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Photography industry changes...
- Thread starter MCAsan
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So what's your opinion?
It seems that photography is an evolving technology and that as the camera in phones continue to improve, people find the need for a DSLR decreasing. The need for the average consumer to lug around a large and expensive DSLR is just no longer a draw. I've long given up on DSLRs.
I think my iPhone 7 is well, ok, for snaps and very convenient. I love Live Photos and decent quality 4K video clips. However, for best quality, control and fast shots of my kid running around on a day out - I carry my XT2 with me, and that’s with the 16-55 2.8. I’d love one of the 18/2 or 27/2.8 pancake lenses for a compact package, but will hang around for the 2nd generation for AF improvements. Those lenses are quite ‘old’ for the X series. I’d like an X100F, but a lens for my existing camera would be much cheaper!
Short term cameras in smartphones and tablets can not take the place of an ICL camera. What do with my iPhone if the image I want would need 600mm lens on a FF? Not gonna happen...in the short term.
Years ago the wife and I left 35mm DSLRs. If was the right decision for us.
I think if I had the budget and sherpa to carry the load, I would be all over Sony a7rIII and a9. IMHO, Sony should purchase Nikon just to get the glass. They don't need the Nikon bodies. BTW, did you read that Panasonic now has developed a sensor that can do parallel output and avoid the global shutter issue? Things should be very interesting over the next couple of years.
https://www.43rumors.com/wow-panaso...rst-8k-high-resolution-global-shutter-sensor/
From questions I see from folks wanting to buy a first camera I'd say that the interest lies in something that those cameras can bring to bear that the smartphone cameras can't. Like a long lens, as you note. But there's also those who are serious hobbyists and pros, and even the folks who like lomography and so on. Those core groups are gonna continue to buy, and maybe we see that we've reached that floor. Kinda like phonographs, or ham radios, etc
BTW, that 8k sensor. Holy moly!
BTW, that 8k sensor. Holy moly!
WOW! Just WOW! That is a long-exposure photographers dream! Inbuilt electrical ND filtration! It's gonna be game changing alright! Hate to think of the price though!
And I was already blown away by Sony's recent efforts in regards to a global shutter!
I personally like Sony. One reason why I chose Sony was that they had builtin GPS, while I didn't see very many (if any at all) Nikon nor Canon with it. I just like being able to go on a hike somewhere, have my pics geotagged, and then use a map to see where I took the pics. However, more and more companies have added builtin GPS.
I am shooting at about 1260mm, have almost zero in common with photographers using communication devices to take pictures and a proud user of 105mm filters. At least proud for a while, lol. Camera setups not requiring a gimble head hold very little interest to me but when phones can do what my current setup can do then I will switch. My back and shoulders will be thankful.
i saw this chart posted a while ago on other sites, but will comment on it again.
ME personally, there is no replacement for a real sensor. I use the iPhone for document shots and some videos when i am out, but would never ever seriously consider it for real shots. Mirrorless is the future, and as it matures, i think DSLRs will go away (no time soon though). The Zeiss Loxia line of lenses for the E series Sony are nothing short of amazing, especially the 21mm 2.8.
Right now i think photographers are migrating over, but using their lenses they have via adapters. The issue i personally had, adapting a 14-24 to my A7r, was balance of the combo. Wasn't very good. And until recently (Sony 12-24 is supposed to be spectacular), there hasn't been native mount glass that rivaled a lot of glass already out (Canon, Nikon mount).
I have since sold my lenses in Nikon mount and went with C/Y glass, which is some of the best made.
ME personally, there is no replacement for a real sensor. I use the iPhone for document shots and some videos when i am out, but would never ever seriously consider it for real shots. Mirrorless is the future, and as it matures, i think DSLRs will go away (no time soon though). The Zeiss Loxia line of lenses for the E series Sony are nothing short of amazing, especially the 21mm 2.8.
Right now i think photographers are migrating over, but using their lenses they have via adapters. The issue i personally had, adapting a 14-24 to my A7r, was balance of the combo. Wasn't very good. And until recently (Sony 12-24 is supposed to be spectacular), there hasn't been native mount glass that rivaled a lot of glass already out (Canon, Nikon mount).
I have since sold my lenses in Nikon mount and went with C/Y glass, which is some of the best made.
As opposed to what other type of sensor?
An unreal sensor might improve a lot of my photos....
