joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Fascinating article, is the DSLR the slide rule of the future; time will tell.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3067252/the-future-of-photography-is-about-computation

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Joe, understand that writers write to make a living. If they produce a story that garners 1000s of hits, more job security. Thus, articles such as this one.

If someone wants to see how spectacular their cell phone image really is, let's make a 24x36 print of that image and predict the end of FX and MX sized cameras.
--Bob

tramsey Loc: Texas

This it very true. There isn't many smart phones in the hands of sport photographers yet. I don't think there ever will be either. But they (smart phones) have taken a bit out of the less expensive point and shoots. All things considered they have found their own nitch and it is growing. The smart phone produced today is many times better than just a few years ago. I think they help photography. I can site the case of my granddaughter; several years ago she asked me for a camera that she could take pictures of her friends with. I bought her a phone with a camera in it, this was before smart phones. She was delighted and took pictures of everyone and everything. Then a couple of years ago she asked if I would buy her a camera that she could change lens on. I bought her a Nikon d3100 bundle, a field guide and a couple of Bryan Peterson's books. She is going to college and this Christmas she told me that she takes her camera with her everywhere and when she graduates she is going get a full frame. It all started with a dumb phone and something that was easy to use and take with you.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I started with a Kodak Brownie. My mom worked in a Kodak retail sales store at the time. Within a year, I received a Leica IIIf (still have it and it works perfectly, though rebuilt a couple of years ago). Someone had traded it in on a Kodak Retina. It's almost the same progression, only with the cameras available at the time. Over the years, I've used, and still have, numerous cameras, but start out very simply.
--Bob

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Yes I believe so.

High performance cameras and lenses will still be around because high performance in photography is first and foremost about quality optics.

But Mirrorless technology will replace the DSLR because of reduced manuf complexity and cost, lower mass, and smaller size.

tgreenhaw

Phones already are a great tool I use to take photographs. They are always at the ready and there are some really cool apps that do nice post processing effects - try Tangled FX and Slow Shutter.

That said, it's hard to imaging phones any time soon being competitive with high end cameras with high quality optics for things like wildlife photography or anything where sharpness really matters. Someday phones may get super sensitive and have ultra high resolution - read 250 mega pixels for digital zoom and noise free ISO 36000 but I think that's a decade away.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

I'm guessing there is no such thing as a vertical shot with that camera. are they all square shots???

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Square yields the most efficient use of the lens and sensor material. You can always crop vertically or horizontally.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Here is a photo of the viewfinder of my Hasselblad, with the viewfinder hood removed. Note the tic marks on all four sides. Those indicate a frame of 8x10 or 16x20. Those are the two formats I generally use for photos from this camera. These aid in framing the photograph. Of course, I could also use a square format, as well.
--Bob

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