I'm not quite sure what the fascination is with young folks and 2000s-era point-and-shoot cameras, but it seems like everyone is snapping these up in droves.
UK-based street photographer and filmmaker George Holden is no exception to that. He snaps up the Canon PowerShot SD1000 (Ixus 70 where he's from), and while the title of his video describes it as film-like, if you get to the end of the video, one could say that it's more Fujifilm-like as he discusses presets that he programs into the camera to achieve a look similar to modern-day Fujifilm cameras.
That said, for anyone considering adding one of these cameras to their camera bag, Holden goes through all of the functions of the camera, which mirror almost every release of the PowerShot series—something very useful to anyone considering one of these cameras.
In 2025, I personally think buying such a camera is insane, but I know an army of teenagers and 20-somethings who would disagree with me. I speak from experience, owning several SD-series cameras over the years. They're OK if the light's OK, as it is here in this sunset I shot with my last SD-series camera, the SD1300:
But that said, as Holden points out in the video, sometimes art isn't about perfection. It's more about the experience, and using an old PowerShot camera certainly qualifies as an experience—of sorts.
If you're not old like me and are considering one of these cameras, Holden's video above is very thorough about how to get the most out of this camera, including how to activate the very limited manual mode. There are also some nifty features that many modern-day cameras lack, such as an OVF that actually zooms with the lens, as well as some nice colors with the CCD sensor. It's worth a look just to see some of Holden's interesting street photography with this camera or just for the trip down memory lane.
Me? I'm going back to shooting my much more modern Sony ZV-1 as my point and shoot.
Do you have any other recommendations for a point-and-shoot camera like the SD series? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
