Why the P&S is dead

[chipmaster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoVW62mwSQQ&feature=youtu.be

 

:D if you are smartphone maker...

:eek: if you are a maker of P&S cameras, you are a few years away from Kodak

[Keith1010]

I'll check this one out now.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Interesting.

I just have a regular cell phone for emergencies -- no iPhone -- guess I am old fashion.

[havoc315]

It's why low end p&s cameras are dead.

For many people, their phone will absolutely be enough.

But there is still a market for people who want cameras with better quality and functionality.

 

Good luck bringing your iphone to Alaska and using it to zoom in for wildlife photos. For example.

 

The 2 types of p&s cameras that should continue to see a market:

Superzooms, for people who want that 20x perspective.

True enthusiast compacts-- like the Sony Rx100. For people who want top quality and functionality in a pocketable format.

[sparky-elpaso]

I couldn't believe the number of people on our recent Panama Canal cruise who were using their tablets to take photos - talk about unwieldy. I'll stick to my Sony, thanks.

[pierces]

Don't pooh-pooh smartphones! I just got paid $1500 for pictures taken with my Razr phone! Admittedly they were of receipts and the payment was for an expense report...:D

 

People who never really took pictures and would never think of spending $200 on a P&S will drop $500+ on the latest model phone or tablet without blinking. They discover the camera app and through that, photography. Apple's ad stating that more pictures are taken with iPhones than any other "camera" is probably true...after all, it's hard to snap a drunken selfie for Twitter with a DSLR. For many, a smartphone is all the camera they will ever need but some will get hooked and move on to other hardware for the better quality, speed and versatility needed to expand their horizons.

 

The novelty of digital has worn off and it is now accepted as the norm much like during the last century when the transition to film cameras from glass plates put photography into the hands of the masses. I agree that the camera-phone is sending the sub-$200 P&S the way of the Dodo but the rise in overall casual photography is leading to a similar rise in the number of people wanting more than a P&S-phone can offer. The percentage of photographers who need or want more than a P&S can offer has always been small and the number of those who move to the high-end is even smaller. The percentage is still small, but it is a small percentage of a much larger number. This fuels the increased demand for DSLRs, mirrorless compacts and pocketable cameras like the aforementioned RX-100 that deliver exceptional quality. Even superzoom bridge cameras are making a comeback as new photographers (and some ex-DSLR shooters) want something better but don't want to deal with interchangeable lenses or the weight of a DLSR. Increased demand means more sales, more competition for the market share and more innovation with lower prices to attract that share.

 

Whatever you use to take pictures...it's a great time for photography and a great time to be a photographer!

 

Dave

[YoHoHo]

I couldn't believe the number of people on our recent Panama Canal cruise who were using their tablets to take photos - talk about unwieldy. I'll stick to my Sony, thanks.

True - they seem to think they bought a camera (Swiss army knife appeal)

It was annoying on a recent trip trying to take a shot in a crowded area with tablets popping up over people's heads to trying to blindly take a photo - at night. stood out like a small illuminated sign calling out.

[ikirumata]

I have a DSLR and an iphone. Generally this combo works for me. The only time I will pull out the P&S is if I am going to be in a wet situation and I can throw it in a dicapac.

 

But other than that, without actually watching the video, I agree with the title that the consumer P&S is not so much dead, but obsolete due to smartphones.

 

Also, taking a pic with a tablet does seem a bit wonky...

[sparky-elpaso]

True - they seem to think they bought a camera (Swiss army knife appeal)

It was annoying on a recent trip trying to take a shot in a crowded area with tablets popping up over people's heads to trying to blindly take a photo - at night. stood out like a small illuminated sign calling out.

 

I'd forgotten about that aspect. The thought crossed my mind more than once that I could bump into someone and knock the darn thing out of their hands - OOPS, sorry about that. :eek: Especially since I'm vertically challenged (5 ft. 3 in) and the guy with the tablet is 6 ft and in my way (I'm an old film camera user who still likes to use the viewfinder rather than the lcd screen).

[awboater]

I think for the masses, they will accept convenience over quality every time. In fact, they are not aware of what a high-quality photo looks like, so they go through life with blinders on.

