The Future of the Camera 2023

By: j.wilder

What is the future of the camera for the photography enthusiast?

Last Update: 1-6-2023

The history of the "smart camera" is still being written.

What Is the Future of the Camera?

This is a fascinating topic for me because of the time we live in.

The future of the camera is software and services.

What are the features of future camera design?

• Cameras will have an Android based operating system.
• Camera apps can be downloaded to your camera.
• Camera updates will be installed over the network (just like smart phones have done since 2007!).
• Camera screens will use gestures.
• Photos will be automatically saved to the cloud.
• Workflow can be customized and automated.
• Mobile apps (for smartphones and tablets) will be crucial components of photography workflow.
• Camera manufacturers must adopt a "services" future in order to survive and grow.
• Smartphones will continue to drive camera innovation.

This article is a living post and will always be a work-in-progress. Things are changing so rapidly!

Why All Purely Camera Companies May Be Doomed

In a nutshell, camera companies that (want to lead), will have to invest heavily in the software side. That means more software engineers and programmers. Computational photography is the new growth area, as well as artificial intelligence. Camera companies will also have to create an ecosystem of services around their brand.

Apple made it clear years ago that services are the future (how one makes money and stays alive) and hardware is just a means to make it work.

I believe the services future applies to cameras as well. The switch to services is now starting to eat the camera industry.

Which camera companies have the vision, will, resources, and time to build an entire camera ecosystem (cameras and services)? None, so far as I can tell.

Apple is already there with its cloud-based ecosystem. They are masters of the OS, with MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and WatchOS. It would be almost nothing for them to create CameraOS (they probably already have).

However, for some reason they refuse to build a professional camera (camera first design).

I believe that Apple will wait until someone else builds a cloud-based professional camera system.

I believe that Apple already has professional camera prototypes.

I believe that if Canon makes a play for cloud-based professional camera services that advance the Android platform, then Apple will respond.

What about Sony?

Sony has smartphones and professional cameras. They are in the perfect position to leverage their research and apply it across all their products.

It appears that the Sony Xperia 1 Mark II will be the first to benefit, as it gets features from the Alpha cameras (see news item below).

The question is, will Sony bring the smartphone user interface, connectivity, and cloud workflow to the Alpha cameras?

Conclusion

There is no conclusion, yet!

1. Zeiss ZX1 seems to be dead at the end of 2022.
2. Canon is quiet, but still building its photography cloud.
3. Sony is leveraging Alpha camera technology for its smartphones.
4. Apple is sticking to the iPhone.

I continue to update this article as more information is revealed.

However, I think the following is inevitable:

• Cameras plus services will happen.
• In-camera apps such as Photoshop, Lightroom, etc, will happen.
• Cameras will have an OS, probably based on the android platform.

Follow the "progress" in the Camera News section below.

Camera News

Hot developments shaping future camera design.

Zeiss ZX1 Dead? (2022)

Zeiss reimagined the camera and created the ZX-1. It was a near-complete rethinking of what a modern camera should be. The tagline was "Stay in your flow." It was released in 2020 at a mindblowing price of $6000.

Of course, nothing happened. No competing vision from Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm. Crickets.

Today, the Zeiss ZX-1 is listed as "discontinued" on Adorama and B&H Photo (the two authorized retailers).

Zeiss ZX1 Finally Ships (2020)

The grumpy photographers hate it. Sounds like a good website "The Grumpy Photographer."

It's Finally Here: A First Look at the Unique Zeiss ZX1 Camera With Lightroom Built In
by Alex Cooke December 24, 2020
fstoppers.com/gear/its-finally-here-first-look-uniqu...

See how it works.

This is How Lightroom Mobile Works on the Zeiss ZX1
petapixel.com/2020/12/30/this-is-how-lightroom-mobil...

Sony on Integrating Smartphone and Camera (2020)

Sony is the only company that sells smartphones and professional cameras. This is huge leverage as research and development can benefit each product. But you have to market it correctly.

Quote from CEO Ishizuka: "We will aim for a complete fusion of how to integrate the smartphone and camera. Sony is the only company in the world that has a full-fledged smartphone and camera business. I would like to make a considerable investment in development of the hard-to-[be]-reproduced telecommunications business and solutions for cameras and professionals, and strengthen the development for the short and long term."

Does the future of Sony cameras lie in smartphones?
By Louise Carey September 01, 2020
www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/does-the-future-of-s...

