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 10/11/2013 09:16:04 PM · #1
Article on declining camera sales...

Link to article.
 10/11/2013 10:07:58 PM · #2
It's just like the horse industry ... I made my living training horses, and that is working 18 hours a day, doing all the dirty work, riding every snide someone sends you. So if your willing to work for oh I'd say $1.50 an hour you can make it... Then there were tons of folks who ran out bought $$$$$ Stallions and started breeding to sell for what they thought would be $$$$$$ foals... When they actually realized those $$$$$$ foals would only sell for $ they quit... The old saying was how to make a million dollars in the Breeding business was to start out with 2 million. So the swing in DSLR's about the same, I had a shoot for a senior pix last year where the kids step-mother went out and bought a Big ol' full frame cannon ... I guess she took some shots couldn't figure it out and I got the job.. Maybe camera's will come down some!
 10/11/2013 10:20:51 PM · #3
That's a hell of an article. And, if correct, goes a long way towards explaining the "decline" of DPC in the last year or so...
 10/12/2013 01:06:43 AM · #4
Camera sales down ... nutty idea. Every smart phone has a camera built in. Camera sales are up dramatically.
 10/12/2013 01:32:29 AM · #5
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
That's a hell of an article. And, if correct, goes a long way towards explaining the "decline" of DPC in the last year or so...

Agreed.
 10/12/2013 08:12:52 AM · #6
Originally posted by littlemav:
It's just like the horse industry ... I made my living training horses, and that is working 18 hours a day, doing all the dirty work, riding every snide someone sends you. So if your willing to work for oh I'd say $1.50 an hour you can make it... Then there were tons of folks who ran out bought $$$$$ Stallions and started breeding to sell for what they thought would be $$$$$$ foals... When they actually realized those $$$$$$ foals would only sell for $ they quit... The old saying was how to make a million dollars in the Breeding business was to start out with 2 million. So the swing in DSLR's about the same, I had a shoot for a senior pix last year where the kids step-mother went out and bought a Big ol' full frame cannon ... I guess she took some shots couldn't figure it out and I got the job.. Maybe camera's will come down some!


Great summation of the horse industry, Katie, and it all rings very true which is why I quit a few years back. A lot of work and risk for very little $$. And fwiw cameras have come down a little, my D7100 was listed at $1029, it was released at around $1500.
 10/12/2013 11:51:12 AM · #7
A very well-written article. I think that, at least in part, his hypothesis is correct. Backing up and taking a larger/longer view, it's not the first time that photography has become "hot," only to fade again a few years or a decade later. Technology progression can and does drive these peaks in interest in photography, or other things, for that matter. Once it starts, it burns like a wildfire, fueled by the herd mentality. After it burns itself out, what's left are pockets of heat, the folks with a true, lasting interest, that smoulder until the next "revolution."
I disagree with him regarding the idea that there are no technical challenges left. That may seem to be true for those that have only a passing interest, those that fit his mold of "driven by the need to master a skill" and not by the need to make stunning images. There are *always* areas where one can truly excel, can produce images that not only meet but exceed the "standard." Folks that strive to go there will always be in short supply, and will always be recognized.
I know a lot of folks who bought DSLRs who now use P&S cams, or 'phones, and their SLRs sit gathering dust. They followed the herd, and when the herd turned, they followed again. We won't miss 'em.
 10/12/2013 12:13:46 PM · #8
Originally posted by kirbic:
A very well-written article. I think that, at least in part, his hypothesis is correct. Backing up and taking a larger/longer view, it's not the first time that photography has become "hot," only to fade again a few years or a decade later. Technology progression can and does drive these peaks in interest in photography, or other things, for that matter. Once it starts, it burns like a wildfire, fueled by the herd mentality. After it burns itself out, what's left are pockets of heat, the folks with a true, lasting interest, that smoulder until the next "revolution."
I disagree with him regarding the idea that there are no technical challenges left. That may seem to be true for those that have only a passing interest, those that fit his mold of "driven by the need to master a skill" and not by the need to make stunning images. There are *always* areas where one can truly excel, can produce images that not only meet but exceed the "standard." Folks that strive to go there will always be in short supply, and will always be recognized.
I know a lot of folks who bought DSLRs who now use P&S cams, or 'phones, and their SLRs sit gathering dust. They followed the herd, and when the herd turned, they followed again. We won't miss 'em.


