Art and Photography

Another view of what the cellphone has done. The point and shoot is dead?

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Jun 15, 2012
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bogolisk wrote: Yes, it's also almost as big as a micro-4/3 cam. It doesn't fit my jeans's back pocket.
My phone doesn't fit in my jeans pocket comfortably either unless I'm wearing my side pocket joggers. The point is today's smartphone camera tech is still inferior to 1" sensor P&S's, which btw is smaller than a M43+lens. I have no problem putting my RX100 in a jacket or belt case, so it is the camera that is always on me.

If your phone is good enough for you, that's great. It's usually enthusiasts that are more serious about photography who buy premium P&S's these days anyway.
Smartphones are fine for today's disposable images shared on mobile social.
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May 5, 2010
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AncasterRFD wrote: My phone doesn't fit in my jeans pocket comfortably either unless I'm wearing my side pocket joggers. The point is today's smartphone camera tech is still inferior to 1" sensor P&S's, which btw is smaller than a M43+lens. I have no problem putting my RX100 in a jacket or belt case, so it is the camera that is always on me.

If your phone is good enough for you, that's great. It's usually enthusiasts that are more serious about photography who buy premium P&S's these days anyway.
Smartphones are fine for today's disposable images shared on mobile social.
Agreed. Like you said, as long as it fits someone's need, it can be a phone camera or P&S, it's only a personal preference. Since we don't always have the same need, I still see the relevance of a premium P&S.
In my case, I enjoy taking photo of people, mostly individual than group shot. I don't mind shooting at an equivalent of F16 or higher if that's what my camera can only achieve. What I can't stand, is to take portrait at like 25-28mm and everyone in my pictures end up with a huge nose. Hate that horrible distortion. I use my QX100 at 100mm so often.
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Jan 18, 2009
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AncasterRFD wrote: My phone doesn't fit in my jeans pocket comfortably either unless I'm wearing my side pocket joggers. The point is today's smartphone camera tech is still inferior to 1" sensor P&S's, which btw is smaller than a M43+lens. I have no problem putting my RX100 in a jacket or belt case, so it is the camera that is always on me.

If your phone is good enough for you, that's great. It's usually enthusiasts that are more serious about photography who buy premium P&S's these days anyway.
Smartphones are fine for today's disposable images shared on mobile social.
The RX100 is a great cam. However, for me, it just can't fill the "with me all the time" role. As for its quality, lest we forget that the rx100 is one of a kind. Not long ago P&S cams had 1/2.25 sensor, iso25600, 12x zoom, and took photos that look like water-colour paintings.
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The RX100 'was' one of a kind, the high end P&S for the photog enthusiast is advancing and expanding.

http://www.cnet.com/pictures/compact-ca ... roundup/1/

While we may see less P&S gear showcased at the retail storefront level, the genre has simply evolved. There is also ultra high end Leicas and RX1Rii.

However it's a bit moot for those with little interest in manual controls and refined composition, and value smaller size over larger sensors and optical zoom.
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AncasterRFD wrote: The RX100 'was' one of a kind, the high end P&S for the photog enthusiast is advancing and expanding.

http://www.cnet.com/pictures/compact-ca ... roundup/1/

While we may see less P&S gear showcased at the retail storefront level, the genre has simply evolved. There is also ultra high end Leicas and RX1Rii.

However it's a bit moot for those with little interest in manual controls and refined composition, and value smaller size over larger sensors and optical zoom.
It's just different strokes for different folks. When I'm in "manual controls & refined composition" mode, I drag out my monoblocks and soft-boxes. As an RFDer, I can hardly justify a RX100 IV. Its cost can get me five 400W monoblocs. Especially when I don't make money with photography, it's just a hobby.

The phone, being always with me, can capture precious family memories, in which facial expressions are much more important than anything else (scr3w DoF or focal length, no time to adjust, that facial expression only lasts a second.) And for that, the Galaxy S5 is good enough, for me.
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Manual controls is as simple as adjusting shutter speed when a child is running or on a swing to prevent blur, or slowing it down to get a lowlight shot. At 100mm, you can get a nicer crop of the expression ie; refined composition.
IMHO, RX100iv is overkill unless a user wants the video features. A used RX100i-ii or G7X is 1/3 price.

