all cameras are now disposable

you can tell your kids that there once was a time when cameras were long lasting pieces of equipment. sadly those days are now gone, at least for those in the know of such nerdy things as expected useful life of a digital camera. the comic strip is features a duck photographer and depicts a lot of the issues and comic happens that occur in the weird life of a photographer. the very exchange above actually happened to me. well almost, the guy didn't point to a trash can, but he did tell me that it was actually cheaper to get a new camera with better specs than it would be to fix my current one. he said for my compact point and shoot a year or two ago and then again for the dSLR a year ago.

it's a bit crazy to think the digital cameras have the same life cycle as a cellphone. hell at least with cellphones people get insurance so they can last the two year contract they're shackled with. not most don't for the digital cameras. not that i blame them... most of the time it's just silly to get insurance on digital cameras, because if you replace it with your current model when you break it. it's old news anyway. (i bought at least 4 cameras where the LCD screen on the back cracked and because the camera had no viewfinder, it was worthless - to be fair, i only did it once, the other three times were cameras i bought for family members - you know who you are.)

in the end though, cameras that used to be a family item (i.e. one good one per family) are not becoming personal consumer items - multiple cameras per person. the ipod is already there for its target consumers.... i mean how many ipods do you have?

i have two: an iphone and a shuffle

sooner than later people will have multiple cameras, specialized for occasion. which is exactly what i have.

• ultra compact digital - for clubbing, everyday events because it's small enough to fit in my jean pocket
• high-end compact - for travel (don't want to lug a dSLR and a bag of lenses)
• dSLR - for action stuff or important shots like families or weddings
• film cameras - cause i've had them and they're old and awesome
  

and while all of this may be a bit overkill, sooner than later (assuming prices go down and they will continue to do so) there will be cameras that are specifically designed for things like nightlife that have

• special flashes for shooting people in the dark (think flash that leaves no shadows!)
  
• allow you to shoot yourself in the group
• allow you to send your image to your friends on the spot
  

and it's not just nightlife, but all sorts of niche functional design. it should be interesting when it evolves in that direction. but in the meantime... camera model upgrades are released every 9-12 months, sometimes less, so don't think of that camera purchase as an investment. it's disposable, like a diaper.

via what the duck]