Another satisfying crunch as the plastic wheels grind against each other. Another moment captured.

The disposable camera — there’s no other quite like it. In a digital age filled with camera phones, pocket cams, and digital single-lens reflex cameras, the disposable gem is forgotten.

Nothing captures a moment the same way as the old standby — an emphasis on blurriness, closed and red eyes, and flash mishaps. I love the aesthetic of the grainy image and the texture of a fresh, glossy pharmacy print. More than anything, I love winding the film.

I’m used to watching people crinkle their foreheads in confusion when I pull out one of the treasured archaic devices at parties. “That’s a throwback.” No sir, it is a comeback.

The point-and-shoot digital camera exploits the purity and spontaneity its disposable counterpart.

What’s the point of taking party pics when you can check to make sure that you don’t look fat in them before sharing? The abuse has let to a widespread compulsion for people to take 1,000 pictures with their friends in the same pose just because they can.

What about the good ol’ days? What happened to the mystery, the excitement, the anticipation of waiting to see how the pictures turned out? Even better yet, what about the incomparable joy of discovering an old camera and the relentless curiosity waiting for the pictures to be developed?

Give me the choice between a Canon Rebel, a Sony Cyber-shot, or a classic Kodak FunSaver and I will always choose the latter — the name says it all.

— by Bri LaPelusa