Focus group: the snappy minis redefining a new camera culture
Although humanity takes something like a trillion photographs every year, the overwhelming majority of these are snapped on our smartphones; only professionals and enthusiasts keep the ‘real’ camera market alive. Digital photography gets ever sophisticated, yet the best point and shoot is still no substitute for the camera in your pocket.
The industry’s next step is to mine the niches. Retro-styled premium cameras have been all the rage for a few years, but new specialisations are emerging.
The Light L16 might look like a trypophobic’s nightmare, but that curious design brings together 16 camera sensors, packed horizontally into the slim body to give a mobile-like form-factor with DSLR power. Powerful algorithms stitch the various images together, giving you massive control over your image, as well as depth of field and focus correction in post-production. The L16 is being crowd-funded now, as is the proposed TinyMOS, a compact camera designed for astrophotography, but other products are already out there.
The DxO ONE plugs in to your iPhone giving you a better lens, bigger sensor and bespoke software to transform an already capable device into a brilliant one.
If you want to do something right, perhaps one device can’t do it all.
INFORMATION
For more information on each of the featured cameras, visit the Light website, the DXO website, and the TinyMOS website
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Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
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