The demise of point-and-shoot cameras?

I read something earlier this week on the impending demise of point-and-shoot digital cameras. The author contended that the popularity of iPhone type devices and the low cost applications for them would push the simple digital cameras out of the market.

There's no doubt some truth to that, but on reflection, I can't fully agree with it. Even my little Kodak Z1285 offers more versatility that the camera/phone units I've looked at, and the Kodak is probably obsolete already. If all you're looking for is the modern equivalent of an Instamatic with some added frills, the camera/phones will probably meet your needs. Given the right circumstances, even my old Motorola Razr can take decent images. Like this one:

Now, in a close up shot, it loses resolution and detail. But for a general view or a quick snap shot of a person, it does an OK job provided it's using the lens at full wide and without any 'digital' magnification. It's absolutely lousy for macro.

One big advantage of the camera/phones is their sheer ubiquity. They're simply everywhere, and there are so many in use that no one notices the users taking pictures. I've received some hard looks when taking street shots with either digital or film cameras, though only one person has said anything about it. Notice that young woman to the left in the coffee shop. She was not thrilled to have a camera pointed in her direction.

My first joy, though, has always been film cameras. This was taken with a Pentax MX with an M-series 28-85mm zoom on Fuji 400:


There's a bit of lens flare from the reflected sunlight in the lower right corner and it reduces the contrast a bit. But if I tried this with my camera/phone or even one of the digital P&S cameras, it would be far worse. Even those cameras would do better than the old 6x6 Rolleicord since its lens isn't coated.