There appears to be a new photo trend among Gen Zers: taking photos with old iPhones, in particular the 5MP iPhone 4 released back in 2010.
It feels like the natural extension of the well documented Gen Z trend of taking photographs with Y2K-era compact cameras, rather than modern mirrorless cameras.
Obviously, things are a little different with camera phones. While digital cameras have been around for decades, so there were hundreds of cameras available in 2000, the first ever camera phone was a pretty primitive affair – and phone cameras really didn't become decent for a few years (the original iPhone, for example, wasn't released until 2007).
Thus, the 14-year-old iPhone 4 has become the latest piece of throwback tech – giving Generation Z the same feeling of nostalgia that Generation X gets from shooting on film.
I understand the phenomenon in principle. As a xennial I love the look of film, from Tri-X and Portra to dollar store disposable cameras. I dig the low-fi look of VHS tapes and the smeary effect of Nintendo 64 videogames. But when it comes to old digital cameras and phones? All I see is crappy image quality and bad sensors.
Not so for Gen Z, though. In Japan, they're even starting to carry two phones around; a modern phone for 99% of stuff, and an old iPhone to take photos.
Aera Dot (thanks for the heads up, Digital Camera Info) spoke to some youngsters about the phenomenon.
"I often carry around my old iPhone and take photos and videos and post them to my [Instagram] story," said a 21-year-old student. It's easy because the colors and other aspects look good and emotional even without editing."
I guess what I called 'crappy image quality' is what young folk call 'emotional'.
"When you take a normal photo, there's a lot of camera shake, but that blur actually adds a nice touch to the photo," says photographer Takanobu Sasaki, who has been sharing Stories about his iPhone 4 on Instagram.
"With the iPhone 4, the contrast is set high. There's no automatic correction, and the shadows are clear, so the photos look a bit like they were taken with an old camera, which makes them more emotional."
I have to wonder what the next generation is going to consider 'nostalgic' and 'emotional' about the camera technology of today. Maybe the overcooked HDR look of current smartphones will be romanticized in years to come…
If you're not a Gen Zer, you might get your nostalgia kick from one of the best film cameras and the best vintage lenses – or even one of the best retro cameras.