 

The convenience vs. quality issue has happened over and over again in history. Whether it be VHS vs. BetaMax, Cassette vs. 8-Track, or cell cameras vs point & shoots (and if you can relate to my first two examples, you are old).

 

So as long as there are uninformed buyers in the camera market, at least the low-end compact market is doomed.

 

What the camera manufacturers need to do is embrace cell phones; for instance "Nikon Inside" (or Canon, Sony, Pentax, etc). And give the notion that there is a better internal system than what they currently have.

 

Of course this will require the cooperation of a cell phone maker, so there may be some difficulty in achieving this sort of thing. But if successful, it could be a stepping stone to higher end cameras. The camera maker that can be successful in doing this will be the one to survive.

 

But instead, the camera makers are in-fighting between themselves as competition increases in a dwindling market. So we see ridiculous super zoom lenses of questionable quality, overkill in cramming megapixels into a sensor, front facing LCD screens and all kinds of silly gimmicks.

 

The closest I have seen anyone approach this strategy is Nikon with their Android camera. But the chief complaint is battery life, and I suppose it just takes more juice to make a better camera than the junk cameras in cell phones and tablets.

 

I do however see a different light at the end of the tunnel. I doubt that cell phones will remain the same in the next 10 years. If anything they will become smaller. Or even perhaps larger, to the extent they will all look like tablets.

 

But at any rate, I see the evolution of cell phones if they get smaller, then something has to go - and that would be the camera. Who knows, this thing just might turn full circle.

 

So on one hand, you have the likelyhood of cell phones wiping out the compact market, but on the other hand, the natural evolution of cell phones may head in a completely different direction.

 

Regardless, I think I will keep my investments in caskets, funeral homes, and nursing homes rather than tech stocks. The former at least is an assured market.

 

I couldn't believe the number of people on our recent Panama Canal cruise who were using their tablets to take photos - talk about unwieldy. I'll stick to my Sony, thanks.

 

That is about the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. I even saw one guy trying to take photos at an air show last summer with a tablet. Not only could he not see the screen in the bright daylight. The aircraft probably had landed and parked in the hanger before got a photo of the nice blue sky due to shutter lag.

[donaldsc]

There is the "snapshot" crowd and the "photography" crowd.

 

The snapshot crowd will always go to the cheapest and most convenient because the can not tell the difference between a snapshot and photograph and they basically do not care. This group comprises the majority of the people who take pictures. They are now taking pictures with their cell phone or tablet and are not buying low end P&S camera.

 

The photography crown can tell the difference between a junk underexposed out-of-focus blurry snapshot and a decent or better picture. They are also not buying low end p&s cameras because there are now many better more expensive non-dSLR cameras. You can buy a non-interchangeable lens camera for over $1000.

 

This is why the <$200 market for p&S cameras is dying.

 

DON

[sparky-elpaso]

I would hate to see the small cameras go away completely. They can be a great beginner camera for kids. I've seen people recommend disposable cameras for kids but by the time you add the cost of processing, etc. you might just as well get a digital camera for them. Plus most kids probably would like doing some editing, etc. later.

[kristinp36]

My coworker has taken ALL of her children's childhood photos with an iPhone. It is a shame that they will not have really good quality photos of their childhood. She also lost a whole year of her child's life because she never downloaded the photos & her iPhone died!

[pierces]

My coworker has taken ALL of her children's childhood photos with an iPhone. It is a shame that they will not have really good quality photos of their childhood. She also lost a whole year of her child's life because she never downloaded the photos & her iPhone died!

 

So much of photography is transient, whether intentional or not. Of all the billions of photos taken, I wonder how many are lost for reasons like the one you mentioned or just inattention to backups and proper storage (including storage of slides, negatives and prints)?

 

Dave

[fishycomics]

until they invent a seeable screen

[Victress2007]

You don't need a $1000 camera to take a priceless picture. Phones do this every day - because the phone is in your hand when you want to capture something.

 

Photographs are a lot harder to take with a phone. I like my p&s 16x zoom - and I'm thinking of getting one of the superzooms for bird and wildlife shots - but they're pretty big for every day. I load them into my e-frame, I email them to family, I play with a few art programs and print them out and frame them - I even post them on here!

