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What happened to the photography industry

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 9:48 pm
by DChan

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:24 am
by SantaFeJoe

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 2:20 pm
by Jeff Colburn
What happened to the photography industry?

People - They want it fast, easy and now.
High end cameras - OMG, it's how much?
Print buyers (newspapers, magazines) - Dead or dying.
Other buyers (ad agencies, etc.) - Microstock
Consumers - Good enough is okay. I don't need great photos. I wouldn't know a great photo if I saw one. Besides, most of the photographs I see are on a 4" screen.

The bulk of people take photos with their phone, and are fine with that. They don't need a $1,000 to $5,000 camera body. But the camera industry keeps focusing on the $1,000 plus cameras. If they don't find a way to meet the needs of the average amateur photographer, then they will disappear too. They have to offer a product that's inexpensive, easy to use, connects with the internet and is small. When the camera phone users ask, "Why should I use a camera when I have one in my phone?" camera manufacturers need to have an answer that will make them say, "Wow, I have to buy that."

Have Fun,
Jeff

Re:

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 2:53 pm
by DChan
Jeff Colburn wrote:
The bulk of people take photos with their phone, and are fine with that. They don't need a $1,000 to $5,000 camera body. But the camera industry keeps focusing on the $1,000 plus cameras. If they don't find a way to meet the needs of the average amateur photographer, then they will disappear too. They have to offer a product that's inexpensive, easy to use, connects with the internet and is small. When the camera phone users ask, "Why should I use a camera when I have one in my phone?" camera manufacturers need to have an answer that will make them say, "Wow, I have to buy that."

It would be difficult. For most people occasions when a "real" camera is needed are not that many. When people are using tablets to shoot their traveling photos you know there's a problem. And when IQ is secondary (yup IQ is over-rated), there's not gonna be a "Wow, I have to buy that "moment.

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 9:05 pm
by Ed Cordes
I, for one, understand all of the above. However, the painter still paints and takes days, weeks or even months to produce the image they want. We, as serious photographers, are not just documenting what we see, we are creating art. Yes, we use more sophisticated tools and spend more time on the details. However, we do it for ourselves, our pride, our integrity, and for the love of creating the best image we know how to create. I totally understand that most of the viewers of my images don't know a blown highlight from a branch entering from the side of the frame or closed eyes on a critter. However, I do. I try for excellence because it challenges me and I can achieve it if I work hard enough. If the new generation doesn't care so be it. I care.

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:05 pm
by SantaFeJoe

Re:

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:36 am
by PullmanPhotographer
Ed Cordes wrote:I, for one, understand all of the above.  However, the painter still paints and takes days, weeks or even months to produce the image they want.  We, as serious photographers, are not just documenting what we see, we are creating art.  Yes, we use more sophisticated tools and spend more time on the details.  However, we do it for ourselves, our pride, our integrity, and for the love of creating the best image we know how to create.  I totally understand that most of the viewers of my images don't know a blown highlight from a branch entering from the side of the frame or closed eyes on a critter.  However, I do.  I try for excellence because it challenges me and I can achieve it if I work hard enough.  If the new generation doesn't care so be it.  I care.
Well said Ed.

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 9:37 am
by SantaFeJoe
New reports don’t look good for camera industry:

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news ... hocking-35

Joe

Re: What happened to the photography industry

Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:27 am
by DChan
So Canon was right, Fujifilm was crazy, and m43 is still alive LOL

Re:

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 7:23 am
by Baywing
Ed Cordes wrote:I, for one, understand all of the above.  However, the painter still paints and takes days, weeks or even months to produce the image they want.  We, as serious photographers, are not just documenting what we see, we are creating art.  Yes, we use more sophisticated tools and spend more time on the details.  However, we do it for ourselves, our pride, our integrity, and for the love of creating the best image we know how to create.  I totally understand that most of the viewers of my images don't know a blown highlight from a branch entering from the side of the frame or closed eyes on a critter.  However, I do.  I try for excellence because it challenges me and I can achieve it if I work hard enough.  If the new generation doesn't care so be it.  I care.

I no longer think it's the photographer but it's the camera that is responsible.  I can't count how many times people have told me my camera takes beautiful pictures.  If so many people say it, it must be true....... :wink:

Re: Re:

