mode then a modern cell phone camera even from 2016 will be better 98% of the time.

I love 10:50 to 10:54. hahaha. Great video.

Just snagged an Olympus E-PL2, in great condition, with the flash unit, an extra original Oly battery, charger and even a memory card... for $30!!!

Any thoughts about the demise of DPreview? An invaluable resource for those interested in vintage digital cameras and the history of digital camera technology.

Funny after hearing about all the digicam hype I took my Canon powershot G2. Out of its grave of the back of the drawer. It’s battery charged up fine ! I thought it wasn’t working for a sec but that was how slow it was to start. It’s total lack of dynamic range well I suppose thats a retro look right? And I guess lack of mid tone contrast is “filmic” It’s CRW raw files dont seem to want to be read by anything. I will monitor prices and if some (hard to find a good word choice) “enthusiast” wants to give it a forever home for £100 its theirs :)

idk how often you get requests for this, but I have an old Sony Mavica FD88 that shoots floppy discs. Curious what you might think of those crazy floppy disk cams!

I used my Polaroid i1036 to death in the late 2000s (still works but pretty busted looking and screen but still works!) i easily found a replacement of the same model for 30$ on ebay cause it's not a known model. Still love it years later.

I always look at the handgrips. If they have mould or fungus on them, then chances are there is mould or fungus inside the camera and the lens optical assembly.

I clicked because I never heard of the term "Digicams." Cool vid.

I suggest creating a backyard art installation with all of your broken digicams ! :D

i have pentax optio s5i and i really love this so much😍🤩📸 good video

Why the hell should I buy an old digital camera?

I have had awesome luck grabbing vintage lenses on KEH in ugly condition. Only have returned one or two out of many. Some look basically perfect.

The cookies look divine. 😍

I used the vacuum method on my Panasonic LX100 and it was fine for me.

Hi how i can cover up scuff any color paint available thanks.

Oh let’s go!

Recently purchased a mint Olympus C-5050 from 2003 which is a superbly built camera with so many controls and features. Working with a 1.8 inch screen and a tunnel viewfinder is a challenge for anyone like me with poor eyesight, but I'm up for the challenge to get the best out of what would have been a high end prosumer camera 20 years ago! I wonder if using a CF to SD adaptor card with a Toshiba FlashAir wireless SD card will work, so that I can instantly transfer the images across to my phone or tablet after taking a shot ...

That opening.... what a v i b e..........................................

Another banger video! I have not yet jumped on the digicam bandwagon. I've been looking but don't see anything that intrigues me. Am I dead? LOL.

what camera is this shot on?

The discord link in the description is not working anymore :(

Been trying different models of canon Ixus and I have to say althought they are fun to shoot with, they are not automatically equal to good results. You really have to work hard to get good results. Also I think CCD is a bit overhyped…

Omg I made an extremely similar video to this! I’m so glad the digicam community is getting the attention it deserves ❤

I use compact digital cameras since they came out. Now I realize that it is some kind of retro hipster trend..

what did you use to shoot this video ?

I want a digicam for the video quality

Do you have any experience with the Canon G10? I'm assuming it's a Digicam.

I guess the box camera in the background probably works?

i will never not love memory sticks. i play games on my sony PSP a lot too these days, and i love that memory sticks are swappable between the PSP and the cameras!

Kingjvpes has several videos on thrifting. I believe he is in the San Francisco area.

what is the camera in the middle front??

Hudson's Bay blanket..

Thanks, Mom!

now i want cookies