Time-travel camera rental pop-up in Seongsu — shoot four decades in one afternoon

T Factory's "BACK TO THE_" is a nostalgia pop-up disguised as a camera rental experience, and if you're the type who gets excited about retro film aesthetics and analog photo gear, this is a must-stop on a Seoul trip. The concept walks you through four eras — 1986, 1996, 2006, 2016 — each a fully realized set where you photograph using period-appropriate equipment (digital cameras, film cameras, instant cameras, even a vintage sticker photo booth). You're not just posing for photos; you're renting the cameras and taking them out into Seongsu to shoot the neighborhood itself, which is why this hits different from a typical pop-up.

Here's what actually happens: You arrive, QR check-in at the entrance, then move through each decade's room. In the 2006 zone, staff hand you a digital camera for a 2–3 minute free-shoot, then extract your photos directly to email or AirDrop. In 1986 (a video-rental-shop set), you shoot Polaroid and pick your favorite frame afterward. The 1996 room has the sticker photo booth — choose your three-frame theme, snap, then pick three more themes from the remaining frames; it's the real deal, not a modern recreation. In 2016, you're shooting with an iPhone SE2 filter aesthetic.

The main event is the camera rental downstairs. You can rent digital cameras (Canon PowerShot, Nikon Coolpix, Sony models), film cameras (Minolta X-700), or instant cameras (Instax Mini) for 2-hour blocks at set time slots (11AM, 1:30PM, 4PM). Rental prices range from 5,000 won for digital to 16,000 won for film. Each time slot caps at 15 teams, so booking ahead is smart, especially weekends. You take the camera out — most people head to nearby Hansin Apartment's vine-covered overpass, a famous photo spot in Seongsu — and shoot the neighborhood. The idea is you get to experience shooting on actual analog/retro gear in a real place, not just in a studio.

Practical notes: The pop-up is in the basement of T Factory Seongsu (Seongsu-gu, Yeonmujiang 1-gil 7-1), closest to Seongsu Station. It's open 11AM–8PM daily, closed the third Monday of each month. The running window is May 1 through June 25, 2026. If you're an SK customer, you get free bag storage and lounge access; as of recently, the lounge is open to all visitors. Entry is walk-in QR check-in, no advance booking required for the pop-up itself — only for the camera rental time slots.

Who this is for: photographers and film enthusiasts who want hands-on time with vintage gear, people obsessed with Y2K and early-2000s aesthetics, anyone planning a Seongsu photography day. The sticker photo booth alone will hit if you grew up in Korea or have nostalgia for pre-smartphone photo culture. The retro digital cameras (early 2000s Canons and Nikons) produce a specific color warmth that modern phone cameras don't replicate, so if you're chasing that aesthetic, renting is the move.

One heads-up from the source blogger: SD card failures can happen, so if you're renting, check your camera's storage mid-shoot and maybe back up to cloud or email as you go. The experience itself — the sets, the gear, the freedom to roam Seongsu with a real camera — is solid enough that even if technical hiccups happen, the vibe is worth it.