Beating a dead horse -why sales of digi cameras are hosed

[Huss]

My boss just emailed me this pic. He knows nothing about photography, just pointed his iphone through the window and took the snap (i.e. shot through dirty glass)
For the avg Joe/sephine this is more than enough. Why buy a 'real' camera when they can do this w/ their phones?

'We' know why to buy a real camera, but we make up a tiny fraction of the buying public.

 

[BLKRCAT]

in optimal conditions cellphones can perform well. But taken out of those conditions is where real cameras shine.

 

[Huss]

in optimal conditions cellphones can perform well. But taken out of those conditions is where real cameras shine.

I wouldnt say the pic above was taken in optimal conditions. It was taken at dawn, hand held, thru a dirty window on the 27th floor.

 

[JP Owens]

When my personal robot in a few years expresses an interest in photography, I'm going to encourage him/her/it to shoot film.

Many cellphones can shoot, pretty much without assistance, technically wonderful photos. But, like the screed against landscape photographers, "Another rock, another tree," how many lovely skyscrapers in the mist photos do we really need? Whether shot with a cellphone or a Sony A7rII.

 

[JChrome]

I wouldnt say the pic above was taken in optimal conditions. It was taken at dawn, hand held, thru a dirty window on the 27th floor.

Everything you mentioned sounds absolutely optimal. Except for the dirty window part but he's not blowing this image up either.

 

[mpaniagua]

Just curious, what would you consider unoptimal conditions for a cell phone?

Regards.

Marcelo

 

[kevin m]

...Why buy a 'real' camera when they can do this w/ their phones?...

That's a fair question if we ask it honestly and not rhetorically. All most people want from a camera is to quickly take a reasonable quality image of some person, view or event they'd like to remember or preserve. Cell phones do a remarkable job of that. They are, in fact, a continuation of and improvement on Barnack's original idea of a light, portable picture taking device of reasonable quality that one could have on his/her person at all times.

 

[nasmformyzombie]

Why buy a 'real' camera when they can do this w/ their phones?

Agreed. Many on this forum just don't get how much the photographic landscape has changed and will continue to change as a result of the cellphone camera. The consumer market for new digital cameras is shrinking rapidly and this market shrinkage will continue.

Going forward, there will be new photographic equipment available for pros (at a considerable cost), but an enthusiast like me will have increasingly fewer choices when it comes to new equipment. Many camera makers today will be out of business in several years.

 

[xayraa33]

The best camera is the one you have with you when the opportunity to take a great or not so great photograph arises, that is why these cell/mobile phone cameras are hard to beat.

 

[Huss]

Many cellphones can shoot, pretty much without assistance, technically wonderful photos. But, like the screed against landscape photographers, "Another rock, another tree," how many lovely skyscrapers in the mist photos do we really need? Whether shot with a cellphone or a Sony A7rII.

It's not what 'we' need as a collective, it's what 'we' need as an individual.
The 'we' in this case wanted to take the photo and was very happy with it. He now uses it as his desktop.

 

[Huss]

Everything you mentioned sounds absolutely optimal. Except for the dirty window part but he's not blowing this image up either.

Low light, high ISO, slow shutter speed is optimal for cell phones? Got it.

 

[mpaniagua]

That's a fair question if we ask it honestly and not rhetorically. All most people want from a camera is to quickly take a reasonable quality image of some person, view or event they'd like to remember or preserve. Cell phones do a remarkable job of that. They are, in fact, a continuation of and improvement on Barnack's original idea of a light, portable picture taking device of reasonable quality that one could have on his/her person at all times.

Never thought it that way, but yeah, completly agree with you. I suppose 35mm cameras faced the same attitude from the large format camera users than the cell phones are facing from the camera users in general today.

Regards.

Marcelo

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Actually, it is fine conditions for at least iPhone 5 or newer and me as not Huss boss. I'll hold it against of the window to have no hand shake and enable HDR mode. 🙂

 

[splitimageview]

Sure, phones do a great job in many conditions. That's pretty well known. 😉

 

[Darthfeeble]

Why are we worried about what other folks take pictures with? Film camera production and consumption took a dump when Digitals came out, sooner or later the same was destined for big ugly digitals. Mirrorless is taking up a lot of the DSLR market now. Something will come along that's better and they will go down the tube. I believe that's the nature of things.

 

[David Hughes]

I'd be very surprised if those of us on the forum with these smart phones haven't tried out the camera and looked very critically at its pictures. They worry me...

Regards, David

 

[Moto-Uno]

"Huss" , I'm somewhat envious of your boss . Peter

 

[Huss]

"Huss" , I'm somewhat envious of your boss . Peter

No kidding, right?

Anyway, the point of this is that when phones can make pics that 99% of the public like, camera mfgs are royally shtonked.

 

[zuiko85]

I'm not surprised phones have gutted the point and shoot market. But am somewhat confused why the hobby/enthusiast market has been impacted by phone sales. Why are all digital camera sales down so much?

 

[icebear]

'we' could argue about the accuracy of the 99% but I give you that you are in the ballpark😀