Sony: Shoot First, Focus Later (2020)

"A Japanese patent from Sony hints at a future lens that would allow you to shoot first, and focus your photos later. By combining multiple smaller lenses into a single larger lens, the idea could open up a world of new imaging possibilities if it ever comes to pass."

Sony Patents Multi-Lens Lens That May Let You Take Pictures First, Focus Later
petapixel.com/2020/04/22/sony-patents-multi-lens-len...

Sigma Focuses on Mirrorless (2020)

Do you need more signs? The DSLR is not the present or future.

"The news came in a tweet from Sigma's CEO, Kazuto Yamaki, in which he stated that the company will focus their attention on developing DG DN and DC DN mirrorless lenses (full frame and APS-C), with the most emphasis being put on full frame mirrorless lenses."

fstoppers.com/gear/sigma-focusing-mirrorless-lenses-...

Sony Xperia 1 Mark II (2020)

2-24-2020: Sony adds Alpha technology to Xperia 1 Mark II.

"there’s a standard camera app which delivers the basics in an easy-to-use way. Sony, however, has combined that with its new Photo Pro interface, effectively bringing a version of the Sony Alpha camera UI to the phone. That includes mode switches, more precise AF control, and other settings."

www.slashgear.com/sony-xperia-1-ii-borrows-alpha-cam...

Canon: Finally Building the Future (2020)

2-13-2020: Canon launches new photo cloud platform image.canon.

It appears that Canon is serious about building a cloud platform that is workflow based (rather than just hosting images).

If Canon moves wholeheartedly in this direction (the future) then Sony and Nikon will surely follow.

image.canon
image.canon/

Zeiss ZX1 Announced (2018)

Zeiss Has It Right. Start from scratch and envision a modern camera system.

It is clear that Zeiss has the vision and has an unreleased product (ZX1) to prove it.

The Zeiss vision is summed up perfectly with their phrase:

"Shoot. Edit. Share."

Xerox built the first personal computer with a graphical user interface and a networked work environment. It wasn't until Steve Jobs saw what Xerox had created that it eventually became a product, the Apple Macintosh. Zeiss may see the future, but it will take a company that truly believes and has the resources to make it happen.

Zeiss ZX1
zx1.zeiss.com

What happened in 2019

• iPhone now has three cameras (iPhone 11 Pro).
• Full (almost) Photoshop is now on iPad.
• Sony mirrorless overtook Nikon and has its sights on Canon.
• Sigma created the world's smallest full frame camera.
• Apple is now in the movie business. Will they be even more interested in creating cameras?
• Software is more involved in the image creation process (Apple Deep Fusion).

Panasonic CM10 (2016)

Prophetic.

The Panasonic CM10 is an update to the Panasonic CM1 that was released in 2014.

It's powered by the Android 5.0 operating system.

Features include a 20.1 megapixel 1-inch sensor, a 28mm equivalent f/2.8 lens, a 4x zoom, a max ISO of 25600, built-in LED flash, RAW files, 4K video recording at 15fps, and a 4.7-inch display.

Panasonic CM10 is a 'Phone Camera' Successor that Drops the Phone Part
petapixel.com/2016/01/20/panasonic-cm10-is-a-phone-c...

Samsung Galaxy Camera (2012)

Samsung created the Galaxy Camera in 2012, but the market wasn't ready.

Samsung saw the future, but consumers didn't.

What Samsung missed was the services part of the equation.

The Galaxy Camera disappeared into the black hole of failed products.

www.engadget.com/2012/11/14/samsung-galaxy-camera-re...

Android Camera (2004)

The creators of Android originally designed the operating system to be a network based digital camera system that connected to PCs. However, in 2004 when the smartphone market began to take off it was re-envisioned as an "open-source handset solution."

Apple QuickTake (1994-1997)

I add this bit of history just for fun.

Apple tried the digital camera business in 1994. They created a camera called QuickTake, but this was way too early.

"The Apple QuickTake (codenamed Venus, Mars, Neptune) was one of the first consumer digital camera lines. It was launched in 1994 by Apple Computer and was marketed for three years before being discontinued in 1997. Three models of the product were built including the 100 and 150, both built by Kodak; and the 200, built by Fujifilm. The QuickTake cameras had a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels maximum (0.3 Mpx)." -Wikipedia