The Smartphone vs The Camera Industry

andyhtc

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The Smartphone vs The Camera Industry

Sadly, the outlook for the camera industry is looking pretty grim. The camera companies that will most likely survive their new enemy, the smartphone, are going to be those who already have a strong client base. They will continue making specialized tools for enthusiasts and professionals, but their profit margins and market shares are going to shrink, while smaller R&D funding budgets will also impact new camera and lens release cycles.

https://photographylife.com/smartphone-vs-camera-industry
 

andyhtc

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A closer look into the latest financial reports from Canon, Nikon and Sony

It's no surprise the camera market is in a decline, earmarked by continuously-decreasing unit sales, revenue and operating income. It seems as though no company is safe from the impact of both smartphones and the general decline in demand for DSLRs, but while the numbers are indeed in a freefall, the reality is the actual macro-level outlook is far more nuanced than catchy headlines alone can tell.

To take a more overhead view of the camera industry, we're dug into the industry-wide numbers from CIPA and broken down the most recent results from Canon, Nikon and Sony to compare them year-over-year (Y/Y) to see how things are shaping up.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/37356...t-financial-reports-from-canon-nikon-and-sony
 

andyhtc

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Sad truth....

The article rightly points out that most of us consume photos and videos on tiny smart phones and small computer screens, hence the very high image quality of the dedicated cameras are no longer as relevant as before.

I bought an entry level DSLR camera 2 years ago, and unfortunately I don't have the time to use it that often since it is bulky and requires a lot effort to produce a quality photo. However, that should be the way to learn composing a photo, taking it using the correct setting and editing it etc. It is my first and last DSLR because smart phones now are so much cheaper to buy and easier to use for photography.
 

hkchew03

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As much as smartphone image is coming close to dslr/mirrorless, there are still many situation where actual camera are better, especially when it comes to speed, accuracy and flexibility.
 
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The article rightly points out that most of us consume photos and videos on tiny smart phones and small computer screens, hence the very high image quality of the dedicated cameras are no longer as relevant as before.

I bought an entry level DSLR camera 2 years ago, and unfortunately I don't have the time to use it that often since it is bulky and requires a lot effort to produce a quality photo. However, that should be the way to learn composing a photo, taking it using the correct setting and editing it etc. It is my first and last DSLR because smart phones now are so much cheaper to buy and easier to use for photography.
True, nowadays phone have its own AI software to enhance the photo quality

Sent from Rem Is Best Waifu using GAGT
 

JAson1980

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As much as smartphone image is coming close to dslr/mirrorless, there are still many situation where actual camera are better, especially when it comes to speed, accuracy and flexibility.


This apply to professional/hobby photographers ba...
Most casual photographers miss the shot liao will be like Nvm la..
 

hacktic

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you can build a camera in a phone but no one wants to put a phone in a DSLR camera.

both have "apps" though the phone is "smarter" with its OS and there are millions of app developers for smart phones. Camera OS are still like MSdos mode
 

keenklee

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I would say a smartphone could probably replace a compact camera but less likely to be able to replace a interchangeable lens DSLR.

For my use, I compare with the Canon S90 that was announced in 2009.
In 35mm equivalent, it is 28-105mm (3.8x optical) F/2.0-F/4.9.

I would say that only this one or two (maybe three) years that there are some models having wide angle better than 26/28mm and optical 2x or better.
 

keenklee

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The article rightly points out that most of us consume photos and videos on tiny smart phones and small computer screens, hence the very high image quality of the dedicated cameras are no longer as relevant as before.

I bought an entry level DSLR camera 2 years ago, and unfortunately I don't have the time to use it that often since it is bulky and requires a lot effort to produce a quality photo. However, that should be the way to learn composing a photo, taking it using the correct setting and editing it etc. It is my first and last DSLR because smart phones now are so much cheaper to buy and easier to use for photography.

The issue I have with entry level DSLR is with the kit lens.
If you have a lens on the DSLR that is of similar specs of the smartphone, the effort is the same in A mode - point and shoot.
 

yoyokid

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This apply to professional/hobby photographers ba...
Most casual photographers miss the shot liao will be like Nvm la..
That is so true...

.. and that is the difference between serious hobbyists/photographers and snapshooters...

.. but serious photographers do find the phonecam handy for some snapshots, though... :)
 

Norman Chan

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DSLR lens win by having flexiable zoom range at any focus length, whereas phone zoom range are fixed and usually results is not that good.
 
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The Reno 10x Zoom is a bulky phone and can be awkward to carry around. The glass rear is a little slippery too, but this looks and feels like a very high-end phone.
 
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The Reno 10x Zoom is a bulky phone and can be awkward to carry around. The glass rear is a little slippery too, but this looks and feels like a very high-end phone.


Oh I forgot - The cameras are very flexible and the 6x and 10x zoom capabilities are impressive. So get this!
 

kennut

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true, smartphones nowadays are getting op tho...

I think what's important is always having something to capture to develop your skills and I think a smartphone does that excelently...
 

kennut

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I think for a hobbyist, the smartphone is the absolute best option already because it's so portable yet so competent...

especially now with all the different accessories for the handphone to improve production quality like stabilizers like osmo, lenses like moment lens, different camera apps which allow you to adjust shutter speed, iso, etc. it's so easy to improve in your craft without needing a full on dslr or mirrorless
 

RyanJ

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The innate picture quality is limited by small sensor and lenses of smartphone. But the large leaps in mobile imaging are mainly the impressive progress of Ai computational photography e.g Google Nightsight. In certain trying settings, a smartphone can produce great pics in quick time. Depth mapping is slowly trying to reproduce the thin dof "bokeh" shots of traditional large aperture interchangeable setups.

Software can greatly untap the physical limits of hardware.

DSLR/mirrorless interchange setups give much better IQ by virtue of having much larger sensors and better glasses, and intricate manual controls over the process. I think big makers need to start incorporating some level of machine learning algorithms to bring it to the next level.
 

ttmaxx

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For a work shoot, do you guys think a camera phone will work? Only for social ah.
 
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