I don’t know what to tell you, it’s always about the lens, and rarely the body (unless you need yee many pixels for specific format, or you need the DR for astrophotography etc.). D700 and 5D Mk.II are still amazing clickers and you can get them for dirt cheap. D800 has been, and continues to be an astonishing body, and you can now pick it up for about the same price as a new intermediate APS-C body.

As all the major brands exit the DSLR market, all of their prices are coming down, so yeah, people who’re willing to compromise on IQ and portability for lens cost will look for deals with DSLR bodies and the respective lenses. Heck, I’d rather use full-metal chassis DSLRs and respective lenses for paid gigs just for that psychological reassurance that it’ll continue to function even if I accidentally drop or bump it while on the job.

Same reason we buy old record players. Nostalgia. If I could buy a gramophone, I would.

Gen z loves the Y2K aesthetic of old point and shoots and camcorders

Internet trends. Many people are actually interested in the photography. But the majority are just following the trends they see others following.

They look different than iPhone photos. Different is sometimes interesting.

I see a lot of comments about it being a trend and/or the cameras being pretty good.

But most people browse photos on their phones, which are usually smaller than traditional 4x6 prints. Also, a loss of fidelity has been a fun tool to aid in the interpretive aspect of photography.

I went to college for fine art photography (don’t be like me) and I had a lot of fun with 110 film cameras. Later, in the late 2000s I worked in a prestigious camera shop in Southern California, and they had a huge selection of toy cameras that made photography fun for me. One exposed 360° of an image across 5 or 6 frames of 35mm. I took that on a sailing trip and got some pretty epic photos out of it.

I think there is a general interest for ‘classic’ stuff coming back. Almost as if people are getting tired of too much technology. For example: Vinyl records, fountain pens, boardgames, home baking, woodworking…

These are all things that are making a comeback

Because they’re fun. Honestly this is the answer to so many questions lol. Why use a real camera when an iPhone is good enough? Because they’re fun. Why use film when digital is better? Because it’s fun. Why paint a fucking Picture when you can just photograph it? Because it’s fun.

Yes. Nokia cameras are fun too.

Why not? Seriously some of the posts I see on this sub are very uptight and judgmental. Everyone can enjoy whatever they want.

I’m seeing my Instagram and YouTube feed being flooded with reels and shorts

Content creators are pandering to their target audience - people under 21 who don’t know what it’s like to have evolved the amount we have.

Sounds like it’s working.

Doesn’t mean it’s cool or good - but it doesn’t have to be. It just has to get the views they so desperately crave.

Hipsters going thru a retro phase.

“It’s just like they used in the 80’s!”

I bought a lD Mark IV because I could afford it and it was an amazing camera back in the day when it was released. I didn’t know that there was a fad going on but so what people who want to sell their old workhorse cameras will get a little return and younger generation will get to experience oldie but goodie cameras which are crippled in ways that force creativity. I couldn’t afford an m6 so I’m glad these options are out there

Sensor wise. There has been little to no improvements on cameras for photography in the last 20 years.

Most improvements have been fps speed, display resolutions and in-sensor auto focusing and tracking (mirrorless)

If you test in a control environment a shot taken with a newish a7iii or an oldie 20 year old Nikon d800 o the same lens /same iso, you won’t see any difference

My Canon SX100 from 2009 and my Canon SX510 from 2017 both take better quality photos than my cellphone. Both cameras also fit in my purse. Another plus is that my small cameras can be set to manual. Negative is that setting the iso above 400 results in lots of bizarre pixel stuff.

I have a Pentex DSLR and a Sony Nex-3. Usually use my Sony. But sometimes don’t want to take my camera bag, etc. A small camera that fits in my purse is handy at times.