Sometimes camera 'flops' can lead to future success - and sometimes not!
(Image credit: Cong Thanh)
It seems Camera technology is advancing at an astronomical rate with AI and global shutters becoming the norm, but to push the boundaries of innovation, you might have to take some misses every now and then. I saw a recent YouTube video by Cong Thanh titled Cameras They Wish They Could Take Back that showcases some of these misses including Hasselblad and Kodak, some understandable, and some just straight bonkers!
Some of the best mirrorless cameras on the market today, come from testing features in models that may not have done as well as hoped. But what may be considered 'flops', often help the manufacturers strengthen and refine for future models. New features aren't always going to hit the market with acceptance from the first attempt, especially if they are brand new to the market, and the list provided in the video is certainly an example of that! But you can also see some of the traces of innovative technology that exist in today's cameras.
The first on the list that caught my attention, or rather jogged a lost memory, is the Light L16, a cameraphone that uses computational technology to create high-quality images with true optical zoom. You may remember this product as the phone that looked like a spider with 16 camera modules that enabled optical zoom from 28 - 150mm. The camera could also stitch multiple 13mp images together to produce a whopping 52mp photo.
A lot of today's cameraphones such as the Google Pixel 8 Pro use similar technology to this, however, this was being done back in 2013. It was a fantastic innovation that generated a lot of backing, but where the Light L16 missed the mark, however, was in its software. Issues with color rendering and compatibility turned out to be its downfall.
Zeiss ZX1 (Image credit: Zeiss)
The second camera that struck a chord with me was the Zeiss ZX1. This stood out to me as I remember being extremely excited by the premise of having Adobe Lightroom preinstalled in the camera, being able to edit and share your photos on the go straight from the camera body. That was until I saw the cost.
Zeiss is world-renowned for making some of the best lenses in photography history and this was the first iteration of a Zeiss-manufactured compact camera. It was announced in 2018 and officially released in 2021 and is a compact, full frame, fixed lens camera - a niche market in and of itself. There aren't many cameras that share this market, with the majority of compact cameras like the Fujifilm X100VI being made for APS-C.
The closest camera in the market at the time was the Leica Q2, a full-frame compact that was/is extremely well-loved for its performance and image quality and at the time would set you back around $5,000. It's not often Leica are outpriced but the Zeiss ZX1 released for $6,000!
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The ZX1 introduced a few neat features but ultimately failed, leading to it being discontinued in 2023. But who knows, with the demand for compact cameras, we may see another Zeiss effort soon.
Other cameras that make the flop list are the Konica AiBorg ("the ugliest camera of all time"), the Hasselblad Stellar, the Lytro Ilum, the Yashica Y35, and the Kodak Handle.
You can see the full list of camera 'flops' in the extremely well-made YouTube video, as it takes you on a trip down memory lane.
Kalum Carter is a photographer, photo editor and writer based in the UK, and for almost a decade he has worked with brands and publications to create, edit, and sequence imagery. Having recently graduated with a Master's Degree in Photography from the University of the West of England (UWE), Kalum joined Digital Camera World as a Staff Writer, covering news, reviews, and his biggest passion – photography books!
Kalum's photography has been published and exhibited around the world, and he continues to photograph on a project-by-project basis. He is currently working on a personal project capturing the people and landscape of Gower, South Wales. Currently untitled, this body of work will be exhibited for the National Trust later this year.
