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Most Innovative Camera Company
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May 11, 2022 22:43:39   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forward with steady, incremental innovation. But, nothing ever blows me away.

The camera company that does is DJI. They seem to have thrown away the mold and let the design team lose. Their cameras don't even look like cameras. To start, they fly. Then they take wonderful images and videos.

Yesterday they announced the "Mini 3 Pro". Every one of the usual reviewers is pumped up about their release copies.

My "Best Innovation" award goes to DJI. They may not be reinventing photography, but they sure are pushing out fresh thinking, design and engineering.

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May 12, 2022 00:37:27   #
flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT
 
bsprague wrote:
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forward with steady, incremental innovation. But, nothing ever blows me away.

The camera company that does is DJI. They seem to have thrown away the mold and let the design team lose. Their cameras don't even look like cameras. To start, they fly. Then they take wonderful images and videos.

Yesterday they announced the "Mini 3 Pro". Every one of the usual reviewers is pumped up about their release copies.

My "Best Innovation" award goes to DJI. They may not be reinventing photography, but they sure are pushing out fresh thinking, design and engineering.
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forwa... (show quote)

Is putting a Hasselblad label on your drone cameras simply because you purchased the company really innovative or fresh thinking?

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May 12, 2022 03:39:01   #
zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas
 
One could make the argument that Sony is that company--their innovation is far beyond "steady and incremental." They have driven innovation in the full-frame market for a decade and continue to do so. Their mirrorless full-frame bodies completely changed the market and forced Canon and Nikon to abandon their DSLR camera systems and to try to match Sony's mirrorless technology.

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May 12, 2022 05:27:54   #
Jeffcs Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina
 
Your forgetting about Olympus with the omdem1mk2,3 & OM1. The computational abilities and lens & body stability with the AF second to that seems Sony
Just my 2 cents

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May 12, 2022 06:03:54   #
Red6
 
bsprague wrote:
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forward with steady, incremental innovation. But, nothing ever blows me away.

The camera company that does is DJI. They seem to have thrown away the mold and let the design team lose. Their cameras don't even look like cameras. To start, they fly. Then they take wonderful images and videos.

Yesterday they announced the "Mini 3 Pro". Every one of the usual reviewers is pumped up about their release copies.

My "Best Innovation" award goes to DJI. They may not be reinventing photography, but they sure are pushing out fresh thinking, design and engineering.
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forwa... (show quote)


You are correct in that DJI has been a very innovative company and has produced some exciting technology. I have owned several DJI photography drones and some exciting shots are possible. I even have my FAA part 107 certificate so I can use my drone for commercial purposes. However, the truth is, and this is never addressed in the ads, drone photography is risky for several reasons.

Restrictions on where and when a drone can be flown are increasing. In many locations, where you really would like to take drone images, drone operations are severely restricted or prohibited such as city, state, and national parks. Cities, tourist areas, beaches, and many other photography-rich areas often have laws restricting drone use. In addition, there are other FAA restrictions that prohibit or restrict drone operation near airports which include hospitals where helicopters routinely operate. Countries outside the US are often even more restrictive and often have penalties far harsher than here.

Then there are the public responses to drones. Drone operators have been attacked and had the police called on them for operating drones around people or places of business. Drones have even been shot at while photographing property or scenes near people's houses.

These ads showing drones being flown around city parks, beaches, and other popular locales are largely fiction and most likely were staged. The entertainment industry uses camera drones and obtains special permits and permission to fly their drones to film their scenes. Something that most everyday photographers would not be able to do. Do people fly their drones in these areas? Sure, often illegally and risking fines or confiscation of their drones and worse. You can find a few places to fly them and shot images. You can drive out into the country and fly around in circles and shoot but that gets old and uninteresting quickly. From up to 400 ft above ground (the FAA altitude limit) one forest or field looks pretty much like any other.

I finally gave up and no longer fly drones. It is just not worth the stress and hassle.

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May 12, 2022 06:46:58   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
bsprague wrote:
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forward with steady, incremental innovation. But, nothing ever blows me away.

The camera company that does is DJI. They seem to have thrown away the mold and let the design team lose. Their cameras don't even look like cameras. To start, they fly. Then they take wonderful images and videos.

Yesterday they announced the "Mini 3 Pro". Every one of the usual reviewers is pumped up about their release copies.

