Contributed
The camera industry is currently in a state of flux. While people’s love for taking pictures and capturing memories has remained as strong as ever, they have increasingly turned to using a different piece of technology to accomplish this., Instead of going out and purchasing sophisticated cameras, more people have been content to simply invest in a smartphone that features terrific camera technology. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon., Apple’s iPhones are getting increasingly better cameras. Other companies such as Huawei, Google, and Samsung have also invested heavily in their camera technology and are hoping to bring new offerings to the masses that will be capable of taking even better pictures and videos., The emergence of these camera-focused smartphones has had a huge impact on the more conventional cameras. Professional photographers such as Blake Rubin are well aware of the kind of impact those smartphones have and what they can mean for the industry as a whole., A Sharp Drop in Camera Sales , Via Cult of Mac, Japan’s Camera & Imaging Products Association has reported that camera sales for February of this year have dropped 35 percent compared to where they were at this point in 2018., Needless to say, that is a huge year over year plunge, and it doesn’t bode well for an industry that has not been in great shape for quite some time now., It is also important to point out that these drops in camera sales do not happen in a vacuum. When numbers like that emerge, they will have a tangible impact not just on the camera industry but also on the field of photography itself., How Those Plummeting Sales Could Affect Professional Photographers, There are two ways in which those dropping camera sales figures could affect professional photographers negatively., First off, those sales numbers could soon force camera manufacturers to drop prices on their offerings. Ordinarily, that would seem to be a positive for photographers as they may be able to obtain their equipment for a more affordable price., Professional-grade cameras are typically prohibitively expensive, so more photographers may finally be able to afford even the high-end models., The issue with a potential price drop is that could also open up the camera market to more amateurs and hobbyists. There is nothing inherently wrong with more people purchasing great cameras. However, that could lead to more people erroneously assuming that they no longer have to hire freelancers if they want great pictures., Sadly, the skill of the professional photographer still gets underestimated often because the craft itself is so misunderstood. If that ends up happening, working opportunities for freelance photographers could become even rarer., Another issue that could spring up from camera sales dropping is that companies may simply no longer find them to be worth the cost and effort of manufacturing., The cameras of today are still of great quality. Industry heavyweights have even released some new models fairly recently. Things could change if the numbers don’t turn, however., If companies come to the conclusion that cameras are simply no longer as profitable as they once were, they could very well lower their investment in that particular product or at least change their strategy enough that new models become less remarkable., In that previously linked to article from Cult of Mac, Canon CEO Fujio Mitarai hinted that his company is going to shift at least some of its focus to customers belonging to medical and surveillance fields., Canon is obviously a major player in the industry. If that company finds success while focusing elsewhere, other manufacturers could follow suit. Soon after that, new cameras may come out less and less frequently., All Hope Is Not Lost, While the recent headlines certainly do not indicate that better days are ahead for the camera industry, it is also worth pointing out that the aforementioned industry is far from meeting its demise., Canon may be placing more stock in their offerings to corporations, but that does not necessarily mean that they have forgotten about their loyal customers who love nothing more than a new camera to play around with., Recent rumors are even hinting that Canon’s loyal customers may soon be getting another new camera in the relatively near future., A report from TechRadar notes that additional details related to a new Canon camera, which could be known as the EOS Rebel SL3, have emerged. The details suggest that the new camera will serve as the latest addition to an already established lineup and that it could be officially confirmed in the not too distant future. The report also indicates that the new Canon camera could be quite the powerhouse while remaining compact., It’s hard to deny that the future of the camera industry looks uncertain, but it isn’t going to completely disappear anytime soon either., Professional photographers such as Blake Rubin may find it difficult to adapt to a rapidly changing industry at first, but their skills will ensure they will still be able to find a place in the new market.
