Old Isn’t Cheap

Kids these days don’t always recognize quality, but they’re starting to find it, anyway.

PetaPixel ran a story last month about used camera prices going up. This wasn’t necessarily news to me, as someone who has, more than once, blogged on here about picking up thrift store cameras for classroom use.

At first I noticed it with the Canon Vixia models. Vixia as a line still exists, but they’re larger, more professional models only these days. The tinier ones, line the Canon VIXIA HF R400? I got so much work out of them with my students. For the price they had amazing lenses as well as 1/8″ jacks for audio in and out.

I did occasionally manage to snag one or two used models, but these days the working ones go for the same as what they cost brand new, if not more.

Same is true with compact cameras. Yeah, there’s a resurgence of new models out there, but the really popular ones are models that were discontinued years ago. Back in 2020 I was able to pick up a bunch of them for a song. Now? I don’t even place a bid – especially if they’re a color that isn’t silver or black.

I’m aware that most of the renewed demand is for the vintage aesthetic of old cameras. They aren’t just functional, using one itself is a fashion statement. (I’m not disagreeing, there’s a reason my favorite still camera right now is a Camp Snap Pro.)

But also, none of these older cameras have AI “features” while still having decent enough sensors and lenses to do what’s needed.

Heck, a lot of the older models will run off of AA batteries, taking one less proprietary part off of the “hope it exists in a few years” list.

The most popular camera in my room is not the best camera if you’re looking for megapixels, sensor size, or features. It’s the one that’s pink, that I got for @ $15 including shipping.

But I’d also argue it does a better job taking a photo than most phones my students bring to school. It’s dedicated towards that end, with none of the distractions baked into an always online device.

If I could still get that model for $15, I’d buy a class set.