You might think that with the quality of cameras on phones in 2026, I’d recommend using your iPhone to take photos, but I think you should get a digicam to improve your life instead. It can help capture your memories without distracting you with doomscrolling. It can keep you in the moment and capture quality photos. Having a camera is also fun and fun is a priority for me in 2026!

The dumb phone movement

There has been a movement away from do-it-all smartphone devices in the last couple of years to separated devices with distinct purposes. This movement has mostly been led by Gen Z as they grew up with short form content and are sick of the way it’s messing with our brain’s reward systems.

My main camera is a Fujifilm X-S10 and I absolutely adore taking photos with it. I find myself only taking it on scheduled photo shoots. It is a small camera compared with the DSLRs of yesteryear, however it is not pocketable. To carry it, I either have to bring a bag – which I don’t do most of the time, or wear it around my neck.

I am moving toward more dedicated electronic devices with specific purposes. I am trying to get away from a screen with pings trying to sell you things or keep you hooked on their app. This made me choose to buy a digicam in late 2025.

My personal feature wishlist

These are the features I was looking for when searching eBay:

1. Flash - I love to take flash photos with direct flash and would not want a camera without one
2. Black and White Mode - I prefer taking black and white photos. Check out my portfolio if you want to see more. I prefer not to edit my photos and want to let the camera do most of the work.
   1. This black and white mode didn’t work out as I had hoped and I’ll be writing a future blog post about how I addressed my issues with that
3. Viewfinder - I don’t want a screen to be my only option in bright light. I like having a viewfinder to see my shot.
4. Not too expensive - I personally set a budget of $200
5. Pocketable - This was my most important feature. I wanted a camera I could carry everywhere so I could use it instead of my phone.

I chose the Lumix DMC-ZS50. This camera has a lot of the features I want in a camera, but you should figure out what features are most important to you.

Why you should buy a digicam

It’s great for capturing memories

I would strongly recommend anyone who wants to capture memories get a digicam. It’s so fun to have at a party and take a few photos of your friends. Bonus points if you print out the best ones and give them to your friends or hang them on your wall. People like the novelty of having their photo taken by a 10 year old camera and seeing the fun quality images it produces.

It keeps you in the moment

It keeps you in conversation and away from social media. When you’re out with your friends at a bar or enjoying a walk or going bowling, you can capture memories for later, but still be present in the moment. It only takes a second to frame up and take a shot and you’re not accidentally doomscrolling Bluesky while your friends try to get you to come up for air.

It’s fun

With all the hard things in the world, I think fun is overlooked. I get joy every time I take a candid of my friends and their face looks funny or from someone complimenting an image I took of them. These type of moments can bring you together and support each other even when times are tough.

My first photo walk

I noticed how light the camera was and how it was to take photos. These are some of the results of a sunny day in a Portland winter afternoon. More photos to come someday soon!

Happy shooting

I had the pleasure to visit the Portland Zine Symposium this weekend. Being a touch neuro-spicy, I don’t deal with crowds well, but I’m so grateful I went.

On the periphry of the crowded space, I spotted two people who made zines with photos and was inspired by them to make a zine.

Meeting (Virgil)[https://photoverge.studio], I learned that anyone can make a zine and there a no rules. I’m not the best at following no rules, but talking to him I felt inspired. He said to just print out images that were your favorites last month or from a specific shoot or photos that fit a certain theme.

In the same less-crowded area, I also saw the work of (ti garcia)[https://scarsandmoss.com]. Their work was so moving and deeply personal. I asked them about making zines and they said they made them using photo printouts and clipping words from a typewriter for poetry.

Being unexperienced in zines, I had never heard of this technique before, but it produces stunning results. My guess is that this is a traditional zine-making technique. As a digital native, I feel a sense of awe when learning about other ways of making things.

Step 1: Make Something

After about half an hour of being in a crowded space, my brain was cooked. I discovered that there was a space nearby that was a quiet area/art room that had instructions for making a one-page zine.

I followed the instructions to learn how to fold the paper, and now I feel confident to make an 8 panel one-page zine to hand out at my next photo club meeting.

Step 2: Give it to someone

Virgil said it is important once you make something to give it to someone and ask for their feedback. This sort of in-person loop of making and then asking friends is how you can get into making zines.

I’ve been recently inspired to think smaller. To make things for a couple of people and inspire them rather than to try to make things for the world. This is the perfect opportunity and I hope to report back in a few weeks that I’ve made a zine.

Summary

I hope this has inspired you to make your own photo zine. Check out these artists’ work I mentioned above and happy making. Please enjoy the photos I took at the event!