Where CAMERAS are going...

Like a poster below asked, where is photography going... and someone replied basically that folks will keep shooting the same photos over and over... what the poster probably wanted to know is where the cameras are going... the market will determin what "sells" and often a good idea in the minds of develpers will not fly with those who purchase these items.

But I think the role of the cell phone as a camera is here to stay and at some point in the near future these shooters will want to zoom and such... we will soon see (if my crystal ball is working properly) a line of enhanced phones with zoom and manual shooting mods. The true cameras will adapt by providing users with enhanced shooting experiences... that is why retro classics like Fuji X100 and Xpro1 are so popular. More to come as such "segments" are identified. Selling products that LOTS of folks want to purchase is how this works.

I don't see the market for Sony's fixed FF prime 35 camera - but time will tell.

OVFs in cameras will stay around as long as we oldsters insist on them (and buy those cameras with them).

FF cameras will be more popular as economy of scale drives their price down.  But I think APS-C cameras will also be around as an important segment... but will M4/3 and other mirrorless compacts steal sales from APS-C SLRs or will they be a step-up for smart phone shooters "moving up?"  Or maybe those of us with drawers full of SLRs buy one of these jewel-like systems for fun shooting or for when our backs tell us our bags are too heavy?  And now there is digital stereo!

Fact is, if you have a stack of old camera mags laying around the house like I do, you realize we are going back to the good old days when camera stores offered us dozens of camera types (film)... the last eight years were a time of very limited camera formats... and the field is rapidly expanding.  In 1970 you could buy 16mm spy cameras, 127 film twin lens, 120 twin lens and SLRs, all sorts of 35mm SLRs, rangefinders, STEREO cameras, cartridge loading SLRs, P&S, rangefinders, Polaroid instant cameras, 4x5 and more...

When I look at my magazines from the last 10 years or so and realize it was mostly P&S, and APS-C SLRs, with a few FF bodies... I shudder.  Bring on the variety!!!!

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Holding a camera, any camera, reduces my blood pressure, calms my nerves, and gives me a sense of opportunity!