ottopj Loc: Annapolis, MD USA

Interesting view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGp3JXKtHBM

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Watched "Chicken Little's" video. Thought about a short response. Thought about a long, detailed response. Concluded Northrup's obituary which, by the way, includes the death nell of everything he himself has done over the past 10-20 years is not worthy of comment. Crap, after all, is just crap. I do predict we will get a smartphone (probably not still named as such) capable of Ansel Adams-quality photographs...in the year 4027. You heard it here first, folks.

iDoc Loc: Knoxville,Tennessee

He makes a lot of sense.Thank you for posting

randave2001 Loc: Richmond

He makes some very valid points and I think his ideas are noteworthy to the current camera manufacturers.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Sorry, but Nostradamus beat you to that one by more than just a few years!!!
SS

jackpi Loc: Southwest Ohio

I want WiFi in my cameras that only comes on when I push send and then turns off after the photo has been sent. I also want to be able to control everything on my camera from my phone.

mremery Loc: From Maine, living in Virginia

Thanks for the link, it was interesting. I wouldn't call him chicken little, but he sort of borders on the extreme. Admittedly, most everything in the camera and phone industry is in flux, change is happening everywhere. Trying to predict what will happen six weeks from now, let alone six years, is incredibly difficult, so how accurate he is, who knows.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Think Mr Northrup probably knows what he is talking about - Can't say I'm at all in favor of it or looking forward to it -- Will retire my 5DII and purchase the 5Ds but will continue to hang on to my still in use EOS3
Liked the link
Thanks

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

As a video, it is way too long, but his analysis is good about the changing nature of demographics and the industry. A five minute version could make the same points more effectively. I doubt many people watch it to the end.

Part of the problem is that the camera industry is dominated by Japanese companies. Nothing against the Japanese, the ones I have met and worked with are wonderful people, but the culture is very conservative and slow moving, bogged down with too much hierarchical and inward looking protocol which stifles innovation.

That said. The future will be the future, it will choose its own path. Tony is completely correct about software being dominant, the hardware subservient, and the camera needs to be a platform for software. His comments about Magic Lantern are particularly salient.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I cannot see the future, perhaps Mr. Northrup has more information than I do. Consumer cameras, like p&s cameras have been in decline, I think we all know that. People with little or no photographic knowledge are steering toward the smart phone. Those who know photography or have experienced photography for many years are very pleased with their dSLR cameras and useless to say that professionals seldom use a cell phone to photograph. I have seen a trend of those using a cell phone going to entry dSLR cameras. I do not know how important Wi-FI and other bells and whistles are for them, they are not for me. What I have predicted is that cameras in the future will or could be mirrorless and I am sure I do not need to explain that. I question if the dSLR camera as we know it today will ever disappear.
He has many interesting comments but with some many different types of consumers I do not know if he is right with all of his statements.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

To quote Dr. Who, "I can't tell the future, I just work there!". Although Tony's video is long and rambling and takes perseverance to get through it, his analysis is very good and parallels the kinds of industry shifts that occur, especially in technology related industries. I'm a dedicated SLR kind of person, digital or otherwise. Tony showed the Canon AE-1 from 1976 at the beginning of the video. I still have mine and it still works. Same with my T90. As for mirrorless, I think they will take over, but not necessarily in the form factor they exist in today. A mirrorless body that behaves and handles just like a high end DSLR might well replace today's DSLRs. As Tony says, you will never pry the old codgers' cold dead hands from their obsolete DSLRs (old codger = UHH dominant demographic) but he is absolutely correct about a camera as a software platform and the camera manufacturers not responding to the market changes.

Magic Lantern brings many of the capability benefits of today's mirrorless cameras to a number of Canon DSLRs. For myself, I want the functionality, not the smaller form factor. Canon is limiting itself by not replicating or incorporating the what the ML guys have done.

On the other hand, the new iPhone has a 12 MP sensor and an f/1.8, 6 element, optically stabilized lens. And it does everything else that an iPhone does so well. Apple has just eliminated another reason for some people to have a dedicated camera. Yet our DSLRs are computers just much as smartphones are. There a few reasons why Nikon and Canon et al couldn't add much of the functionality that many phones have while being vastly superior cameras. Most camera manufacturers are ignoring the future and may well be killing themselves because of that lack of vision.

Tony is spot on with that conclusion. Anyone that is reading this has at least one and probably dozens of computers in their home and vehicles, even if they are sold as TV's, DVD players, heating / AC controllers and so on. Remember back in 1977 when Ken Olsen - founder and CEO of Digital Equipment - said "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home."? His lack of vision led to his company's ignominious death in 1998 when it was acquired by Compaq, a PC company. Compaq suffered the same fate, was acquired by HP which is currently in the process of drastic downsizing and selling bits of itself off the the highest bidder. This is the pattern of high tech companies, and it is sad to see Nikon, Canon et al repeating the same mistakes.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I'm signing up to Instagram and Snapchat. No, I'm not abandoning my favorite camera habits. Instead it is because everytime my Granddaughter shows me her good photographic work and style her images are on those media. It is time to add something new to my skill set.

Tom G Loc: Atlanta, GA

Your comments, rjaywallace, appear to be lacking serious thought, unimaginative, extremely general, i.e., without facts, and, perhaps, even slanderous.

So, carry on, Mr. Wallace; but, do so at the risk of further embarrassment to yourself.

CASpic

Today's camera ,minus the lens, is nothing more than a computer.The only thing that keeps canon and nikon from making a dslr-like camera that is almost as good as their top of the line dslrs is the lens. They want to sell lenses! The day will come when someone invents a small lens that will give you a 1000mm or even 2000mm reach. Perhaps it will consist of a liquid with the clarity of the best glass that can be shaped electronically. Who knows. Perhaps our government already has this and uses them for spying.When that day arrives that will be the funeral dirge for the big two. Lynn

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Sounds very interesting. Can I get some of what you are drinking? If smoking, some of my friends might like some of that also! Don't hold your breath for a commercial product like that to appear. If it was close, we would know about it.