Above: This RAW still shot with a small sensor Samsung EX-1 compact from 2009 was processed in Adobe Camera Raw using the new AI shallow depth of field feature. No smartphone style depth map information required. The current camera market model is about to be broken. The pricing is completely out of step with the rest of the prosumer electronics market, and still clinging to a 1980s style business model for cameras. What’s more, AI is about to dramatically change the market for traditional optics. When Nikon announced their 35mm F1.4 today, the price of “only” $600 came as some surprise to those waiting 6 years for it. It is placed below the “S” tier Z lenses such as the slower (but very good) 35mm F1.8 S. Entry level lenses these days except for the likes of a 50mm F1.8, start at around $400 and the mid-range starts between $600-800. The prosumer and pro lenses are in the $1000-2500 range. It is clear the camera companies rely on the high margins of glass, otherwise none of them would still be in business. I’m sorry, but I don’t see how this is going to continue. With generative AI coming to smartphones, they are going to be able to give us the look of any lens and sensor size or format you can possibly imagine, and it will be a realtime through the LCD experience rather than something you do in post. Speaking of editing, there’s also now a depth of...
Published By: EOSHD.com blog - 3 days ago