There is life in digital cameras yet ...

While more opt to use smartphones as cameras, there's still a market for dedicated imaging devices

04:45 AM Jan 25, 2012

 

LONDON - Smartphones are tempting more people away from cameras but digital compacts still have a few tricks that phones cannot match.

Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States last week, in what seems like a symbolic moment for the photography industry. Though Kodak is credited with building the first digital camera, in 1975, it never really capitalised on the digital revolution. Meanwhile, the cameramakers are facing another threat, this time from smartphones.

Sales of point-and-shoot cameras fell by 30 per cent in value last year as people opted instead to use the camera on their phone. "We see the decline coming into the bottom end of the market," said Ms Zhelya Dancheva, senior account manager for photography at GfK Retail and Technology. "The threat from smartphones seems real and people do take more pictures than they have ever done."

When Apple launched the iPhone 4S last autumn, the company emphasised the improvements to the camera. It has an 8-megapixel camera compared to the 5-megapixel version in the iPhone 4 and Apple has made considerable improvements in its lenses and photo software.

The Samsung Galaxy S II and the Nokia Lumia 800 offer 8-megapixel cameras too, while the flagship BlackBerry handset - the Torch 9860 - offers 5-megapixels. The iPhone 4S and the Galaxy S II both shoot full 1080p HD video, while the Lumia and the Torch offer 720p.

Having decent cameras on hand is increasing people's appetite for photography. They are not rejecting digital cameras, just low-end digital cameras.

Ms Dancheva adds: "The fact that people are exposed to more pictures is making them want better quality cameras."

While digital SLRs offer photo quality that is better than that of a smartphone or a digital compact, they also come at a price. At around S$1,000 for an entry-level digital SLR, these are products for serious photographers, not casual snappers.

However, quality compact digital cameras still offer plenty of features to set them apart from even the best smartphone camera. Digital cameras that offer more than 10-megapixels are still seeing sales growth and some of the top digital compacts offer as many as 16-megapixels.

Though counting megapixels is not a perfect way to measure image quality, these cameras will provide more flexibility if you plan on printing images out. Smartphone images are more likely to end up in a Facebook album than in a frame.

In video too, digital compacts can outperform smartphones. The iPhone 4S shoots highly impressive full-HD videos at 30 frames-per-second, but there are digital compacts that will shoot HD videos at 50 or 60 frames-per-second. That means sharper-looking, clearer videos.

A good digital compact will perform better in low light than a smartphone, which means you will notice the difference if you regularly take pictures. They also tend to offer better zoom and wider angle pictures too, which makes them more versatile than the average smartphone camera.

Mr Richard Trestain, of Canon Europe, says: "We welcome any devices that make people more passionate about photography. Smartphones are helping to do this, but good quality compacts do offer added benefits that contribute to higher levels of image quality. For example, our compact range features the HS System for enhanced performance in low light, and Canon lens technology, which has been developed over decades to offer the highest levels of accuracy."

The manufacturers are constantly adding new features in the race to stay ahead of smartphones. Most quality cameras will now have facial recognition, for example, which means better group shots. Some cameras are even offering "smile" recognition. The next must-have feature could well be Wi-Fi, allowing you to upload directly from your camera to a social network site such as Facebook. This is an area where smartphones lead. However, Ms Dancheva says Wi-Fi enabled cameras "have not had a huge impact on the market".

Despite the benefits that compact digital cameras can offer over smartphones, the handset makers are catching up every year. The challenge for manufacturers is to convince consumers that the extra features they offer make it worth buying - and carrying - an additional gadget. The Daily Telegraph

Source: www.todayonline.com/TechandDigital/Digital/EDC120125-0000010/There-is-life-in-digital-cameras-yet-,,,