Southern Arizona with DigiCams — Mountains, Deserts & Tombstone

Classic DigiCams are great for travel photography because they’re compact and versatile. I take one or more with me whenever I hop in the car.

You won’t get that high-end mirrorless quality, but that’s not the point of DigiCams—these small cameras have their own aesthetic. You wouldn’t expect a Polaroid to have the same look as an SLR, and one shouldn’t expect an old digital point-and-shoot to produce the same aesthetic as modern high-end gear. This is LoFi photography—more like the Polaroid—yet it can be surprisingly good, and its unique images are currently desirable.

When I travel with Classic DigiCams, I use an Evergreen 57 Waterproof Dry Box Protective Case, which fits six of my cameras plus all of the charges and spare batteries and such. It makes it convenient for a roadtrip, and also keeps everything safe, even if I happen to encounter rough conditions. I cannot recommend the Evergreen case enough! Another essential tool is an SD Card reader for my iPhone.

While traveling to southern Arizona, I brought all of my Classic Digicams, and of course my favorite: the Samsung ST76. Four of my six cameras were used at least once, but the Samsung ST76 and Nikon CoolPix S7c were by far the two most used. I love the Samsung ST76 because of its super compact size and for its retro 1960’s and 1970’s colors that make pictures look like they’re from an old photo album. I love the Nikon CoolPix S7c because it’s a cool-looking camera with an Art Deco design and it produces colorful pictures that have a slide-film aesthetic maybe somewhat similar to Kodak Elite Chrome. The images from these two cameras couldn’t be further apart, but I really like them for their own uniqueness.

A roadtrip to southern Arizona is something every photographer should do if they have the chance. Northern Arizona—with the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Flagstaff, Sedona, and Route 66—is way more popular, but there’s a lot going on in southern AZ. Tall mountains with snow and even skiing. Deserts with old saguaro cacti. Historical landmarks and iconic western towns. My trip was much too short, and I barely scratched the surface. I’m going to have to go back probably several more times to feel as though I’ve really experienced it. Even if you’re not a photographer but just enjoy adventures, make a special effort to get to the southern section of the state!

In this post are 10 pictures from my Samsung ST76 and 10 pictures from my Nikon CoolPix S7c cameras captured on that roadtrip. Enjoy!

Samsung ST76: