Countless photos taken with a smartphone, of the same pose, to choose just one, improved using filters and photo editing applications, before posting it on Instagram: Generation Z grew up in digital. But in recent years, the disposable camera, with its small plastic case, popular in the 80s and 90s then neglected in the early 2000s, is back.
“As a child, I took some to go to green class. We took pictures of the snails, jokingly recalls Ilan, 23. At the time, we were going to have them developed at the printing house. Today, we digitize them and then post them on Instagram,” he explains. The trend is towards grainy photos streaked with lights. Taken on a disposable camera, “it’s the vintage and authentic effect” assured.
The surprise effect
Diverchy Laetitia, alias Tyciadchannelphotographer and influencer, shares shooting tips on her YouTube channel (350K) or her Instagram page (222K). “We are a generation that likes to take photos, whether of oneself or of landscapes. I think Instagram has developed this growing interest, she explains. The trend is vintage and the 90s: we see it as much in clothes, haircuts as in photos. But smartphones also allow the retro aspect. It is its randomness that makes the specificity of the disposable.
“It’s always a good surprise, we no longer know what we took a picture of,” explains Ilan. It is in a very particular context, especially in the evening or on vacation, that the followers use it. In search of spontaneity. “We all take millions of photos with our phone, we think, it’s calculated. Whereas there, we go there a bit like that by feeling and we see later what it gives ”, explains Clara, 22. On TikTok, the hashtag #disposablecamera (“disposable camera”) leads to hundreds of videos, with more than 285 million views. Comment sections are often filled with information on where to get your film developed and tips on how to avoid photos that are too dark.
The revival of paper
If some are just scanning their photos, Clara prints them: “I want to make myself a memory box in which I put all my photos, writing the date on the back of each”, explains the young woman, inspired by her parents’ old photo albums. What Elodie Combes, manager of the Photos du faubourg store, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, observes: “Today, almost all of our customers request a paper version. We realize that having something tangible is super important rather than just seeing it on your screen. A trend it has observed for five or six years, and which is corroborated by its sales figures for disposable devices, which increased by 15% to 20% last year.
A disposable camera costs between 11.90 and 19.99 euros, depending on the models and brands. A real budget if you take into account the cost of development: 12 and 15 euros depending on the stores for digitization and around 20 to 25 euros for paper printing. Ilan and Clara don’t buy it every month, it’s an occasional purchase. The same device can last them three months as well as a week. “There is especially a very big boom at Christmas time and during the summer holidays”, observes Elif Karacoban, director of the photo department of the Fnac Darty group.
Lack of stock
The trend is in “very strong double-digit growth”, for seven or eight years, says Elif Karacoban. “The difficulty is that these are products in very tight supply, we are always in short supply. Last year, we could have done three times if the suppliers had followed”, she adds. The demand is constant but the volumes do not follow, for lack of manufacturers and factories which make much less than in the heyday. This creates a form of rarity that adds to the highly prized side of this object from another era. “The first prize was 8 euros a few years ago, against 12 euros today”, specifies Elodie Combes. However, prices have not increased for more than four years.
The device is made entirely of plastic and can be thrown away after each use. A trend that contradicts the spirit of the times. Convenient and accessible, “we are not afraid of damaging it when we take it out in the evening”, points out Ilan who does not consider himself passionate enough to go through with the purchase of a film camera. Some fear losing the spontaneous side of the disposable device: “Manual settings can be scary at first glance”, admits Elif Karacoban. The camera brand Lomography offers, since 2017, a reusable disposable camera at 21.90 euros. “The device is made of plastic but the case is kept, it is rechargeable with any film”, explains Florine Garcin in charge of communication for Lomography in France. The Simple Use model was top 3 brand sales in 2020, and top 10 in 2021. Laetitia Diverchy has tested several devices and recommends the compact, metal version: “There are not a lot of settings to make, unlike a film camera”, she specifies. “A good compromise” so as not to have to buy a device each time. His, an Olympus MJU III 120 cost him a hundred euros.