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This came to my mind after seeing a nikon cool pix.

These days the consumer base is dominated by millennials with their lousy iPhones.

This means no consumer will buy point and shoot cameras because their smartphone can do everything the point and shoots can't do because every phone have all the connectivity features you can imagine.

Point and shoot cameras don't have any advantages other that not draining your phones battery also they don't have forward facing screen for your selfies which makes up for the 90 percent of all the photography while other 10 percent is mirror photos in the gym.

So why the hell these cameras are being made even though nobody buys them?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Do you have a source for nobody buying them? \$\endgroup\$
    – lijat
    Feb 11, 2019 at 16:14
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    \$\begingroup\$ "Point and shoot cameras don't have any advantages other that not draining your phones battery" Really? Which phone has 2000mm focal length? Which phone has a 35mm sensor? \$\endgroup\$
    – Philip Kendall
    Feb 11, 2019 at 16:36
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    \$\begingroup\$ "... don't have any advantages ..." HUGE over-generalization there... real aperture control, a real shutter, ability to use better flash than that little LED on the back of the phone, physical filters, better quality lenses, the list could go on for quite a while... \$\endgroup\$
    – twalberg
    Feb 11, 2019 at 16:36
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    \$\begingroup\$ another HUGE over-generalization: photos are 90% selfies and 10% one-self in a mirror. \$\endgroup\$
    – jhamon
    Feb 11, 2019 at 16:37
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    \$\begingroup\$ Rant in disguise? \$\endgroup\$
    – osullic
    Feb 11, 2019 at 17:46

2 Answers 2

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Some of what is currently being sold might be old stock. Some models have special capabilities, eg superzoom or great lowlight performance. But even ignoring these cases, there are some niche uses, for example:

  • People who just plain hate smartphones

  • The kind of smartphone that has an actually decent camera is still comparatively expensive if bought at list price. Some users will be unwilling to afford it at that price, and also unwilling or unable (eg due to bad credit ratings) to afford it in a contract bundle.

  • Users who want a throwaway camera that is not connected to a mobile phone account, eg for situations where theft, confiscation, or physical damage is a real risk.

  • Users who want to photograph in situations where bringing a camera is allowed but bringing a phone is not.

  • Users who want clean separation of content and device - even many P&S can be made to write the pictures to a memory card and nothing else, allowing clean and compliant handling and archival

  • Users who want to equip young children with cameras but do not want them to have uncontrolled access to a mobile phone

  • Users who want to integrate the camera into some other setup/project

  • Users who want a backup camera with independent power supply from their phone

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Not an criticism but if someone wants their children to get a camera. Why not get their children a low end small and light interchangeable mirrorless camera and buy lenses as birthday gifts so the children can feel get and connection between their cameras? \$\endgroup\$ Feb 11, 2019 at 18:51
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Jonathan Irons reasons for not doing that can relate to price for example. Seen any 3 years old lately who are very carefull with their stuff? \$\endgroup\$
    – lijat
    Feb 11, 2019 at 19:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ @lijat uh well I wouldn't give a 3 year old ant electronics but in a world where cheap mirrorless cameras are getting cheaper [I wonder when they will hlt minimum pricese] \$\endgroup\$ Feb 11, 2019 at 19:17
  • \$\begingroup\$ @lijat I would mind an 3 year old breaking a camera. Also what are the odds of a 3 year old managing to break a camera connected with an neck strap? \$\endgroup\$ Feb 11, 2019 at 19:18
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    \$\begingroup\$ Olympus carved an entire niche with the Tough brand. Not throw-away, but definitely designed for those who expect to abuse the camera and can't afford/don't want a waterproof case for a dslr. (ie, my last trip to Cancun). \$\endgroup\$
    – OnBreak.
    Feb 11, 2019 at 21:21
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Given the amount of compromising photographs obtained through hacked smartphones, there is not just a market for simple point-and-shoots but even for instamatics which print out a photograph just taken and do nothing else with it.

I also want a point-and-shoot (which does not mean more than a camera that picks aperture and speed unless told differently) because the controls are right. For the same reason, people buy electronic keyboards even though you could do the parts of the electronics on a smartphone.

The last film point-and-shoot I bought (an Olympus Stylus Zoom whatever) had an optical 3x zoom and the necessary controls for using the camera. So even when a modest zoom range came at non-trivial price in image quality and/or money (you basically had to accept springing for ISO200 by default), it was compelling enough to factor at least in some people's buying decisions (and yes, I knew that the reviews for the zoom version were decidedly less enthusiastic).

The ratio of people carrying a point-and-shoot "just in case" was actually not all that large even in the age before smartphones. Carrying a camera usually was coupled with habitually using it rather than keeping it around in case one needs to document some rare occurence. Of course habits were additionally shaped by films having a limited lifetime and a minimum practical size of 24 pictures. For shooting once a month, this would have been a hard sell.

People will lean towards smartphones more for creating photographs for sharing rather than hoarding. If the photographs are just for you, the incentive to have a camera just for making your photographs is larger.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ What is springing? \$\endgroup\$ Feb 11, 2019 at 20:31
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    \$\begingroup\$ @JonathanIrons To "spring" for something means to pay for it, with the implication that it's an extra expense or something spontaneous. \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Feb 11, 2019 at 22:32

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