Korea's Digicam Craze: Why Gen Z Shoots on Old Cameras

On a weekday afternoon in March, the corridor of an old electronics arcade in Jongno had a line in it. Not for a new phone or a pop-up store, but for a glass case of used compact cameras from the early 2000s. Hankyung’s reporter found most of the people waiting were young women, many of whom were small children when these cameras were new.

Korea has had retro waves before, from film cameras to LPs. The digicam wave is different in one way: it is about rejecting the camera everyone already carries.

Why are young Koreans buying old digital cameras?

Because phone photos have started to look the same. Korean phones apply heavy AI processing by default, smoothing skin, brightening faces and balancing color. That is useful for documents and food, but young users describe the results as flat and fake. An old 디카 (dika, digital camera), also called 똑딱이 (ttokttagi, the “click-click” camera), does the opposite: harsh direct flash, a little noise, color that drifts warm or cool depending on the model. Imperfection is the point.

A professor at Sookmyung Women’s University quoted by Hankyung calls it “experiential retro”: these buyers are not nostalgic for an era they barely remember. They enjoy the act of shooting, waiting, and looking back through a small screen, which makes taking photos feel like a hobby again. The spark goes back at least to early 2023, when NewJeans’ “Ditto” video used grainy camcorder footage and made low-resolution look cool.

It is not only Korea. Camera makers’ association CIPA reported that compact camera shipments grew about 16% in the first half of 2026 even as the overall camera market stayed flat, and Fujifilm says around 70% of its X-series customers are under 30. Korea simply took the trend and turned it into a full subculture with its own words, accessories and meetups.

What are "dinol" and "dikku"?

Two new words cover most of the scene.

• 디놀 dinol = dika + nori (play). Going out specifically to shoot with a digicam, then decorating and sharing the photos. Hobbyists meet up for dinol outings, often carrying two or three cameras each to compare colors.
• 디꾸 dikku = dika + kkumigi (decorating). Treating the camera as an accessory: a knitted pouch, a beaded strap, a charm or two. It follows the same logic as decorating phone cases and bag keyrings.

The accessory numbers are, if anything, wilder than the camera numbers.

📊 Digicam accessories on Ably, September 2026 vs September 2025 (Segye Ilbo, citing Ably data)

New cameras are riding the same wave. The tiny Kodak-branded Charmera, a 30 g keyring camera sold in random-design boxes, became a collectible. Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Evo Cinema, launched in Korea in February 2026 at ₩590,000, adds an era dial that mimics looks from the 1930s to the 2020s. On 29CM, a limited Ricoh GR edition sold out in one minute in June.

Where can you buy a vintage digicam in Seoul?

Seoul is a good place to shop: you can test cameras in person, and some sellers have learned to deal with foreign buyers who arrive with a TikTok screenshot. Here are the three places to start.

📍 Open in Naver Map 📍 Open in Naver Map 📍 Open in Naver Map

Online, Koreans buy and sell on Bungaejangteo and Danggeun, but both work best with a Korean phone number and payment account. Our guide to Danggeun explains what foreigners can and can’t do there. Dongmyo also makes a good half-day with its vintage clothing streets; see Seoul vintage and thrift shopping.

What does a used digicam cost now?

💸 Used digicam prices at Seoul shops, as reported in 2026 (Hankyung, Herald Corp.)

Which brand is “hot” changes as stock runs out. Sewoon shop staff told Hankyung that demand rotates through Olympus, Fujifilm, Sony, Canon and Nikon, with Canon and Casio the most requested in early 2026. If you are not attached to a brand, ask what is in stock rather than chasing the model you saw online.

How do you check a used digicam before you pay?

These are general checks that apply anywhere, not shop-specific rules. Most shops will let you test the camera at the counter.

• Power it on and take a few test shots, indoors and pointed at a window. Look for dark spots or lines on the photos.
• Fire the flash. It is the signature look, and dead flashes are common.
• Zoom all the way in and out. Grinding sounds or a lens that won't retract are bad signs.
• Ask for the battery and charger. Many old models use proprietary batteries that are hard to replace.
• Check the memory card type. Some 2000s cameras use xD-Picture Card or Memory Stick rather than SD. Buy a card at the shop if you can.
• Check the screen and buttons, especially the shutter button and mode dial.

Is the digicam boom just nostalgia?

Not really, and that is what makes it interesting. Buyers in their early 20s never used these cameras the first time around. What they are buying is friction: a device that does one thing, takes a few seconds, and doesn’t fix your face. The same impulse shows up across Korean youth culture right now, from vinyl and LP bars to four-cut photo booths on every corner.

If you want the same look without buying anything, Seoul’s photo booths are the quick version. See Korean photo booth brands compared, and for more analog hobbies, Seoul’s vinyl shops and LP bars.