News reports here in the UK reveal a dramatic fall in the sale of digital cameras over the last 6 years or so:- http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/223/16/78008.html. Do you foresee the future of photography dividing into the dedicated amateur who will always use a DSLR or similar and the 'person in the street', just interested in shots for the family album using a smartphone, and the compast digital camera as we now know it completely disappearing?
keerok
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If you believe in everything that's written out there, the world ended yesterday. Since it didn't, my guess is compact cameras are here to stay because there will still be people who believe that a real camera is much better for taking pictures than a so-called multi-function device.
AWBoater
I suppose the low end of the compact camera market can fall off due to iPhones and such, but they will never replace a camera for anyone interested in a quality photo.
So yes, there will be those that know nothing about photography, and have no eyes to see - they will buy the smart phones as they favor convenience over quality.
But for the people that want better photos (and for those that can refrain from dropping their cameras), there will always be a market for cameras.
It is no different than the computer market in the '80s, for those of you that are old enough to remember. Seems everyone was making computers then, and the market was over-saturated with computer brands. Well the inevitable happened, and many of those brands were discontinued and we now have a half-dozen or so brands of computer systems.
Same thing I think will happen to compact cameras. The market is saturated right now, and manufacturers are producing any junk the public will buy (bridge cameras, high megapixel count cameras, gimmick cameras, etc). A culling will come.
In reality, the point and shoot market for film cameras was traditionally very small, and only exploded when digital cameras became available. If it is now shrinking back to it's traditional levels, well I guess I would see that as normal.
Kiran
I don't think the compact cameras will be no where seen in future. Most of the people who wish to feel the photographer type of feeling will definitely go for compact cameras,if they cant afford buying DSLR.
Vinegar Taster
Not everyone needs / wants a cell phone.There will always be a need for compact cameras.
Anonymous
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