My "Best Innovation" award goes to DJI. They may not be reinventing photography, but they sure are pushing out fresh thinking, design and engineering.
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forwa... (show quote)


And each year there are more restrictions on where you can use them. Generally not a good investment.
Lot fewer restrictions on camera's.

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May 12, 2022 07:11:24   #
BebuLamar
 
billnikon wrote:
And each year there are more restrictions on where you can use them. Generally not a good investment.
Lot fewer restrictions on camera's.


I think there are more restriction on cameras too. Some states tried to make it illegal to video police work in public.

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May 12, 2022 07:24:23   #
DHooch
 
It's interesting that when photographers mention cameras, especially those that (are/were) innovative, they never mention Pentax. Pentaprism, TTL metering, etc.

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May 12, 2022 07:42:37   #
BebuLamar
 
DHooch wrote:
It's interesting that when photographers mention cameras, especially those that (are/were) innovative, they never mention Pentax. Pentaprism, TTL metering, etc.


Those were the innovations but all of them now become irrelevant. People are getting away from Pentaprism and WYSIWYG feature of the new mirrorless makes TTL metering not needed either and so few would need Pentax.

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May 12, 2022 07:52:26   #
dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida
 
BebuLamar wrote:
I think there are more restrictions on cameras too. Some states tried to make it illegal to video police work in public.


https://pdnonline.com/news/department-of-justice-warns-police-against-violating-photographers-rights/
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2012/05/17/Sharp_ltr_5-14-12.pdf

and... a white adjust card with a warning to the police.
https://petapixel.com/2010/08/24/introducing-the-photographers-rights-gray-card-set/

DJI website... Is DJI the Tesla of Photography?
https://www.dji.com/

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May 12, 2022 07:56:19   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
bsprague wrote:
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forward with steady, incremental innovation. But, nothing ever blows me away.

The camera company that does is DJI. They seem to have thrown away the mold and let the design team lose. Their cameras don't even look like cameras. To start, they fly. Then they take wonderful images and videos.

Yesterday they announced the "Mini 3 Pro". Every one of the usual reviewers is pumped up about their release copies.

My "Best Innovation" award goes to DJI. They may not be reinventing photography, but they sure are pushing out fresh thinking, design and engineering.
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forwa... (show quote)


I think your question is valid, but we may need to wait a while to answer. Photography, at least with dedicated cameras, is still a shrinking discipline. This is despite innovative (and fundamental) contributions by all of the companies you listed.

Innovation is good, but it only really counts when it leads to impact that is meaningful and lasting. I don't think we can say that we are there yet. I've seen quite a few existing photographers move to the new things. I've not seen many new photographers join the fold as a result of them.

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May 12, 2022 08:01:28   #
dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida
 
larryepage wrote:
...Innovation is good, but it only really counts when it leads to impact that is meaningful and lasting....

So, you are suggesting that 8Track and Quadraphonic haven't lasted? But, mine still work!! Is there something new?

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May 12, 2022 08:07:54   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
dpullum wrote:
So, you are suggesting that 8Track and Quadraphonic haven't lasted? But, mine still work!! Is there something new?


Hey...Compact Cassettes solved some real problems and were adopted almost overnight as the standard. Manufacturers were astonished at how quickly vinyl LPs died in the wake of CDs. My company was overwhelmed at how fast the market shifted from folded to rolled refrigerated pie crust dough. The market for all three of these products exploded quickly. Each was true innovation that was rewarded by the market. That's not being seen with camera equipment. At least not yet. It's still a survival thing.

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May 12, 2022 08:25:24   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
bsprague wrote:
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forward with steady, incremental innovation. But, nothing ever blows me away.

The camera company that does is DJI. They seem to have thrown away the mold and let the design team lose. Their cameras don't even look like cameras. To start, they fly. Then they take wonderful images and videos.

Yesterday they announced the "Mini 3 Pro". Every one of the usual reviewers is pumped up about their release copies.

My "Best Innovation" award goes to DJI. They may not be reinventing photography, but they sure are pushing out fresh thinking, design and engineering.
Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic all move forwa... (show quote)


I saw a review of that yesterday. Although it looks fantastic, I won't be getting one. After using it for an hour, it would just sit in a closet.

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May 12, 2022 08:43:16   #
n4jee Loc: New Bern, NC
 
larryepage wrote:
........ That's not being seen with camera equipment. At least not yet. It's still a survival thing.

More people are taking pictures with more cameras then ever before in history. I think the cell phone manufacturers get a nod for innovation. I recently saw a television camera crew using an iPhone to film a news segment.

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