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Cameras are more than just tools for taking photos and videos—they shape the way we think of the past. The distinct look of each major camera format defines its era: The murky colors of a vintage Polaroid picture are as era-defining as the stiffly posed portraiture of the late 1800s. And there are few things that will bring you right back to the 1980s and ’90s than the fuzzy, low-resolution warmth of something filmed on video tape.
I think that’s why some people are so drawn to picking up old 30- or 40-year-old camcorders, even in 2026: You can record a modern scene using one of them today—perhaps someone using a smartphone—and when playing it back, it will look like they’re straight out of 1994.
I grew up with such a camcorder, a Canon ES50, which my family used for filming
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