An unreal sensor might improve a lot of my photos....
Panasonic has announced an 8K one that handles global shutter. Sounds unreal to me.
What do you mean a real sensor? Phone Camera technology has improved dramatically that the average consumer has little reason to spend thousands of dollars on a DSLR and conversely their phone does just as good as a point and shoot. Both markets are feeling the pressure.
As for mirrorless, they will eventually feel the pinch as well, but not yet imo.
Mirrorless may never have the chance to eclipse DSLR's before phones and wearables take the lead.
I think we'll eventually be down to two types of cameras - mirrorless and phones. As technology improves mirrorless cameras will be used for professionals and hobbyists and the mobile phone camera for everything else. It's already impressive what you can do with both. It will never make sense to put a zoom lens on an iPhone...but something from moment and dji? That's compelling.
Totally illogical. Even if phones take dominance over ILCs, it doesn't mean that withing the range of ILCs Mirrorless can't surpass the number of SLRs.
I agree, in general, with dontpkebearz in that we will soon see primarily phones and Mirrorless ILCs. I do think that there will be some of the higher end fixed lens mirrorless models that will survive and also a vert few SLRs to serve special needs.
I know that i wouldn't JUST take my phone on a 10 day backpacking trip, where the main purpose is photographing. A sensor the size of a dime cannot compete with a large sensor. And a teeny tiny lens on an iPhone cannot compare to Zeiss or Leica glass. Let's get real. But i guess i am in the minority on this case.
Not on here. But in general yes. We are not considered the average user.
I have an iPhone X, and while the camera is very nice for a phone, I certainly wouldn't remotely consider it a replacement for my Nikon D750 or Olympus EM-1. Until phone camera's get interchangeable lenses it's really a stupid discussion.
This. I have 3 DSLRs, one of them a new D850, but I only bring them out for professional work, or big family/club events where I'm playing the role of "photographer", and need to look the part in addition to getting the best possible pics.
For everything else, my iPhone works great, and bringing along the camera bag on a trip to Grandma's is no longer automatic for me.
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For me, the quality of the lens/sensor on the (now aged) iPhone 6s leaves little reason to buy any DSLR that can't match up to at least a Nikon D750. And then only for professional or serious hobby shoots.
I think the statistics are real enough, in that people are buying less and less cameras. I understand your point but most consumers couldn't care less about lenses, apertures, and sensor size. What they want is the ability to take nice photographs and the current generation of phone cameras do that and more.
Yes, they lack optical zooming, lack of a fisheye lens, or even a macro lens, but most people don't need them.
I've taken both a camera and my phone hiking and for the most part the iPhone kept pace with my camera. I go hiking for the sake of hiking, i.e., enjoying nature and more and more I see less need to pack a camera that can be heavy and bulky into my backpack.
I've been thinking of buying a camera for landscaping and have realized this a very conservative industry. Cameras are pretty much the same as they were decades ago. The same buttons, the same arrangements, the same structure. I mean it's almost 2020 and cameras still have those tiny screens from 20 years ago! I know these are generally long term products, but to me it seems companies are stuck in their comfort zone.
Not true. We have an extra 1.2 inches when you compare the D1 Nikon compared to the D750!
But the truth is I use the viewfinder a lot more than the screen for taking images.
In terms of the basics cameras haven't changed in longer than that. The main difference being film replaced by an electronic sensor. Other than that it's just the same basic operation that Fox Talbot used.
Well, there was the Lytro "light field" camera that allowed refocusing in post, but it never took off. Almost bought one on closeout for shooting 3D depth textures, but the resolution was too low to be useful. That and you can shoot depth mapped images much more easily using a dozen pics of the subject and some photogrammetry software.
High-end cameras are all very similar looking for the same kind of functional reasons that cars all look very similar. The phones are where the wild innovation is happening, but it's on the consumer end of the market. That doesn't mean that the sensors, lenses, video capabilities, data speeds, and ergonomics of DSLRs haven't changed wildly in the last 15 years though. My D850 is amazing compared to my old D50. But then again so is the computer that I process my photos on.
I think the real innovation that needs to happen on the high-end of the market is in software. We have touch screens now, but the legacy camera OS's aren't really optimized for that. Nor are the wireless connectivity features and phone/pc apps anywhere near a professional level of polish.
Just think what a proper multi-touch OS with a good developer API could do for the high end of the market.