Death of the point and shoot?

[DennyCrane]

One of the biggest problems with convergence is that everything is a compromise. A dedicated P&S camera will be always be better than a camera squeezed into a phone. So will a dedicated media player and a portable netbook PC. This will allow the P&S camera a continued edge over a camera phone.

 

[Dominantly]

I personally have an iphone and I couldn't imagine being without it. That being said, I rarely talk on the phone, I have used 5 of my 450 minutes this month, and have over 3000 roll over mins available.
But the phone itself is almost like a hand held computer you have at home. I can do anything I can do at home on the net, on the phone. I can manage finances, get alerts, deposit checks, stream music, see movie times and buy tickets, take photos, read books, check weather, use GPS to find anything or navigate, play games, send/receive email.....
Glorious little device.

 

[DennyCrane]

Definitely... I use mine as my primary phone, constant internet usage, MMS, text, and video messaging, watch Hulu TV programming, FM radio, internet radio, GPS, etc etc etc. And yes, I do use it for it's 5mp camera and video recording. I just have no expectations that it will take any kind of quality picture.

 

[Torus34]

Just picked up a Minolta Zoom 130c.

I believe I've finally got hold of a real 'stuff it in a pocket just in case' camera. The price paid precludes any concern about losing it.

 

[Fisheye83]

for me it really depends on the situation, first of all all i have are my two dslrs and a smart phone, i have no simple point and shoot. for most small funny moments where something unexpected happens, ill go ahead and pull out my camera phone to share and have a quick giggle with my friends. but thats all i really use the camera phone for.
furthermore, i for one dont am not fond of the idea of putting everything in one device. mainly because you have to go through this entire menu system to use one particular device, where if i had separate devices i can just quickly pull them out and have it ready for use fast and easy.
i know that mean im carrying all these gadgets in my pockets but strangely enough i feel more comfortable that way.

...but of course this is just my opinion

 

[skieur]

Going from top down, the medium format market is being eaten into by the developments in the DSLR technology. Undestandable since the medium format market is the smallest...basically studio cameras. When DSLRs were 8 megapixels and medium format 32 megapixels there was a big differnce but between 24 megapixels on a full frame DSLR and 32 megapixels on medium format the improvement is only 10% according the the labs.

DSLRs may become slightly smaller and include bridge cameras at the entry level, but probably with compromises in features and image quality. The top end won't change as fast, since that will be mostly the pro end where image quality is most important. The only development that has the potential for a complete change in DSLRs is either/or a drastic improvement in the chip processors such as a multi-core, multi-layered, small camera chip and/or a revolutionary change in the design of optics.

The superzoom/compact camera is threatened by bridge/cross-over cameras from the DSLR group that are as small as a compact but have interchangeable lenses and from the P&S cameras that have or will have the same features as a compact in a smaller body.

The P&S cameras have the advantage of size and with a 2.0 or 2.8 lens from 27mm wide angle to 270mm telephoto at 12 megapixels or more, they will be hard to beat in some restrictive photo situations IF they solve the noise at high ISOs problem with better camera chips.

The camera phones will be extremely popular with the snapshooters of the Facebook generation but won't be taken seriously by photographers. As most know, bridge electronics tend to do multiple things badly because they have had to make compromises in quality and features to integrate the functions.

So, no, camera phones will NOT replace the P&S cameras.

skieur