You may well be right, but as long as DSLRs and film cameras can do things that phone cameras cannot, there will be a market for them. And the increased enthusiasm for photography among today's young people is still a good thing IMHO. Every time a young person takes a picture and thinks, "I wish I could have...", it's an opportunity to recruit a new photo hobbyist. I see lots of people in their twenties enthusiastically adopting photography as a hobby.

I don't claim to have all the answers, but I think that camera phones can only replace point and shoot models in the long run, and as long as there are new photographers there will be a market for better quality equipment. I trust the market to meet the needs, and the young people learning photography to want to become better and better photographers. Like I said, it's just my personal opinion - I am not involved in the industry and have no skin in the game. I'm just a natural optimist. :)

Thanks! I'll check it out.

Thanks! I'm pretty up to speed with the camera and settings - I got the Magic Lantern guide, which I thought was a pretty good choice. The off camera flash setup and multiple flash setup is the area where I need the most work; my previous experiences have been mostly with manual setups. I've been reading some of the topics and will be seeking advice often.

Andy

My name is Andy, and I am fortunate enough to live in a real photographic paradise - New England. I am a longtime photographer, working occasionally as a pro with some weddings and architectural work many years ago. I still have, and occasionally use, 35mm SLR and rangefinders, 6x6 Rollei, and 4x5 equipment, but over the past decade and a half my wife and I have used mostly our camera phones and point and shoots or superzoom bridge cameras, thinking that the complexity and expense of going DSLR were just too much. We shoot a lot of landscapes, "found" objects, and architecture, as well as some nature and street photography.

This year we found a bargain Nikon D 50 with the two kit zooms at a pawn shop, and instantly fell in love. We've since advanced to D 3200s, which seem more than adequate to our needs, and upgraded our glass considerably with Sigma 10-20 mm and 18-300 zoom with VR.

I think I've made the switch pretty seamlessly, but multiple flash setups using TTL technology continues to baffle me. I'll be looking for advice on a variety of topics, including equipment and lighting setups, but mostly I'm just looking at the great work others have done, searching for ideas and inspiration.

Andy (and Michelle)

I really don't know, of course. But I think that it's the point and shoot camera that is quickly becoming obsolescent. Despite the many great shots taken on camera phones and the constant improvement in resolution and capabilities, there are simply many things that you cannot do with one. I'm old enough to remember when the rise of the "cartridge" formats was seen as the downfall of the 35mm format, and, of course, when the rise of digital doomed film. But film is not dead, and the large numbers of young people I see at vintage photo equipment shows and events lead me to believe that it will always have a niche.

As to digital, I see quite a few young people carrying around DSLRs when we travel or attend events. All of us start with simpler tools, and go on to more complex ones when we try to do new things that the old ones aren't capable of. The important trend, to me, is that love of photography is a growing thing, especially among young people, and that the capabilities and ease of use of modern DSLRs actually shortens the learning curve. I waited so long to make the jump that I was thrilled to see what I could do with my first DSLR - a ten year old Nikon D 50. I do think that a significant proportion of this generation of younger photographers who value their Instagram or Photobucket likes, will breed a whole new generation of serious amateurs.

I am a newbie on this forum, but I might have a perspective to add.

I come from the world of film - 35mm, 6x6, and 4x5. For the past decade, my wife and I have digitally progressed from point and shoots, high quality point and shoots and such, to DSLRs and better glass.

This seems to be pretty analogous, IMHO, to the days when amateur photogs moved up the scale as their skill levels increased. Some people shot great work with crappy cameras, and some still shoot great stuff today with their phones, which are always with them and always available for the opportunity shot. That's "same as it ever was". I once taught a photography course for young people using nothing but the lowest level Polaroid B&W model, and great pictures can still be taken with a simple box camera or "lomo", even today.

That said, I think that the trend among young people today, using their phones for quality shots, bodes well for the future of DSLR, and photography in general. Yes, they shoot far too much, and show little discretion in choosing the "good" from the bad and the ugly. But young people today are becoming more and more used to seeing photographically, and this will lead to more serious hobbyists and better photographers, and more and more serious digital photographers.

Color my glass half full...

Andy