[Paul the Sunman]

We will have this very capable in the palm of our hands, which for some reason they still will call a phone. it will have a very heavy duty computational power and will be equipped with some state of the art flat lens and large processor which will leave nothing to the antique DSLR/MLC. Although there will be sightings from time to time of people dragging along one of the later black monsters with their long three legs to get some mediocre photography because in their words "it has character!"

In a previous draft of my original post, I asked "will they still call it a phone"? It seems inaccurate now, and will become ever more so.

[Rondec]

I think the future is probably with computational photography where your camera takes a thousand images in a second and combines them into clean, sterile, and very bland but overly processed images. I'm very much looking forward to it...

[bertwert]

Eventually wearable devices capturing images that are computationally modified with brain activity sensors. Google glass times 1 million, taking "memory-snaps" of exactly what the wearer intended with zero effort.

In the short term future, I'm not sure if we're going to be seeing much leaps and bounds in traditional photo taking sense, pretty much all big hurdles have been hopped and manufacturers are just improving existing technology rather than coming up with completely new revolutionary innovations.

[Digitalis]

Google glass times 1 million

I'd expect the NERD! factor to be similarly amplified.

---------- Post added 2021-12-08 at 12:26 PM ----------

AI seeing what you want to shoot and showing you the perfect picture of it that someone else already took

That is something I'd expect Apple, SONYTM or Google to come up with.

[DonV]

I don't see how "mirrorless" is progress; TV has been around for 70+ years- all without mirrors!
A mirrorless camera photo is just a single frame from a TV image- much improved over the years but still----- JMHO.

[Paul the Sunman]

Eventually wearable devices capturing images that are computationally modified with brain activity sensors. Google glass times 1 million, taking "memory-snaps" of exactly what the wearer intended with zero effort.

In the short term future, I'm not sure if we're going to be seeing much leaps and bounds in traditional photo taking sense, pretty much all big hurdles have been hopped and manufacturers are just improving existing technology rather than coming up with completely new revolutionary innovations.

I suspect you are correct, but I'm not sure I'm happy about it.

[dbs]

A new device to take (' photographs' as we know them ) has not been invented yet,
Most inventions are not crystal ball moments seen from the past.

[K-Three]

perfect picture of it that someone else already took

But someone has to take that shot, and the perfect photo will not come from phone

[cowlitzJim]

I still think the global shutter / 6k± revolution will win out. The concept of a single image will become a stream for focus depth, composite/multi exposures and the like. We're two steps on that path (4k now 6k, enough resolution for my needs today) but finding ways to process a stream in ways well beyond jpeg and mpx formats will be ..interesting.

[i_trax]

cyborg , can not wait , I mean that for my grand-kids

[NZ_Ross]

If we examine the current trends it suggests small extremely high quality optic processing devices everywhere, and attached to everything, complete with increasingly massive optic image streams. Wearable devices to receive the optic image data streams - face, wrist, clothing, in front of face projection coupled with spatial surround audio. AI interjection to massage and create out of the optic image data streams based on preselected preferences.

In terms of more selected sampling or viewing of optic image streams, immersive 3D holographic display spaces - think the Star Trek halo decks.

I think our current technology with interchangeable lenses survives in some form much as todays old film cameras, vinyl records, acoustic instruments survive - as a tactile, analogue, retro experience.

[StiffLegged]

SLR, DSLR, mirrorless, shutterless (already happening), then buttonless - where the device with a lens/lenses is controlled by the mind. Pentaxians will nevertheless smile knowingly, remarking on how the DA15 has controlled their minds for decades and DerPReview still won’t get it.

edit: of course with the AF algorithms no longer having to find the eye to focus on, reviewers can squabble forevermore on not which brand but which reviewers have the fastest minds. And with mind-controlled AF, wedding togs will have to be really careful when snapping the happy couple…

[Macario]

with how everything is going, I wonder if we will have enough capacity to power all electronic devices. So we might go back to analog.

[ffking]

Predictions of the future tend to underestimate the inertial drag of the human life span - we tend to stay most comfortable with the things that were around during our formative years - and we remember things, ho they used to be, so we're not so easily convinced that everything is better in every way with new stuff. Not really an answer, but it ill take a long time, IMO before most people actually want something different out of a camera - including, for a stubborn minority (read us), keeping decision making in the hands of the photographer, not the camera.

[RobA_Oz]

cyborg , can not wait , I mean that for my grand-kids

They will be assimilated…