Totally agree. What is also niche is paint on canvas art, wrist watches and sports cars. Niche activities are not going away. Another way of looking at it, try getting Getti Images to accept one of your phone photos. That would not be easy, at least not yet.
I reduced the image size to save some bandwidth. It was shot with an a6700 and Tamron 150-500 racked out to 500mm.That image is only 2mp. It's barely usable for anything but tiny prints. I would think that for surfing you would need at least 200mm or more optical zoom.“Surfer” magazine, 2014 “Will tomorrow's best surf photos be taken with a phone?”Like you, I guess I am serious enough to care about the images I create. And I've been published many times, as well. I also shoot events as a volunteer, and have a couple coming up this fall. For my shooting, well, I need a "real" camera. Cell phones don't cut it for surfing. ;-)
“If an image this clean can be shot with an iPhone 5, imagine what future generations will be capable of.” ( https://www.surfer.com/news/surf-iphoneography ).
I will add that I once owned an iPhone 6 and it's IQ was barely usable. My new iPhone is much better
In order to shoot photos from in the water you need a very consistent break. The areas I shoot have no such luxury, so shooting from shore locations is the only realistic option.Yes, it was the images in the article I was commenting on. My point being that you can make very compelling surfing images using an iPhone and a POV suited to the phone. You could argue that the limitation wrt focal length actually produces more compelling images (because it makes the photographer be with the surfer) than distant images using a long lensThe 2MP image shown here was not shot with a phone. It was a 26MP APS-C camera with a 500mm lens. We can be sure the detail is good in the full resolution version.That image is only 2mp. It's barely usable for anything but tiny prints. I would think that for surfing you would need at least 200mm or more optical zoom.“Surfer” magazine, 2014 “Will tomorrow's best surf photos be taken with a phone?”... I guess I am serious enough to care about the images I create. And I've been published many times, as well. I also shoot events as a volunteer, and have a couple coming up this fall. For my shooting, well, I need a "real" camera. Cell phones don't cut it for surfing. ;-)
“If an image this clean can be shot with an iPhone 5, imagine what future generations will be capable of.” ( https://www.surfer.com/news/surf-iphoneography ).
The images in the article are only fractions of a megapixel, so it's impossible to judge the quality of the details. Also, they were shot from in the water with short focal lengths.
Well, yeah. ;-)
It's common for professional photographers to be in the water with the surfers. Many of the top pros brand themselves by wearing specific colors so the surfers can more easily see them and tell them apart.
If I may quote Kamala Harris, "Same old tired playbook...”
Panasonic didn't ditch the compacts, camera buyers did.
But think about... if you don't update your products with relevant tech present on competing devices (which got the preference on the market), you are literally ditching your products.
Compact cameras still have a strong presence in the used market. Contrary to earlier fears, digital compacts have turned out to be fairly long-lasting. Of course repair is a problem, but in the lower price bands, replacement costs the same as repair.
With the advent of the smart phone and its inherent convenience, all cameras, compact or other, were destined for a big market hit. No camera technology was going to thwart that.
I'm not saying it's not possible. I'm saying it's impractical for 99% of people. It in no way represents a practical solution.
I'm saying it's impractical for 99% of people. It in no way represents a practical solution and is not a substitute for a lens with a long focal length. It's similar to the old "zoom with your feet" argument.
It is a bit of a chicken and egg situation......... but camera companies have more insight into their customers than any of us could, and I'm certain there comes a point where it's clear a segment is no longer worth investing in.
I've used MFT and FE for ten years. I like having wider choices.
and that is the point that many here at DPReview miss, that those companies have an overall view of the situations but individuals mostly only see their own needs/wants and often assuming that those are the same for all other users.
