Hey, this is Scott of Photography Banzai.
Today we're gonna talk about digicams, and if they will
survive in the marketplace. This is all based on my opinion. How I think things
should go that they do survive. At least I hope they survive as a type of camera.
I do like digicams. The basically... the integrated lens cameras. They have
various types. There are waterproof cameras. There are standard small digicams.
Also, bridge cameras. That are larger. More like an SLR, but they have really
big lenses usually. Of course with cell phones, they're getting better and better
with cameras inside. They have multiple cameras to get more range. Get better
range. There are a lot of improvements with phones. I think it's good that cell
phones are getting better and better with photography. Getting higher quality,
and they are just a great convenient tool to use. Now, there are some downsides.
Usually in the ways that you can use them. They're not as featured for things
like time lapses, or whatever. But apps kind of fill that gap. Digicams are
getting less and less relevant. And I think it's really mostly because
manufacturers are trying to eek as much profit out as they can from that style
of camera. I've been making a lot of videos about entry-level cameras.
Consumer cameras that are lower cost. Probably my most popular video at the
moment is about the Nikon B500 bridge camera. That's a pretty simple camera. It has
a relatively long lens. It's lower cost. Doesn't even have a viewfinder. There's a
lot of downsides, and I see comments coming in about that camera. People seem
to have misconceptions about how much it can do for them quality wise. What it can
do for them. It's missing a lot, like I said. And I try to steer people away
from cameras like that, in general, unless they really know and understand what
they're getting into. What they're paying for.
There are a lot of other cameras out there. I think the best right now are the
1 inch sensor digicams. You have the Sony RX100. The original is still sold new.
It's around $400. I think that's a relatively good deal, but I would like to
see it even cheaper. The issue is that the manufacturers are bumping up the
price of all of these one inch sensor cameras. And I really think they should
get rid of all of the 1/2.3 inch sensor cameras in the marketplace.
The problem with that camera is that it's really... at this point, it is not up to the
level even of cell phones in some cases. With the cell phone they have better
technology. They have multiple cameras, multiple lenses.. that basically give you
better quality results in some situations than these little cheap tiny
digicams. It's hard to recommend these super entry-level bridge cameras, or the
super entry-level standard digicams. Really you get some control benefits,
maybe. You don't usually get RAW. You don't usually get features that can be
important to a photographer as they learn and as they grow. So I really think
the manufacturers are doing a disservice to the marketplace. The entry level of
digicams by not pushing that technology down into the entry level. I think it's
kind of almost necessary at this point to push 1" sensors down to the
entry level. Push more technology down to the entry level. Make sure that more
control, more features for photographers get down there. So that when these people
come in and they decide: "I want to try a camera. I kind of have an interest in
photography" and they see... "I'm gonna buy this entry level bridge camera," but then
they realize it doesn't have RAW. They realize it doesn't have... ahh... maybe be
time-lapse or whatever else. Where it's a feature that a photographer would
probably want, and it's not in there. So they would go to their phone and find
out: "Hey, the phone has time lapse. The phone has stacking of images... The phone
has all of this and that with apps." And then they decide: "Why did I buy this
bridge camera?" They put it in a drawer and they just leave it. Forget about it.
And then they just don't really get that much into photography maybe. I think it's
a bad thing overall. Where the manufacturers are holding back things
that they can do to improve the situation. The CIPA organization...
Basically, in Japan they have numbers for sales of different types of cameras. And
2018 for all of the digicams basically integrated lens cameras. That's
all the different types. For 2018: 665,000 to 870,000. 2017: it was up to 1.25
million, and then 2016 it was up to 1.36 million units. So you can see a definite
downgrade of sales of this specific type of camera. Even with cameras like the
M100 going down in price a lot and really getting into the territory of digicams
price-wise... The sales numbers for any type of interchangeable lens camera has
been going down a little bit as well, or at least staying kind of consistent at
around a million units per year. If the manufacturers really want to keep that
type of camera around, and I really hope that they do. One is waterproof cameras.
Make better technology for those. Put bigger sensors if you can into those
cameras. Make them more useful. Make them more rugged. Give them more options.
I would love really rugged cameras that are easy to use. Do a lot of things well.
And arn't stupidly expensive. So I think that can happen. It's just they don't do
that. I don't know all the reasoning. Of course, costs are always a reason. But are
they holding back because of some other reason, I don't know. Then the small digicams...
I really think they should go to 1" sensor almost exclusively. Of
course you have the off-brand junk companies that are old names, and these
random companies... But I don't really care what they do really. I'm talking about
the larger manufacturers. Go to 1" sensor cameras. Make sure that the camera
has raw of some type. You can kind of hide some of the features. Make an easy
mode. Make a photographer mode in the camera. Have it a one switch like Canon
does sometimes with their menus. You can turn off the easy stuff very quickly. And
just make sure that these cameras are ready for people as they improve and
learn and decide: "Okay, I really love photography. This tool is amazing. It
gives me better quality results without much effort compared to a phone."
It's is pretty much a very important thing at this point. To make sure that the small
digicams are better in almost every way than a phone. Otherwise, you're just
screwing yourself over. And I don't know. We'll see how it goes, of course. For
bridge cameras I think it's an absolute necessity that they move to one inch
sensors inside. Of course, you might lose some range with the lens. But at this
point, with that type of camera. They should give better results than a phone.
Better results than the smaller digicams, for the most part. But they aren't.
There are a lot of lower end bridge cameras that are kind of confusing
consumers in the marketplace. I see it in my comments all the time. I see people
thinking they're gonna get some amazing camera when they buy this bridge camera
that's lower end. It's on the entry-level standpoint. And it just has that
1/2.3 inch sensor. They don't understand what's going on. And then they're gonna
just hate their purchase afterwards, and it's stupid.
Lower the price somehow. I don't know if there is a big price difference in
1/2.3" sensors and... ah... the 1 inch sensors, but just
make it happen. Because I think at this point it really needs to happen. All the
bridge cameras should have a photographer focus. At least you can have
that easy mode.. photographer mode... in those cameras. But 1" sensor .Have
the features that photographers will care about as they grow. And then you can
also have that nice large integrated lens. It doesn't have to be ultimate zoom.
It can be a decent amount of zoom like the RX10 version II. That only goes to 200mm.
But you can also have longer lenses. It's not impossible. The RX10s
are are III and IV... They have up to 600mm. They do you have
cameras like the P1000 from Nikon. I understand that they have a smaller
sensor. But then the people who buy those cameras thinking they're gonna get some
amazing situation. Maybe they do want that ultimate zoom, and I do see a point
for the camera. But when you're down in the middle range.. entry-level range of
bridge cameras I really think they should have larger sensors. All that said
the main point is that I think these bridge cameras.. these
entry-level cameras.. should improve to a certain point where they do have the
larger physical sensor. Where you won't be able to put it in a phone. It's just not
physically possible. Get up to that level and then also include real photographer
features that help them enjoy photography. And also understand that
price-wise they need to fit within phones and also within cameras that have
interchangeable lenses. They have larger sensors. So it really needs to be a good
balance of price versus being good enough that it is better than a phone.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this video. I'm Scott from Photography Banzai. If you did enjoy this
video, please consider subscribing. Helps me out a lot. Likes and shares help out a lot as well.
Thanks again!
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