Back in the mid-2010s, I got back into film photography—pretty much like everyone and their mother at the time. Just like vinyl records in music, film cameras made their comeback with the hipster movement—loud, nostalgic, and (in my opinion) for the better.

As I was looking for an affordable second hand option on eBay, I randomly scored the most amazing and surprising piece, the Canon Sure Shot Del Sol —the world’s very first fully solar-powered camera. Sleek, futuristic, and unapologetically ‘90s, it came with a bold mirrored faceplate that doubled as its solar panel. No batteries needed, just a little sunlight, and off you go.

At the time, it was marketed as a cool, eco-forward gadget, and then simply disappeared in the awakening of our digital era. But today it feels like a rare piece of design history—a perfect blend of function, sustainability, and quirky retro charm, that has never felt so relevant.

What blows my mind is how this kind of simple, genius technology was already out there thirty years ago—and yet, we kind of abandoned it. A camera that runs entirely on sunlight feels like magic, but it’s also just smart design. No waste, no endless charging cables, no batteries to replace. Imagine if more of our gadgets today—our phones, headphones, even laptops—integrated that same principle. We wouldn’t just be chasing convenience; we’d be rethinking sustainability in the most effortless way. Sometimes the past really does hold the blueprint for the future.

If you are curious about it here a few to grab: