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Friday, 31 May 2024

Are we having a compact camera revival ? 1 June 2024

 

Compact cameras have long featured in-camera auto panorama capability. Now several mirrorless interchangeable lens models such as the Canon EOS R50 used here, have this capability. 

In 2010 camera makers sold 120million units. 108 million of these were fixed lens models, a category which includes small compact cameras and bridge cameras which are generally larger and have a superzoom lens.

The fixed lens camera market crashed after 2010 due to the increasing use of smartphones with their built in camera units providing easier point-and-shoot operation and sharing online.

In 2023 there were only 1.7 million fixed lens cameras sold worldwide.

So it is hardly surprising that the number of compact cameras being offered for sale

declined dramatically between 2010 and 2023.

But in 2014 there appears to have been a modest compact camera revival.

Today (1 June 2024) I checked the website of one Sydney photo gear retailer  and was surprised to see they list 53 items under the heading “compact cameras” plus many more listed as action cams, waterproof models, trail cams, dashcams and a few others including several superzoom  bridge type models.

So it appears the compact camera is not dead and not likely to pass away anytime soon.

Image courtesy of camerasize.com
Over the years compact cameras have grown in size and mirrorless interchangeable lens models have become less bulky. Now there is not much size difference between them.


t the least expensive end of the list we find a couple of old style pocketable tiny cams branded “Ilford Pixi-D”, with prices in the $120 range. These are brought into Australia by a reputable importer but their source is not revealed by a quick online search.

Next up there are several models branded “Kodak PixPro”. These range from cheap $200  “bar of soap” style jobbies to $400 + bridge style models with a zoom lens but no viewfinder.  These are made by a mysterious entity called JK Imaging, which has a license to use the Kodak name but I suspect is unrelated to the original Eastman Kodak Corporation.  I could discover very little about JK imaging online.

I noticed just today that the latest figures show that Kodak PixPro has, remarkably, become the best selling camera brand in Japan. That includes all cameras, not just compacts. I am not sure if these figures include Fujifilm Instax models which are also a big seller in Japan.

Moving on, we come to models from mainstream camera brands, most of which were introduced many years ago but presumably continue to attract buyers.

From Canon we have the Powershot SX740 HS bridge cam and the G7X.3 small compact with zoom lens. The V10 vlogging cam is a more recent addition to the catalogue.

Nikon continues to offer the Coolpix P1000 bridge cam, notable for its astounding zoom range. Nobody would accuse this thing of being “compact” however. Apart from this model Nikon has opted out of compact and fixed lens cameras altogether.

I used a Canon EOS R50 with the kit 18-45mm lens for this picture. The camera was set to "Auto" subject to detect. It found and focussed on the bird's eys very quickly.


Sony offers several vlogging models including variants of the ZV series.

The RX100.7 ultra compact zoom model continues in the catalogue, as does the RX10.4 high spec bridge cam.

Panasonic is still offering the Lumix FZ300, FZ1000.2 and FZ2000 bridge cams each of which is getting on in years.

Panasonic has just released the full frame Lumix S9 ILC compact in “four vibrant colors” in the hope of capturing a slice of the vlogging market. Good luck with that.

OM System offers a well regarded compact waterproof model.

Ricoh offers a small range of off-mainstream cameras including Pentax brand film and digital DSLRs, theta rotating 360 degree pano device, some waterproof and rugged industrial compacts and the latest iterations (GR3, GR3X, and variants) of the long running GR line of very small compacts. Over the years these have gained a near cult following of enthusiastic afficionados and in recent times have seen a rise in consumer interest, to the point that Ricoh has announced they will make units available on a lottery basis. I suspect that part of the problem is supply constraints due to difficulty obtaining raw materials such as magnesium  however the other side of the leger is demand which appears to have risen to levels not anticipated by Ricoh.

Leica has dropped APSC models from its catalogue but still offers the Q2/Q3 fixed lens full frame models at a premium price.

A few days ago Leica officially announced the D-Lux 8 model to go on sale in early July 2024. From the limited specifications revealed to date this appears to be a mild refresh of the D-Lux 7 which was a re-bodied version of the Panasonic Lumix LX100.2, which in turn was a mild refresh of the original Lumix LX100 of 2024. The price has increased substantially but as best I can tell at this stage the guts of the D-Lux 8 appear to be basically the same as the original 2014 Lumix LX100.

I had over the years a long and ultimately unhappy experience with the LX100, LX100.2 and D-Lux 7 which promised much but were blighted by inconsistent lens quality, inconsistent autofocus and dust on the sensor.

Clearly Leica wants to capitalise on the recent increase in demand for up-market compact models and wants to offer red dot cachet at a lower price point than the Q2/3.

Will this succeed ?  Who knows. The future ain’t what it used to be.

We might think that logically the D-Lux 8 should fail as it appears to be basically 10 year old technology dressed up as something new.

But I doubt that logic has much influence on buying patterns in this section of the market which appear to be driven more by fashion , styling trends and enthusiasms.

Who predicted that el-cheapo “Kodak” compacts or Fujifilm Instax plastic fantastic instant mini print kiddie cams would become market sales leaders ?

How might we understand Japanese vendors on Ebay asking AUD3000-4800 for a used D-Lux 7 and presumably selling them at such extraordinary prices ?

Canon EOS R50 with kit zoom in hand. Compact models smaller than this suffer from handling and control issues due to the device being smaller than the hands which operate it. This R50 is about at the lower end of the size range compatible with comfortable handling.


Last but not least in this little round-up we come to Fujifilm and in particular the       X100.6 fixed lens compact model.

Fujifilm introduced the original X100 model in 2010. Prior to this Fujifilm’s camera catalogue consisted of many budget pocketable compacts and a range of consumer bridge cams. The X100 introduced not just a camera model but a major change to the entire Fujifilm product development programme.

It was a big call, a gamble if you like, by Fuji at the time.

In an interview with Digital Photography Review (DPR) on 19 March 2024, Fuji executive Yuji Igarashi said: 

"We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the X100. If that failed, we would have been in a very difficult position."

In the event the X100 and its subsequent iterations did succeed because it engaged camera users at an emotional level in 2010 and continues to do so in 2024.

 DPR published an extensive review of the X100 in 2011 commenting that the camera evoked nostalgic memories of 35mm film rangefinders of yesteryear and offered good image quality but was let down by operational quirks, oddities and bugs which significantly impaired the user experience.

The continuing emotional appeal of the X100 series is the secret of success of the model line. The emotional appeal is strong enough to overcome the “operational quirks, oddities and bugs” which continue to be a feature of every X100 model to date including the latest one.

With the X100 series, Fujifilm has created something remarkable, namely an inanimate device to which some humans develop a strong emotional attachment, transcending the pedantic constraints of reason and fiercely resisting criticism.

Fuji X100VI cameras are on backorder everywhere with slightly used copies apparently selling above the already inflated new price.

On the infrequent occasions when I post something ever so slightly negative about a Fujifilm camera, the most recent being a critique of the X100V, I am met by scornful, sarcastic or outraged responses by Fujifans fiercely defending their chosen love-object. Any possible validity of the critical analysis is not acknowledged.

I bet every camera product development team leader on the planet would like to have a halo model like that.

Summary

Following a massive ten year decline in sales and  a subsequent period of neglect by most camera makers, there appears to be a revival under way in the compact camera market. This is happening at both the high end with products aimed at photography enthusiasts and also unexpectedly at the low end with budget point-and-shooters which I suspect mainstream camera makers thought were dead and buried under an avalanche of capable smartphones.

My personal favourite compact cameras include none of the above.

At the pocketable, point and shoot end of the spectrum I rank almost any decent smartphone ahead of the available compact cameras. Even my iPhone 6s with 2014 technology makes pretty good photographs and video.

In the mid range, my preference is for the Canon EOS R10 or at a slightly lower price point the R50,  with the kit RFS 18-45mm lens or the larger and more versatile RFS 18-150mm optic. These combinations are a bit larger, but not a lot larger,  than compacts and as a result are able to offer a more agreeable holding, viewing and operating experience.

At the upper-mid end of the market I like the Canon EOS R8 with either the RF 24-50mm or RF 24-105mm STM lens. Either of these combinations provides excellent ergonomics, image quality and performance in a reasonably compact package which is easily caried in a small shoulder bag (I use a Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 10 with the 24-50mm) and will not attract too much attention on the street.

Users who prefer a prime pancake lens can use the diminutive but very sharp RF 28mm f2.8 on either full frame or crop sensor bodies, the latter giving a full frame equivalent focal length of 45mm.

At the top end of the compact camera market we find just one entrant, the Leica Q2/3. Would I buy one ?  Not while I have the Canon EOS R5 with RF 28mm f2.8 lens. This combination is about the same size as the Leica with the accessory grip, less expensive and comes with the potential offered by interchangeable lenses.

Will Canon try its luck with a digital version of the 1972-1982 Canonet QL17 GIII or something similar ?  This was one of Canon’s most successful 35mm film rangefinders selling 1.2 million copies over its 10 year production run. Enthusiast film photographers still use and write reviews about these things in 2024.

We shall see.

 

The 1972-1982  Canonet QL17 GIII

Apparently there are still quite a number of these in use 50 years on.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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