+1
We've only hit a plateau in camera technology.
The new trend is in software.
There is no trend, nor ever will be, in using a camera to pursue a personal obsession.
 10/12/2013 12:31:25 PM · #9
I'm sticking with a DSLR, because no point and shoot can compare to a DSLR for making blurry and/or noisy and/or over-underexposed photos.

Sounds like a joke, but you know I'm right.
 10/12/2013 02:33:35 PM · #10
Originally posted by posthumous:
I'm sticking with a DSLR, because no point and shoot can compare to a DSLR for making blurry and/or noisy and/or over-underexposed photos.

Sounds like a joke, but you know I'm right.

Yup, I know you're right. Heck, we use a 5D as the body for our LensBaby, LOL.
 10/12/2013 02:43:50 PM · #11
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by posthumous:
I'm sticking with a DSLR, because no point and shoot can compare to a DSLR for making blurry and/or noisy and/or over-underexposed photos.

Sounds like a joke, but you know I'm right.

Yup, I know you're right. Heck, we use a 5D as the body for our LensBaby, LOL.


Camera phones don't compare with DSLRs, in my opinion.

I know there some out there that beg to differ... but having a DSLR in your hand just makes you feel that much more professional anyways.

Could you imagine a "photographer" doing a photoshoot of a family with their iPhone? Seriously?

As for point and shoots... there are some good ones out there as well... but I still think the DSLR is the way to go.
 10/12/2013 04:14:53 PM · #12
If you can't get blurry/noisy/overexposed shots with any camera then you're doing it wrong.
 10/12/2013 06:50:16 PM · #13
Originally posted by kirbic:
I know a lot of folks who bought DSLRs who now use P&S cams, or 'phones, and their SLRs sit gathering dust. They followed the herd, and when the herd turned, they followed again. We won't miss 'em.


Hey, that's me. I'm hurt :P

I don't know; what is the purpose of photography?
I've been interested in photography as a hobbyist for 30+ years (film off and on until 2008, then digital).
I joined this site for the inspiration. I wanted to make a "beautiful" picture. But priorities changed, life changed. I have less time and expendable income to make a "beautiful" picture.

Now my picture taking is for family and memories... Is that less photography?

10/12/2013 06:56:59 PM · #14
Camera phones are quickly replacing point and shoots for that segment of the market. This reflects on lower conventional camera sales but not a decline in photography. Photography itself is probably on the upswing.

Message edited by author 2013-10-12 23:34:18.
 10/13/2013 04:12:08 AM · #15
Originally posted by Trotterjay:
Camera phones are quickly replacing point and shoots for that segment of the market. This reflects on lower conventional camera sales but not a decline in photography. Photography itself is probably on the upswing.


This is an important consideration. To get at the question, you must first define what is photography. Is photography simply the making of pictures or is it only what is considered art, in some way? If photography is the act of taking photos, then surely photography has exploded more than ever before. If it is more associated with what is and is not considered art, the answer depends upon what camp you place yourself in so far as where you decide to place your measuring stick for art in the first place.

In the end... who cares?

If you do it because you enjoy it, then keep enjoying and doing. If you're concerned and scared that it's dying, I think you might need to reevaluate your purposes anyway. If you only do something because it's popular, then why do you care? If it's unpopular (dying/dead) than you wouldn't do it in the first place, and if your interest is separate, then the answer is meaningless to your intentions anyway.

ETA: I did find the article rather interesting, fwiw, with a number of valid points made.

Message edited by author 2013-10-13 04:13:52.
 10/13/2013 12:32:22 PM · #16
The article is probably spot on. Photography has gone through these boom/bust periods before.

Truth be told, I take more pictures these days with my phone than with my D800. The D800 is too heavy to carry when I'm not going out specifically to shoot, and I always have the phone with me.

10/13/2013 03:29:08 PM · #17
Originally posted by Ann:
The article is probably spot on. Photography has gone through these boom/bust periods before.

Truth be told, I take more pictures these days with my phone than with my D800. The D800 is too heavy to carry when I'm not going out specifically to shoot, and I always have the phone with me.


Guess I'm just too darn old. My iPhone is always on me, but I find myself thinking "I wish I had a camera to take a picture of that.", when my iPhone is in my pocket.
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