Originally posted by ThorSanchez One difference is that an SLR user in 1985 didn't necessarily own the latest and greatest compact or single use camera. I don't even know if there was a race to build the greatest 110 camera. Almost all DSLR users also have a cell phone, probably one with a pretty darned good camera embedded. Although I prefer taking pictures with my K-3ii, I will often find myself in situations where my Google Pixel is in my pocket and the Pentax is at home, and I'll often end up with a pretty good picture.
The Venn diagram of the DSLR market is almost completely inside the one of the cell phone market.
The cell phone is more than a camera. I upgrade my cell phone every couple of years, but the quality of the camera in what I end up with is never on my radar. I barely use the camera in my cell phone. I expect most cell phone customers are pretty similar in this regard. The camera is a useful appendage, but not an important buying feature. If my cell phone didn't have a camera at all it wouldn't be a loss for me.
When we look at cell phone cameras, we also have to remember that the camera is a rump feature of the phone. The primary feature of cell phones seems to be the ability to send text messages and follow the Kardashians on twitter.
Regarding the race for the greatest 110 camera, both Pentax and Minolta put out pretty advanced 110 camera systems with interchangeable lenses. I don't know if it was a race, but they were both doing it.
As an aside, both failed in the market because the 110 camera customer was not interested in a quality system. As long as Aunt Martha in the back row was in focus, that was good enough. The ILC market has always gravitated to what i would call entry level quality. 35mm film was that product. The format was big enough to make a relatively grain free 8x10. That was good enough for the vast majority of users, most of whom never printed bigger than 4x6, or who shot slides. The very few who needed or wanted better gravitated towards medium format.
---------- Post added 07-11-18 at 11:12 AM ----------
Originally posted by monochrome St. Louis had a robust B&M camera store presence post-Wolf Ritz, offering 16 actual stores to buy actual gear. Now the are only 7, with only 4 in the immediate Metro area. But I can pre-order an FA*50/1.4 or buy a K-1 off the shelf. The question is what I get for $219.00 of sales tax on a $2,199 lens that I know I’m going to buy, because it is a pre-order.
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