Smartphones will kill off DSLR's soon/

[Ron Texas]

https://www.techradar.com/news/smartphones-will-kill-off-the-dslr-within-three-years-says-sony

I think this is half true. Low end DSLR/mirrorless cameras will go away. The AI features of smartphones can be incorporated into larger cameras. I have already seen an article criticizing the latest iPhone for overprocessing images.

 

[MZKM]

Smartphones keep getting better.

I have a Sony A7RM3, but I only use it for special occasions, otherwise my phone gets the job done most of the time, especially if it doesn’t require zooming.

 

[Blumlein 88]

My previous phone was pretty good on camera, but did over-process images. My current one doesn't and is better still.

What I wonder is the way of interfacing with phone rather than camera. Could someone put smartphone camera parts in a dedicated camera body along with some of the AI and extra processing without it costing so much? I must say, I have an older DSLR I use for the multiple lens capability and it is still more controllable in low light though my current phone can do low light about as well. If I could change lenses on the camera for my phone I'd already be ahead using it.

One thing that has been handy with the phone is I can tell it to take a snapshot. I find I can hold it much steadier when I don't have to move anything to push a button or touch a screen. So I just talk to it and say when it should shoot. Also good for taking pictures in odd spaces. I can strap it to a broom handle, and reach under or inside things and yell at it to take a picture in places I cannot actually get into. The 4K videos are also awfully good already, and you can have it follow a face within a scene. Again if I had the ability to change lenses you couldn't ask for much better.

 

[Propheticus]

I find I can hold it much steadier when I don't have to move anything to push a button or touch a screen.

Alternatively set up your volume buttons to trigger as well + use a 2 second timer. I find this especially handy for the rare selfie. No contortionist hand-bending needed to touch the on-screen button.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Alternatively set up your volume buttons to trigger as well + use a 2 second timer. I find this especially handy for the rare selfie. No contortionist hand-bending needed to touch the on-screen button.

You can also sit it down, and tell it when to shoot.

 

[Propheticus]

To completely defeat the purpose of using your smartphone (compact/always in your pocket) you can also turn it into a MILC, using Sony's QX1

On a more serious note: Yes for snapshot/holiday compact cameras smartphones already killed that market. I don't find it unlikely amateur/entry level MLCs become obsolete. The latest periscope zoom solutions and multi-sensor setups even offering some zooming capability.

 

[JeffS7444]

Kodak's "You press the button, we do the rest" slogan of 1888 remains as appealing as ever for a large percentage of shooters, who never did want to be bothered by details such as why photos of sunlit snow come out looking so dark. For them, having a set of algorithms determine the final look of their photos may indeed represent an improvement.

And if Sony loses some entry-level camera sales in favor of mobile devices, well, they haven't actually produced all-new entry-level designs in years: A6000? That was introduced nearly a decade ago as an enthusiast-level product. Today, it's their entry-level product.

 

[600_OHM]

I see DSLR's going the way of say musical instruments. Mostly in the hands of artists and not technology-perfect snapshooters that lack any substantial content and are basically boring.

Sometimes I'll teach visiting grandkids what that annoying "tic tac toe" grid is for. The rule-of-thirds.

Next thing you know, they go overboard and put *everything* into the rule of thirds. Still, they are starting to channel their inner Ansel Adams.

 

[Prolix]

Seems as though people have been making this claim for at least 10 years. I have a Sony A7riv, an a6500, and a Samsung S22U. If all I want is to share something on a phone then the S22 is fine, but on any screen larger than a phone, or any type of print, both Sonys absolutely crush the phone and it's not close even when shooting jpgs on auto. I can crop a Sony shot down to a tiny portion of the frame and it still looks great on phones. Not to mention the massively better experience using an actual camera.

 

[Jmudrick]

Seems as though people have been making this claim for at least 10 years. I have a Sony A7riv, an a6500, and a Samsung S22U. If all I want is to share something on a phone then the S22 is fine, but on any screen larger than a phone, or any type of print, both Sonys absolutely crush the phone and it's not close even when shooting jpgs on auto. I can crop a Sony shot down to a tiny portion of the frame and it still looks great on phones. Not to mention the massively better experience using an actual camera.

It's already happened. The "massively better experience" is likely the culprit for most casual photographers. Mirrorless camera sales (yes I own one and rarely use it) exceeded DSLR sales but were just 3 million last year.

 

[Doodski]

My previous phone was pretty good on camera, but did over-process images. My current one doesn't and is better still.

