Point-and-Shoot Cameras are Dead

Are Point-and-Shoot Cameras Dead? by Take Kayo (fujilove.com)

Don’t try selling to us camera nerds, as we’re buying less and less cameras. The sales numbers are reflecting this trend. To grow the market, manufactures must appeal to a larger consumer group that loves taking photographs. They need to appeal to the younger photographer, and to accomplish that the camera has to be a connected device, as well as offer features that smartphones don’t have or can’t do better.

The article started strong (the virtues of Point-and-Shoot cameras) but then went sideways with a feature list that seems silly when compared to a smartphone. With exception to sensor size, the smartphone checks ALL of the boxes in Take's feature list.

  • The smartphone is compact, light, stylish (hundreds of cases and other items to add bling), and FUN.
  • Current smartphone models have OIS/IBIS (but my Fuji X-T2 does not?).
  • A lens cap is not needed on a smartphone.
  • I read "large sensor (at least 1? but preferably APS-C) as "make the camera bulkier than a smartphone."
  • The selfie was invented on the smartphone.
  • The smartphone app market has no dearth of photography and mapping apps.
  • The photography workflow starts and ends on the device taking the photo -- the smartphone.

Imagine being able to take a photograph on your p&s camera, process it with built-in LR, and then post it directly to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter via your smartphone?

For the vast majority of people, the smartphone is a Point-and-Shoot camera.. They are doing these things already. But since we are "crazy" with requirements for this new type of Point-and-Shoot camera, I will add a requirement of my own.

  • The camera needs to be small enough to fit in the back pocket of my jeans.

... the XF10 is a great little p&s camera for an old school snap-shooter like myself,

The cheese has moved. It's no longer in the frame. I think the camera Take described above, and the traditional point-n-shoot camera has no chance of financial success.

Author: Khürt Williams

A human who works in information security and enjoys photography, Formula 1 and craft ale. #nobridge