On 2/08/03 9:01 AM, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> P&S, ZSLR digital cameras may be "lifestyle" items, but interchangeable lens > DSLRs aren't and won't be. Lumping P&S digitals and DSLRs together is foolish. > It's like thinking the film camera buying of professional photographers and > scoccer moms are the same. This is the old thinking based on the film technology. The boundary between P&S digital and DSLR is becoming blurred litle by little, and will accelerate in the near future. With the fixed imaging media (film), there were distinctive advantage of SLRs over P&S, and SLRs have been used as such. However, with the constant advancement of the image sensing technology and the software engine to process it, today's digital P&S are capable of capturing the images equalling (or at least approaching) the ones by traditional SLRs. For the usual zoom range of 28~105mm etc (where most of the photos are taken. I am talking about the average amateur hobbyists), the performance of the digital P&S is more than sufficient now, and it will even improve further in the near future. DSLR will still shine in ultra wide, long tele and dedicated macro etc. However, a lot of people are now finding the less necessity to buy DSLRs at least for now when the product cycle is so short. I have a Canon G3 which I purchased as a stopgap until the decent and usable DSLR will come out at the competitive price, but I am finding that I can live with it for a little longer than I thought. It has even a bayonet adaptor mount to quickly use the tele/wide converters. Now, I know the converters are no match to the interchangeable SLR lenses but very usable. If there were any kind of vignetting and light falling off etc, the image could be easily cropped. With the improvement of the electronic viewfinder, one of the most advantages of SLRs may be diminishing (well, it will at least eliminate the bulky prism and its housing). I understand that big4 are developing better EVF now. Then, the high end and very compact digicam with a rangefinder form factor with decent zoom and EVF might satisfy most, if not all, of the consumer markets. I understand that there are now all kinds of very innovative technologies are being developed to be adopted into digicam, and our traditional image of cameras may have to be refreshed. Cheers, Ken
