Photokina: How the Small Camera is winning the battle

There were no real stars of this year's Photokina, many had come to witness the demise of the DSLR and they were not disappointed. Among the many products announced, none were DSLR related that was worth mentioning. Sure there were big lenses, big cameras and such but none had the cutting edge audacity to say they had new technology.  However in the world of mobile photography,  Sony was the only one pushing the boundaries with the E-mounted ILCE-QX1.

This technically means you can attach a DSLR like camera lens module to your smart phone. Sounds cool but it really is complicated. What's more it only gives you 20 megapixels through an APS-C sensor. Not bad for low light, definitely better than the sensors on the iPhone 6 Plus but at the cost of more bulk.

I am not sure if I can buy into such a contraption. I don't really have a use for something this big and clumsy to use but I am sure I will find a way if I needed it.

Next up is from Panasonic, whose CM-1 has stolen the thunder from the DSLR. It has a spiffy Leica 28mm lens with 20 megapixels is insanely Android. 4K video is also possible so no frumping about with those dedicated video shooters. This Lumix badged device has premium written all over it and that's why it's not going to be sold outside of Europe for the time being.

 

Weirder still is this iPhone jacket camera called the Relonch fitted with a 20 megapixel sensor. What it does is simple, you use it as a device to connect this lens camera jacket to your iPhone. 

Now the jacket is on preorder for the iPhone 5S and its ilk. No mention of the new iPhone 6 versions. I am sure there will be one later if the specification is all there but you have to remember that storage has been a problem on the iPhone and having a 20 megapixel camera is going to weigh in heavily against you.

Finally we have the Socialmatic Camera, announced a while back and has no release date. The problem apparently is that the camera is still in Beta and rumors are abound if it will ever see daylight.

PhotoKina 2014 Conclusion

Without a doubt, 2014 is the year of the mobile photographer. There is no denying the death of the DSLR for casual photography. I still remember a time where casual photographer only carried DSLRs! Everyone had to have one. Those were the days of camera bags, tripods and loads more lenses. Thank God all of that has gone away and for good reason. 

First, it was social media sharing, then it was the depreciated value of digital photos, which are Photoshopped suspects. Finally it was the damn weight of a DSLR kit was a put off. I remember I had to carry close to 10 kgs of camera gear in a bag while covering editorial features during the analog era. That was something of a necessary burden as no ordinary folk could do it. It was a hardskill, and people were afraid of messing up the coverage even with the right gear. Today, digital photography is a soft skill set that is difficult to evaluate. You tell people that you're a photographer and they would say, 'so am I' while whipping out their iPhones.

This is the dawn of the weird and wonderful world of mobile photography. So just remember to have fun while you're at it.