As a keen photographer and keener underwater photographer I have been a lifelong Nikon fan. In fact my photo cases are almost a history of the camera maker. Even though I switched to digital underwater some years ago (Nikons, of course), I still hail my film-based Nikonos V as my favourite underwater camera.
According to Nokia’s executive VP, that’s all about to change. For starters, handset manufacturers (presumably Nokia) will be offering HD video in their phones in the next 12 months. And not long after, the quality of phones will make owning an SLR obsolete. Hmm. Maybe I’m being naive here, but I simply don’t see it. Although digital has come on leaps and bounds, there is a basic technical issue with how much information and light can be captured through a tiny phone camera lens. They’re fine for snaps, and are offering real competition to the compact digital camera market. But when it comes to the high end stuff getting that kind of quality out of a phone is a long way off. Or maybe even never. Personally I’m not ready to ditch the Nikons.