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 9:26 am
by SantaFeJoe
Baywing wrote:
I no longer think it's the photographer but it's the camera that is responsible.  I can't count how many times people have told me my camera takes beautiful pictures.  If so many people say it, it must be true....... :wink:
Although you say this tongue in cheek, to a large extent it is actually true. Coming from the film age when what you got in a transparency was what you had as a final product, I see the progression to where equipment plays a greater role in the quality of photography nowadays. When I started shooting for publication, transparencies were the standard, not negative film. There was no latitude in exposure, composition(for the most part), or sharpness. Autofocus was just getting to a reasonably usable point, but super telephoto lenses were manual focus exclusively. Autoexposure was only fair, so most people only shot with manual settings. The wait time to get your images back precluded repeating a shot in the field if it wasn’t quite what you were expecting it to be. Changes to an image in PP was not available yet. Now you have instant feedback, HDR, VR, high ISO(most important change ever, IMO), excellent PP options, noise reduction and sharpening, extreme crops that still are usable, excellent auto exposure and focusing possibilities, live view, nearly unlimited number of shots without changing memory cards, etc. These are glorified P&S cameras, basically. To a casual shooter using a P&S or phone camera, pro cameras do produce incredible images with less effort and skill required. Sure, skill is still required, but even in the hands of a mediocre photographer, PP(by a skilled operator) can turn an image from a pro camera and lens into much more than was ever possible before. This is obvious in the number of fantastic images produced today. If it was still all about skill and not equipment, you would not see the prolific number of great photographers and images you see out there. Changes in equipment have opened many possibilities unavailable before, but that has only made things more worthwhile for a pro who spends so much time and money on travel to get those special images. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for photography.

Joe

Re: Re:

Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 10:38 am
by Primus
SantaFeJoe wrote:
Baywing wrote:
I no longer think it's the photographer but it's the camera that is responsible.  I can't count how many times people have told me my camera takes beautiful pictures.  If so many people say it, it must be true....... :wink:
Although you say this tongue in cheek, to a large extent it is actually true. ......................

If it was still all about skill and not equipment, you would not see the prolific number of great photographers and images you see out there. Changes in equipment have opened many possibilities unavailable before, but that has only made things more worthwhile for a pro who spends so much time and money on travel to get those special images. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for photography.

Joe
I agree completely. I have noted an improvement in my own image making as the tools have become more advanced and I never had a 'good eye'. Hearing other people say the same thing is also gratifying to some extent although I also often get comments like 'Oh, that's a great picture, you must have a very expensive camera'.

One way to see this is to look at photo books over the years. The images were great including the composition but they were not as zoomed-in or as sharp or as 'frozen in time' as they are today, the kind of images (with drones etc) that are possible now were just not available to the average Joe in the past. Very few people had the means to sport a Nikon F series with a big SuperTele and a bag full of slide film. Today so many more people with a passion for the art can acquire high-end gear.

The world of photography has definitely changed, from what it was 20 yrs ago. 

Another area which is not often discussed and which I personally have found great pleasure in is home printing. I remember my Epson printer taking ten minutes to print a small 4X6 color photo in the mid-nineties. It was low-resolution but still a treat to have. Today, you can print a poster at home in less time and in resolution that is eye-popping. That to me is an even bigger achievement.

Pradeep

Re: Re:

Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2019 9:27 am
by Kerry
Primus wrote:I have noted an improvement in my own image making as the tools have become more advanced and I never had a 'good eye'.
Honest (i.e. unloaded) question:  are you saying that you feel that your images have become technically more advanced as the result of equipment improvement or aesthetically more advanced?  Or both?

Thanks.

Re: What happened to the photography industry

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:49 am
by SantaFeJoe
Maybe an answer to the topic question:

Photographers Status

Joe

Re: Re:

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:56 pm
by Primus
Kerry wrote:
Primus wrote:I have noted an improvement in my own image making as the tools have become more advanced and I never had a 'good eye'.
Honest (i.e. unloaded) question:  are you saying that you feel that your images have become technically more advanced as the result of equipment improvement or aesthetically more advanced?  Or both?

Thanks.
Honest and short answer: Both. 

Over the years I have grown in technical as well as photographic skills. My family and friends now routinely ask me for prints. Technology helps of course, for all the reasons we've discussed already. It is possible my images may have improved even if I had stuck with my first dSLR - the Canon D60 which I bought in 2002. However, the journey thus far has been great fun. I've thoroughly  enjoyed all the gimmicks and gadgets, being an amateur and therefore not needing to meet any standards has made it so much easier for me just to have fun. 

One thing that I have had the most satisfaction from, as I mentioned earlier is the progress in printing at home. Yesterday I printed a set of 28X40 prints for my office wall (time to change out the old ones) and just seeing those huge prints with the  detail still preserved was absolutely thrilling. More than seeing the image on my 32" 4K monitors, I enjoy holding the print and looking at it in reflected daylight. 

I don't compete in any competition, even local camera clubs, never made a penny from my photography, but boy, this is the end product I love to get to. 

Pradeep

Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:22 am
by SantaFeJoe

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:29 pm
by SantaFeJoe
Another article on the subject:

https://fstoppers.com/business/canons-d ... ers-360415

My feeling is that, with a declining market for full size cameras, the price will climb to reflect the costs of new developments in cameras, thereby reducing camera sales and creating a never ending downward spiral. We’ll see what the future holds.

Joe

Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 8:55 pm
by SantaFeJoe
Well, at least Sony is reporting an increase YOY:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/374068183 ... s-division

Joe

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 10:32 am
by Mike in O
here is the investor report from Sony
https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-un ... ious-year/

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:59 am
by SantaFeJoe
Even Sony’s forecast is not great:

https://fstoppers.com/business/sony-ann ... les-394265

Joe