Interesting take on evolution of consumer photography.

[flamin lib]

This isn't gonna' make any of us better image makers or cause anyone to abandon our chosen platform but as someone who has been inside the industry I find it fascinating.

About a half hour editorial. As a gearhead afflicted with GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) I found it interesting and it echos ..sort of.. some other posts I and others have made.

The enthusiast camera market is a tiny sliver of what it was in the '80s when the 35mm SLR ruled. The entire market today is smaller than Canon held back then and it's getting smaller as the enthusiast equipment becomes more expensive as a way to maintain profitability in a smaller marketplace and the photo sector shrinks in deference to medical, scientific and other more profitable segments.

Canon and Oly are both doing some interesting things to interface with the digital world and even to bridge the camera/internet/phone divide. Even so it's barely effective and there's still a big divide between casual and enthusiast equipment. The next 'AE1' will have to user interface and connect like a cell phone but offer the flexibility of ICL for specialty work plus it will have to offer Snapchat and Instagram art filters. It will have to be faster, simpler and mimic the image quality for crop sensor ICL equipment for it create the market size necessary to generate a second consumer wave. Camera makers are just dipping their toes in that water and it will be interesting to see what evolves.

There will always be a place for the pro and pro gear but phones are dominating the consumer market and high end enthusiast pricing is shrinking that market ($2,500 for a fixed focal f4 lens?). The way I see the hardware world right now smartphones are the Instamatic/Brownie of the '70s (but MUCH better), crop sensor ICL cameras are the high end 35mm (but better), full frame is the medium format roll film camera (RB67, 'Blad, etc but better) and there's not quite anything like the view camera for old school silver halide archival artistry ala Ansel Adams.

'Tis a brave new world and such stuff that's in it . . .

[msongs]

1. I use my canon rebel with kit lenses to make great Hawaii panoramas to sell. works fine

for that. and its a style people cannot do on their phones/tablets with as good results. even sell a few phone pics myself. unfortunately I must usually use a tripod so not doing snap shots much anymore