What I wonder is the way of interfacing with phone rather than camera. Could someone put smartphone camera parts in a dedicated camera body along with some of the AI and extra processing without it costing so much? I must say, I have an older DSLR I use for the multiple lens capability and it is still more controllable in low light though my current phone can do low light about as well. If I could change lenses on the camera for my phone I'd already be ahead using it.

One thing that has been handy with the phone is I can tell it to take a snapshot. I find I can hold it much steadier when I don't have to move anything to push a button or touch a screen. So I just talk to it and say when it should shoot. Also good for taking pictures in odd spaces. I can strap it to a broom handle, and reach under or inside things and yell at it to take a picture in places I cannot actually get into. The 4K videos are also awfully good already, and you can have it follow a face within a scene. Again if I had the ability to change lenses you couldn't ask for much better.

Smart phones need a circular polarizer filter.

 

[Doodski]

The articulating viewer screen on my Canon is boss and I think it is a essential part of a camera. I don't see a smart phone with that feature coming.

 

[Jmudrick]

The articulating viewer screen on my Canon is boss and I think it is a essential part of a camera. I don't see a smart phone with that feature coming.

My Fuji XT is boss as well but my Pixel kills it with Night Sight and that apparently matters more to me than an articulating screen or bokeh or pixel peeping resolution in 99 percent of daily use cases. My (Pixel) camera is with me all the time , where for my DSLR/Mirrorless using friends taking the camera out is an event.

 

[Jmudrick]

Smart phones need a circular polarizer filter.

One can add one if you want one.

 

[Doodski]

My Fuji XT is boss as well but my Pixel kills it with Night Sight and that apparently matters more to me than an articulating screen or bokeh or pixel peeping resolution in 99 percent of daily use cases. My (Pixel) camera is with me all the time , where for my DSLR/Mirrorless using friends taking the camera out is an event.

Yes, all true regarding the best camera is the one you have on hand.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Smart phones need a circular polarizer filter.

They already make them. Some clip on some are custom fit to particular phone models.

 

[Offler]

When MFT/M43 was introduced, both Lumix and Olympus focused on smaller bodies, while they had a pro line of products after some time.

I definitely like the versatility of those systems, because I can pick pro-grade lenses and take pictures which require advanced features (pro capture for example), bracketing and deliver better results than mobile phones. But i can pick much smaller and lighter lenses, lets say with sacrificing zoom, and get great results anyway with a very light and compact package.

From my point of view as a hobby photographer I clearly can see that gear can be secondary to experience, because overproduced image does not equal nice or good one, and there is very thin line between stylized and overproduced.

But I really dont think that cameras (mirrorless or DSLRs) will disappear, or remain only in professional use anytime soon.

 

[Jmudrick]

When MFT/M43 was introduced, both Lumix and Olympus focused on smaller bodies, while they had a pro line of products after some time.

I definitely like the versatility of those systems, because I can pick pro-grade lenses and take pictures which require advanced features (pro capture for example), bracketing and deliver better results than mobile phones. But i can pick much smaller and lighter lenses, lets say with sacrificing zoom, and get great results anyway with a very light and compact package.

From my point of view as a hobby photographer I clearly can see that gear can be secondary to experience, because overproduced image does not equal nice or good one, and there is very thin line between stylized and overproduced.

But I really dont think that cameras (mirrorless or DSLRs) will disappear, or remain only in professional use anytime soon.

Disappear completely no. But sales are already down more than 90% since 2010. Virtually irrelevant would perhaps be a more accurate description.

 

[restorer-john]

Yawn.

The same thing was said of 2 channel (stereo) audio and HiFi in general when the AV juggernaut hit town, 30, 20 years ago. How did that work out? People are buying LPs and 2 channel has never been more in demand. AVR and multichannel HT is finished- nobody gives a chit.

Nothing like a decent lens and a big sensor. iPhones are crazy fun, but you can't change the laws of physics. When sports photgraphers are sitting on the sidelines with an iPhone, shooting their newspaper images, I'll take note. Until then, I'll stick to fast glass and a real camera.

 

[Jmudrick]

Yawn.

The same thing was said of 2 channel (stereo) audio and HiFi in general when the AV juggernaut hit town, 30, 20 years ago. How did that work out? People are buying LPs and 2 channel has never been more in demand. AVR and multichannel HT is finished- nobody gives a chit.

Nothing like a decent lens and a big sensor. iPhones are crazy fun, but you can't change the laws of physics. When sports photgraphers are sitting on the sidelines with an iPhone, shooting their newspaper images, I'll take note. Until then, I'll stick to fast glass and a real camera.

Phone cameras didn't just "hit town". Dedicated camera sales have been in free fall for 12 years (chart above). Numbers don't lie notwithstanding our romantic attachment to them.