The Future of Photography Isn’t Better Cameras
Have you ever asked yourself how many cameras have actually been produced in the world? Since the dawn of photography, when Louis Daguerre began making his daguerreotypes and there were only a handful of photographers on the planet? Think about it: when Daguerre started, the concept of mass-producing cameras didn’t even exist — and wouldn’t for more than 50 years after his death in 1851.
At first, building a camera was a unique endeavour — something for select individuals who decided to become photographers full-time, or for very wealthy people pursuing an alchemistic hobby. This means the invention of photography is inseparable from the production of cameras and how they’re used. The moment cameras became affordable and accessible to the masses — no longer requiring complicated developing processes and fully equipped darkrooms — the gates opened to endless opportunities to capture life on film.
Until the digital age, though, the leaps in technological progress were relatively small compared to the difference between the first commercially available digital camera and a modern high-end 50+ megapixel camera like a digital medium format Hasselblad.
In the film era, the quality of a photograph largely depended on the type of film used and its format. 35mm photographs could be considered “low resolution” compared to 8x10” large-format sheet film. Yet from both, we can make delightful A4 prints that hardly leave people wanting more. And “more” is a strange thing when it comes to photography.
It feels like we’ve long passed the point of diminishing returns in terms of a photograph’s physical quality (not its content). There’s a reason many photographers today still prefer film over digital — digital cameras have overindulged in the concept of “more.” Modern digital cameras often produce images that are too sharp, have too much detail, and offer too many editing possibilities.
Maybe that’s great for a wedding photographer — saving them from an awkward moment when they used the wrong shutter speed and need to recover light from a totally underexposed shot. But for the average consumer, where’s the real benefit? Are we being sold a big lie by camera manufacturers?
The true game-changers in modern camera technology are auto-focus systems that make shooting easier like the revolutionary Sony A7iii and dynamic range improvements that help retain details in poorly lit areas.
Here’s a small anecdote: back in 2012, when I was learning the profession of photography, one of my mentors told me that wedding photography of the future would be conducted by drones that capture everything — no moment missed. The photographer’s only task would be to curate and select the final images. At the time, that seemed absurd. In 2025, it wouldn’t surprise me if it turned out to be true.
Regardless of technology, one thing is certain: as long as camera manufacturers have shareholders, they’ll need to keep releasing new gear to satisfy them. Because if you don’t innovate, you go bust — right?
Or at least some might think so. Innovation makes sense in two cases: when it truly helps productivity and the end user, and when it boosts sales by making you feel inadequate because your iPhone isn’t the newest model.
The Film Photography Resurgence
Enter the film photography resurgence, which questions modern technology’s constant drive to innovate. Like vinyl records, Moleskine notebooks, analog watches, pottery, and other crafts, film photography has reestablished itself as a medium of tactility and realness — something many of us are increasingly longing for.
Kamerastore is at the forefront of this movement, making sure photographic gear gets a second, third, fourth, or even fifth life.
Since its inception, Kamerastore has checked over 300,000 photographic items — cameras, lenses, and accessories — that might otherwise have ended up in landfills. Instead, these tools are being used by photographers and creatives worldwide to further their work. That’s 300,000 items not bought new, but often produced decades ago and now given a second chance.
Many of these cameras were built under a philosophy that’s rare today. Take the Nikon F2: a sturdy SLR built like a tank. It’s relatively easy to service, spare parts are still available, and it remains one of the most widespread SLR systems. Around 800,000 Nikon F2s were produced — and nearly all of them can still be serviced and kept in use.
According to CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association), around 7.7 million digital cameras were shipped in 2023, with over 8.5 million forecast for 2025. The danger here is that as the rate of production increases and technology keeps “innovating,” we’re burning resources and creating products that quickly become obsolete.
A digital camera from 2023 is still excellent in 2025. So is one from 2016, like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Yet many users have jumped from DSLRs — which are still extremely capable — to mirrorless systems. What will happen to the millions of DSLRs produced?
Thankfully, initiatives championed by the European Union, such as the Right to Repair, are pushing manufacturers to create products that aren’t intentionally unrepairable or designed to require proprietary tools and services.
Do Better Cameras Make Better Photography?
The question I keep asking myself is: does innovation in camera gear actually make for better photography?
At its core, photography is still a human interaction with a machine. Until a robot or AI decides what to photograph, it will always be a human pressing the shutter button.
While incredible auto-focus, pixel depth, and dynamic range can make results technically better, they don’t necessarily make photography better.
My takeaway is this: we need to work on our photography skills rather than constantly buying newer cameras. But that’s easier said than done — like promising yourself you’ll start eating healthy tomorrow but never quite doing it. It’s convenient to keep following the so-called innovation.
That may sound bleak, but the truth isn’t bitter. Ask yourself what photography means to you — and what it could still be. Can technology make that better?
If you’ve ever looked at old family photographs or visited an exhibition of vintage prints made with iconic lenses like from the Leica-M Summicron range, ask yourself: what do those images make you feel?
At the end of the day, plain photography is nothing but a print or an image on a screen. Anything else — film, animation, 3D — is something else entirely.
So, do we really need better cameras for that? Or will a well-serviced, restored, and certified camera from the past achieve just as good a result — reminding us that progress isn’t always about what’s new, but what still works?
