Is it just me or do u guys see it too? Everybody has a DSLR nowadays.

They are more and more common, but that just means that the technology is becoming more accessible.

I was amazed on a recent works event to see so many people with 1D's, 5D's, D700's, D3's as well as a whole host of XXXD/ XXD bodies.

It is actually quite a good thing, as you are more inconspicuous these days when the rest of the world is also getting creative.

Would it surprise you that I'm 17 and toting a 1D? The classic model of course, but a 1D nonetheless.

Meh, I saw plenty slrs back in the film days, then digital point and shoots because popular, now slrs are making a come back, in digital form =)

here in our part of the world..it has become popular due to the installment schemes of credit cards..DLSR's have suddenly become very affordable.. offering 12months installments.

also, I think the social networking sites have encourage more people to be creative and wanting a better camera. In events here everybody seems to be carrying a dslr but most are putting it in green box mode, like 2 of my friends and my brother hehe

Sure they are becoming more popular..... could also be a case like when you buy a car you then see loads of them!

It may now have to be like the arms race, just buy a big lens hood and stick a 580ex on top then we can distinguish ourselves from PWC (which on thinking about it I am! but not green box!)

It is mainly Asian tourists visiting - I live in a tourist area - here that carry their DSLR's around - yes sometimes with their tripod. The tourists from Europe and the US are mostly carrying small P&S camera's with the odd exception.

yeah i totally agree. it kinda bugs me cause i know alot of people who have dSLRs and dont take it out of auto mode. i have seen a dramatic jump in the amount of people with dSLRs in the past year, i was at an event ealier this year and i swear i was totally gobsmacked by the amount of dSLRs, i just couldnt believe it. That was another reason why i decided to get a 5D and only stick to L series lenses, usually means you are serious business or really into the photography, it seperates you from the thousands of people who have jumped on the dSLR bandwagon shooting in auto mode!

Most of those who buy DLSR's tend to ask a lot of questions but do not want to do what you tell them to do to improve their shots hehe... I have a friend who bought an UWA for his nikon D90 and he doesn't even know what FL it is until I looked at them and its a 10-24mm... and he doesn't like it coz according to him everything looks so small.

If only it could mount on my T1i I could have taken it away from him hehe oh well...

verty wrote in post #9891445
yeah i totally agree. it kinda bugs me cause i know alot of people who have dSLRs and dont take it out of auto mode.

Why would it bug you how people choose to use the equipment that they own and paid for?

So you sent thousands of $$$ to seperate yourself from the auto moders and to look "serious business" did you?

verty wrote in post #9891445
i swear i was totally gobsmacked by the amount of dSLRs, i just couldnt believe it. That was another reason why i decided to get a 5D and only stick to L series lenses, usually means you are serious business or really into the photography, it seperates you from the thousands of people who have jumped on the dSLR bandwagon shooting in auto mode!

pmsl at that statement. I think you need to visit 1x.com and take a look at the people shooting with older models and certainly not L glass. It will make a lot of 5d and L glass only users feel quite ashamed lol

stephen_g wrote in post #9891278
Would it surprise you that I'm 17 and toting a 1D? The classic model of course, but a 1D nonetheless.

I find this comment annoying, because I feel as though you're trying to brag, but I see nothing to brag about...

I mean, there may be other things about you that are surprising, like maybe you saved up soda cans for 10 years to buy it something, and now you're a full time working professional. That might be a cool story.

Nothing wrong with under 20's having 1 series I think. I'm 17 turning 18, and I have both the 1D2N and 5D with me, bought second hand of course. 1D2N was my bday+xmas present last year, 5D- I saved up for it.

ceriltheblade wrote in post #9891159
In my area of the world, they are still not as popular....but when I toured in Singapore, there were soooo many! And I was told that it was a new "craze" for the GWC crowd to walk around with large tripods (no less) and indeed you saw a huge amount of folks out there with camera mounted tripods walking down the street.
decrease in price is one thing that helped (vis a vis increased disposable income)
but also I am not sure that without this forum and the availability of the knowledge that the internet brings to my fingertips so easily, even i would have tried to get one..... (I am not a professional by any stretch of the imagination)

Yes, I live in Singapore and many MANY people are toting dslrs nowadays. Many of them have kit lenses and all, but there's no telling what they can achieve even with that - we've seen how photographers (pro and non-pro) shoot the most memorable images with kit lenses and rebel series cameras.

Some of it still depends where you live - I was down in the Surrey area (around London) and going to the zoos and wildlife centers there would often be a good troop of DSLRs and glass (cheap through to L grade). Head up to suffolk and I was a rare creature at the local zoo with my DSLR.

So partly it depends where you live and also where you go - town highstreet and you are probably a rare creature, hit the big fairgrounds, zoos, fairgrounds and the number of hobbyists goes up a lot. This is especailly true because a DSLR with kit lens is affordable - throw in a cheap 70-300mm zoom and a 50mm and most people can afford that sort of setup and its enough for them. Even a good bridge camera is still hobbled partly by design - shutter lag (kids move fast) and small sensors (they can't do the bokeh thing ) hamper even the novice who is not out to be an expert.

Though I do see more people with SLR's, I seem to see more people toting Point & Shoot cameras then I do see toting SLR's.

So what if more and more people are carryings SLR's ... it's not like an SLR is some sort of status symbol in our society, or an indicator of education or experience.

Photographers should be thankful more people buy SLR's .... Companies like Canon profit and have more money to invest in Development and bring better products to Photographers.

I think its great - cause all the sudden these kit-lens auto-mode'rs have the epiphany where they realize its not a magic box and to get "pro" results you have to apply yourself in a number of ways