As I said, if a smartphone works for you, that's perfectly fine, it really is preference.

I'm just keeping with the theme of the thread. P&S's are not dead, they evolved with bigger sensors and improvements just as smartphones improved, and it's really apples and oranges. A smartphone's optics are limited by the thickness of the device, they are inferior to premium P&S's, that's the status quo. People buy them and carry them. Nothing wrong if you don't.
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Besides RX100, what other P&S are available for less than $300? To be frank, most folks would rather spend on phone vs P&S.
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Nov 1, 2006
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As always, it comes down to application: what are you doing with the images you create? If you take images and share them via social media or display them on a screen, then the cellphone camera is probably good enough. If you want to do more, then a good P&S or small DSLR is what you want. The convenience of the cellphone camera is indisputable but the quality still leaves a lot to be desired for anybody other than casual users.

All, IMHO, of course :)
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Stronzo1 wrote: that's so confusing, can we not just stick to its proper name? Wal*mart?
I guess other nicknames like Crappy Tire, Robbers, Timmy's, stOOples, Worst Buy, CrApple, and MickeyD's are out too - perhaps the admins can add a script that deletes them like swear words.
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Jan 15, 2004
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weedb0y wrote: Besides RX100, what other P&S are available for less than $300? To be frank, most folks would rather spend on phone vs P&S.
+1. I have a DSLR and a mirrorless. Anything smaller and mobile would be my phone which is with me all the time. Really no point buying P&S.
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Sep 26, 2007
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how's its 5MP snapper? my last phone with 5MP from 2011 took some pretty poor photos.
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Nov 5, 2005
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thesk8man wrote: yes same goes for gps units, radios, mp3 players, watches, timers, stop watches, schedules, calendars and so on
+sticky notes
Watches are considered jewelry and won't be replaced by cell phones. I collect watches and wear them when going out and it is easier to look at my wrist rather than pulling out my phone, turning it on to just read the time.
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Jun 14, 2011
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Spidey wrote: Digital camera sales also plummeted because people bought, and were happy with what they had and didnt upgrade. I think they thought everyday non camera folk would upgrade every year or two.
Well said. I have a D90 I bought back when it first came out and was hard to find a store that actually had it in stock. It's been a great camera and I've accumulated a nice collection of glass for it. I do plan to replace it with a full frame, but that won't be this year and probably won't be next year.

I also have a waterproof point and shoot that's great to take with on vacations. I won't replace it until it breaks.

Right now, I'm in the market for a camcorder, I'm going to buy a 4k which I don't see myself replacing before 8k models drop below $2000 at the soonest.

I do not use my cellphone for photos or video. I love taking pictures and I will always use a "real" camera, but that doesn't translate to a lot of sales from me.
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Feb 16, 2006
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I update my cellphone every 3 years or so, my laptop every 5 years, my main camera body every 4 years, and my pocket camera every 4 years it seems. I would never bring just my phone for a scenic walk/hike.

In fact, I have a major trip planned to Chicago soon and do not want to bring the DSLR kit but also don't think my Canon SX220HS is the optimal tool for the trip. Just realized I've had it 4 years... I think I'm going to get a Panasonic DMC-ZS100.
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Jun 15, 2012
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I'm planning on buying an iPhone7 Plus with dual camera and shopping for a 3-axis hand-held gimbal right now.
Apple's dual-lens camera system is said to take advantage of technology acquired from LinX Imaging, introducing 2-3x optical zoom capabilities for images that are clearer, brighter, and with more detail, especially in low light conditions. Apple will likely launch the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in September of 2016.
Image

A 2c system already exists in phones like the LG G5, and the Huawai P9 (engineered with Leica).

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/lg-g5-camera-review

http://consumer.huawei.com/en/mobile-phones/p9/

Image

It won't replace the advantages of my RX100, but iP7+ and stabilizer will make instantly shareable smooth vids, 4K if I want (I could be doing that now, but skipped the iP6S Plus version and haven't been playing with androids for a while)
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Feb 27, 2008
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thesk8man wrote: yes same goes for gps units, radios, mp3 players, watches, timers, stop watches, schedules, calendars and so on
+sticky notes
True! And flashlights, and home phones, and remotes, and for some, CD players, newspapers and magazines, and for some, computers.

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