Way back in the terrible throes of lockdown, I began buying old point-and-shoot film cameras on eBay — an Olympus AF-10 here, a Nikon L35-AF there. Along the way, I had to test them to make sure they worked before I could eventually sell them again.
Even 5 years ago, film was much more affordable than it is today, so I’d get a roll of Kodak Colorplus or Fuji C200 and shoot whatever I could (which wasn’t very much at all).
But in the midst of such an awful time, I started to realize how important point-and-shoots had been to me. It felt like a way to escape, or a way to connect with the world around me, to do something other than drink overpriced IPAs and eat frozen pizzas.
The best thing about point-and-shoot cameras is that they remind you that photography doesn’t have to be serious; it can be fun, it can be a companion, and it can keep your brain in photography mode.
I think everyone should have a point-and-shoot, easy to carry, always in a pocket or a bag, film or digital, and I’m going to tell you why.
And I’m going to start with the most important thing of all.
It’s Proper Fun
Lockdown aside, imagine you’re on your lunch break, you’re going for the same walk you always take, it’s boring, you’re sick of it. Then imagine that whole situation, but you have your point-and-shoot and you’re looking for compositions.
It’s a Totally Different Experience.
But it’s not just that, I always used to take point-and-shoots on nights out. Times when you’d never take a big SLR/DSLR, but it’s always the best stuff that happens. You wake up hungover the next morning (or when you get your film back) and get to look through a load of photos you don’t remember taking.
Those were always some of my favorite shots, and that perfectly leads me to the next reason why you should have a point-and-shoot.
You’ll Document Important Life Stuff
Without realizing it, you’ll document some of the most important stuff just because you have your camera with you.
As I said before, I’d shoot nights out, but at the end of the year, I used to make ‘friendship zines’. Basically, little books full of all of the best nights with my best friends. These are things that are nice at the time, but years later, you’ll look through and it’ll hit you like a train. This person’s changed so much, I can’t believe we did that, you know the drill.
Seriously, if you photograph your friends, put one of these zines together, you won’t regret it. If you can do it every year, do it; it’s so rewarding.
But it’s not just friends, I’d photograph random things at home or with my family, my hometown, and how it was changing over time. All of these little things have memories attached to them, and when I look back through them, I feel those times all over again.
They don’t have to be the best photos; they don’t necessarily have to be in focus; they just have to be taken.
Documenting your life like this is such a rewarding, personal side of photography that we so often lose because we need to make money or because we feel like we need to do well on social media. The point-and-shoot changes that.
But it’s not just about the sentimental side of things; there are some other serious upsides to always having a point-and-shoot like:
Getting Those One-Off Shots
How many times have you seen something and thought, Oh man, I really wish I had my camera on me.
It happens to me far too often, even as someone who tries to have a camera on me as much as possible.
But a point-and-shoot is accessible as it comes, it’s automatic, it’s small and inconspicuous, and it’s ideal for decisive moment shots.
Sometimes you need that to be able to take a shot without even thinking about it; it just needs to be instant.
That’s where a point-and-shoot shines.
Staying In A Creative Mindset
This one is criminally underrated, but always having a camera on you (not just your phone) is something that really keeps you in a creative, curious mindset.
We all have a phone, but our primitive brain also gets hijacked the moment we pick it up, and we end up randomly checking Instagram without any reason for doing it.
The camera is a license to see. When you’ve got one with you, you see photographs, you think about angles, you take notice.
And this helps to build your creativity as a whole, it helps to shape your photographic identity and skill.
We’ve all had times where we haven’t shot anything for weeks, we’re too busy, life is getting in the way. It’s hard!
The humble point-and-shoot removes barriers; it can be on hand all the time without being in the way, and that’s totally priceless.
Speaking of being priceless
What Point-And-Shoot Camera Should You Get?
As a film photographer, I loved discovering all the different point-and-shoots still on the second-hand market. From the insanely priced Contaxs to the cheap Canons, there are so many to choose from.
Generally, I’d say a Mju II, Yashica T4, or Contax T2 are great options for high-end film cameras, and the Mju I and Nikon L35 AF are really good for slightly lower budgets.
Of course, the problem with film cameras is that you’ve got to buy film and pay for development, so that creates another barrier. So, what about digital cameras?
There are a ton of great options, but the Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS A, Canon G7x Mark II, and Ricoh GR II are all pretty much perfect for the job.
There’s YouTube video after YouTube video of all the different kinds of cameras you can get, but ultimately, what really matters is getting a little camera you enjoy using and keeping it with you at all times.
You won’t regret it, it’ll make you a better photographer, and you’ll document things you didn’t realize were important.
