With the advent of the “smart” mobile phones with multi-functions, the death of the compact camera seems imminent. We asked our friends on Twitter what they think about the death of compact cameras, and the initial response which we received was simply was a total rejection of this idea. London born photographer Howai Man (@Howaiman) believed that Compacts would be around because of their simplicity while Zoe Homes from Lincolnshire (@splodz) told us that she has got both a DSLR and a compact camera, with her compact ‘great for night out/impromptu moments’ and is something that she ‘wouldn’t be without’. While there may still be a case for it now, we have to take into account that they are single function and not that fashionable.
If you look at the history of technology and fashion, anything we carry will become either a multi-function item or a fashion item or both. If it is a single function object, it will inevitably become a fashion piece where design and craftsmanship take a more important role than the real function. Anyone living in an industrialised country can tell time from multiple sources: the mobile phone, the computer, the dashboard of a car, the oven, the TV, the train platform and so on. Yet we still love our watches and not just for its convenience, but also because they are a fashion or status statement. Platinum hand crafted chronometers adds status and sophistication to the owners. In terms of cameras though, not everyone can afford a Leica, which is the sole luxury brand in the consumer camera segment. For those who couldn’t or wouldn’t, a compact camera gives you nothing more than the ability to take photos. For compact cameras to survive and become part of us, they must either become multi function devices or fashion pieces. Camera manufactures have been adding new functions to these compacts lately: GPS, built-in projectors, 3D imaging. The usefulness of these is yet proven, but they are almost certainly not exciting enough for everyone to want to carry one.
By contrast, the view is much better in the mobile phone camp. Mobiles fill the need of basic human desire – to connect. Already mobile phones are part of us. If you are like me, you probably feel part of you is missing if you lost your mobile phone. The phone makers have successfully made these devices either multi functional gadgets or fashion icons or even both. Mobile phones are part of us: we carry them wherever we go; we even sleep with them by the side. Pioneered by Apple, the latest mobile phones enable us to stay connected and share everything from messages and files to pictures and videos over the network via social networks and sharing sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr. Never in history, could an ordinary citizen capture a still image or a clip of video and have it instantly shared among friends, followers and people around the World. Because of the enormous amount of computing power in these phones, advanced Auto-Focus and in camera processing can be done fast and accurate. The geotags, in reference to built-in maps, are automatically added to every picture. Gone are the days when we have to go home, download the pictures and upload it to the Internet.With the rise of these phones, sharing is really just a click away.
Camera makers will be competing with these already extremely useful and personal devices, which also happen to be cameras with a shoot-to-publishing turnover of mere seconds. All it takes for phone makers to win is to add better lenses and sensors, which is not exactly difficult if we allow them to charge us 50 dollars more. As soon as the day comes when phone makers seriously look into the photography part of their devices, it will be very difficult for us to find a reason to carry a separate compact camera any more. And that day may well come sooner than you think.
i believe compact cameras won\'t be dead. ideally, the camera functions of phones vs the compacts is inferior. it might be true that poeple upload images and videos from their phones but hey, not everyone would dare to use that capability of mobile phones because it is truly slower than a computer with internet connection. i would not spend my time doing that.
Ivor E Tower From UNITED KINGDOM
31 Aug 2009, 8:25pm
There must be a market for keen photographers for one of the camera makers to just add simple phone functions to a compact camera, and sell that as an alternative to a mobile phone with basic camera functions
thegreatest From UNITED STATES
17 Aug 2009, 3:15am
Until mobile phones with cameras become cameras first and phones second, I don't believe the compact camera will lose its place in our gadget list.
With the advent of the “smart” mobile phones with multi-functions, the death of the compact camera seems imminent. We asked our friends on Twitter what they think about the death of compact cameras, and the initial response which we received was simply was a total rejection of this idea. London born photographer Howai Man (@Howaiman) believed that Compacts would be around because of their simplicity while Zoe Homes from Lincolnshire (@splodz) told us that she has got both a DSLR and a compact camera, with her compact ‘great for night out/impromptu moments’ and is something that she ‘wouldn’t be without’. While there may still be a case for it now, we have to take into account that they are single function and not that fashionable.
If you look at the history of technology and fashion, anything we carry will become either a multi-function item or a fashion item or both. If it is a single function object, it will inevitably become a fashion piece where design and craftsmanship take a more important role than the real function. Anyone living in an industrialised country can tell time from multiple sources: the mobile phone, the computer, the dashboard of a car, the oven, the TV, the train platform and so on. Yet we still love our watches and not just for its convenience, but also because they are a fashion or status statement. Platinum hand crafted chronometers adds status and sophistication to the owners. In terms of cameras though, not everyone can afford a Leica, which is the sole luxury brand in the consumer camera segment. For those who couldn’t or wouldn’t, a compact camera gives you nothing more than the ability to take photos. For compact cameras to survive and become part of us, they must either become multi function devices or fashion pieces. Camera manufactures have been adding new functions to these compacts lately: GPS, built-in projectors, 3D imaging. The usefulness of these is yet proven, but they are almost certainly not exciting enough for everyone to want to carry one. 
By contrast, the view is much better in the mobile phone camp. Mobiles fill the need of basic human desire – to connect. Already mobile phones are part of us. If you are like me, you probably feel part of you is missing if you lost your mobile phone. The phone makers have successfully made these devices either multi functional gadgets or fashion icons or even both. Mobile phones are part of us: we carry them wherever we go; we even sleep with them by the side. Pioneered by Apple, the latest mobile phones enable us to stay connected and share everything from messages and files to pictures and videos over the network via social networks and sharing sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr. Never in history, could an ordinary citizen capture a still image or a clip of video and have it instantly shared among friends, followers and people around the World. Because of the enormous amount of computing power in these phones, advanced Auto-Focus and in camera processing can be done fast and accurate. The geotags, in reference to built-in maps, are automatically added to every picture. Gone are the days when we have to go home, download the pictures and upload it to the Internet.With the rise of these phones, sharing is really just a click away.