 

So my attitude is relax and enjoy these photo opportunities - technologies will take care of themselves.

 

That being said - which of these do you like better?

 

 

 

 

I need new pics for a bathroom.

 

Vic

[donaldsc]

You don't need a $1000 camera to take a priceless picture. Phones do this every day - because the phone is in your hand when you want to capture something.

 

Photographs are a lot harder to take with a phone. I like my p&s 16x zoom - and I'm thinking of getting one of the superzooms for bird and wildlife shots - but they're pretty big for every day. I load them into my e-frame, I email them to family, I play with a few art programs and print them out and frame them - I even post them on here!

 

So my attitude is relax and enjoy these photo opportunities - technologies will take care of themselves.

 

That being said - which of these do you like better?

 

 

 

 

I need new pics for a bathroom.

 

Vic

 

You are correct in saying that the inexpensive camera that you have with you can sometimes be better than the really good camera that is back in your room. This is why I have a high end P&S as my carry camera. I have a camera with me and it can take good pictures.

 

To be honest about your picture choices, I really do not like either one. They do not do anything fo rme.

 

DON

[TheRoff]

To each his or her own, as far as I am concerned about cameras. Fun to take pictures of.

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

Larry

[chipmaster]

Dead iphone, go to apple store, find it hard to believe they can't/couldn't recover the pictures. I think the lesson there is the same as we hear about people losing all their vacation pictures due to lost camera or card failure.

 

Seperatly only the viewer can really be the judge of "quality." A picture of any quality is better than no picture at all. When I was at my son's graduation there I was with a 24-70 and 70-200 on two bodies and 99% of the others had their smartphone or their tablet recording the event. For many that is probably all they needed/wanted, if they wanted more they'd have bought and lugged their gear. its like saying how sad nobody hears real music these days given how mp3s and the ipod have ruined us all. When many of my generation were teenagers we dreamed of a stereo, these days few of my childrens listen to anything that my generation would call high fidelity. We've traded convenience and immediacey for quality in every aspect of our lives

 

My coworker has taken ALL of her children's childhood photos with an iPhone. It is a shame that they will not have really good quality photos of their childhood. She also lost a whole year of her child's life because she never downloaded the photos & her iPhone died!

 

FWIW all my kids and I will venture many more kids are getting exposed to photography and videography then every before, as in the apple commercial. I know that none of my kids had any fancy in the many DLSRs and P&S that cycled thru our home, but that iPhone, instagram and iphone changed that!

 

I would hate to see the small cameras go away completely. They can be a great beginner camera for kids. I've seen people recommend disposable cameras for kids but by the time you add the cost of processing, etc. you might just as well get a digital camera for them. Plus most kids probably would like doing some editing, etc. later.

[topspot]

sorry wrong quote

[topspot]

The 2 types of p&s cameras that should continue to see a market:

Superzooms, for people who want that 20x perspective.

True enthusiast compacts-- like the Sony Rx100. For people who want top quality and functionality in a pocketable format.

 

Don't forget about waterproof cameras for snorkeling

[bukieco]

I sold my two p&s (canon s95 and panasonic lx5) in order to use my iphone as the p&s as it's usually always with me. by the way, people who use their ipads to take pics are called "padholes"

 

http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=padhole

[the_journeyman]

Take your iPhone or iPad snorkeling.

 

Nuff said. I'll pack my waterproof Sony Cybershot and leave the iPad in the cabin.

 

JM

[pierces]

I sold my two p&s (canon s95 and panasonic lx5) in order to use my iphone as the p&s as it's usually always with me. by the way, people who use their ipads to take pics are called "padholes"

 

http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=padhole

 

I thought is was "Padophiles"....

 

Dave

[awboater]

I wish I knew someone with an iPad so I could send this to them...

 

Oh wait, I have an Android tablet. I guess it has a camera as it has a funky glass (or perhaps plastic) covering up something on the back side.

 

But you will never catch me using it as a camera.

 

 

I saw this "padder" last summer at an air show. Either he was trying to take a photo or using his pad to shield his head from the sun. By the time he gets around to taking the photo, the plane will already have landed.