Imaging Product category the Year: The Camera Drone
From the just-announcedAries Blackbird X10 Quadcopter (exclusively available at Adorama)DJI’s Phantom 2 Vision + 3.0 Quadcopter to theParrot AR.Drone 2.0 (shown), cameras attached to or built into small hovering aircraft have became one of the most talked-about photo product categories this year. Used primarily for video and often combined with sports video cameras, Drone Cams are being used to capture footage of sports from previously unattainable points of view. They’re even being used in high-end real estate and architecture photography. New uses for this technology are being discovered and created on an almost daily basis. It’s become so ubiquitous, aviation and communications organizations are writing new laws to deal with unmanned flying vehicles, and the pop group OK GO produced a mind-blowing single-shot drone-cam music video, below, that went viral overnight and has over 15 million views.
Accessory of the Year: Lens-to-Camera Adapters
Adapters that allow you to mount one manufacturer’s lens on a competing manufacturer’s camera have been around for years. But recently—especially with the advent of more advanced mirrorless interchangeable-lens compact digital cameras (MILCs), photographers who are migrating from DSLRs are finding new life for their old Canon, Nikon, and even Leica M-mount lenses on their Sony and Fujifilm cameras. (Right: Novoflex Nikon F to Sony NEX-mount adapter.) DSLR users who switch from Nikon to Canon, or from Canon to Nikon (or Pentax to Samsung) need only spend a couple of hundred dollars, rather than thousands, on adapters rather than trading in the old brand’s lenses.
Yeah, you may lose some automatic functionality (depending on the lens and the mount), but you gain the use of your favorite old lens on your favorite new camera, which can cut down on the need to invest in all-new glass as you change systems. Metabones, Novoflex, and ProOptic lead the way in this category, with pricing ranging from under $20 to over $2K.
High-End Camera Category of the Year: Affordable Full Frame DSLRs
With more mid-range and lower-end (but not lower quality) cameras available, including models priced in the mid-$1000 range such as theNikon D610 and Canon EOS 6D, full-frame DSLRs are gradually taking over where APS once reigned thanks to options that are becoming increasingly affordable. Professional wedding photographers are able to offer clients “clean” images—especially enlargements—with little or no perceptible digital grain, higher color fidelity, and a wider dynamic range that surpasses that of the most advanced film. Sports shooters are able to capture high-quality shots in low light without compromising on speed. Digital noise, which is to be expected when shooting at high ISO in low light, is less obvious than ever, and the results can be seen in print magazines from Sports Illustrated to National Geographic and Time.
Enthusiast Category of the year: MILCs—Again!
Serious photographers are discovering that Mirrorless cameras can now produce the kind of performance and image quality they expect from DSLR. MILCs are smaller and lighter than DSLRs, and photographers are taking advantage of the latest generation’s improved image quality, performance, and eye-level digital viewfinders. Category leaders include the surprisingly affordable Sony A6000, Fujifilm X-E2, Olympus OM-D E-M1, and Panasonic DMC-GH4. Most MILCs are now part of expanding systems of lenses and flashes, offering the kind of optical flexibility that used to be exclusively the domain of DSLRs.
Casual camera of the year: The Smart Phone
Everyone in the industry knows this: Smart phones, such as theHTC One M8 (above) rule the world of snapshot photography. Camera makers have cut back on the introduction of new standalone compact digital cameras, although the ones that are coming out are things of technological wonder and deliver far better quality than what any smart phone can produce. But it’s still relatively awkward to share a photo shot on a Wi-Fi and NFC-capable digital camera, compared to the easy instant share capabilities of smart phones. And for the users—descendants of a previous generation of Brownie, Instamatic and Disc Camera shooters—the images produced by smart phone cameras are generally good enough.
Top Video Trend: Hands-Free HD Action Camcorders
Yes, all the chatter has been about 4K. But this is the year when 1080p HD video became a virtual default across almost all video-capable cameras, no matter what sensor size or price point. Small 1080p HD video action cameras are ubiquitous, and given recent events, are likely will be required to be worn by law enforcement officers by their departments so there is a visual record of any incidents. You could buy a camera with 1080p resolution for as little as $70 or for thousands but the “sweet spot,” price-wise, seems to be in the $200 range. Contour, Pivothead, and Looxcie are brands to watch.
Creative Photography Trend of the Year: Street Photography
After years of neglect, Street Photography is hot. Demand for courses is up, and social media groups that discuss and share street photography have sprouted up on Facebook, Flickr and elsewhere this year more than ever before. Why the sudden interest? It’s driven in part by new, affordable digital cameras such as the Sony A6000, Fujifilm X-E2, andPanasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 that are fast, unobtrusive, have eye-level viewfinders, and produce high-quality images at higher ISO settings. And, they cost about 1/10th the price of a Leica M.
Garry Winogrand (right, with Leica rangefinder) in Lower Manhattan, 1976. Photo © Mason Resnick
With Garry Winogrand’s touring exhibition, the discovery of Vivian Meier, and the upcoming re-issue of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s genere-defining book, The Decisive Moment, more and more photographers are discovering the challenges and rewards of walking of to total strangers and taking their photographs. And you don’t necessarily need to buy aLeica to join the club.
