Flickr Camera Finder & The iPhone
One of the projects I worked on briefly when I was at Yahoo! was the Flickr Camera Finder. Most modern cameras capture data about your camera and it’s settings each time a picture is taken. Flickr recognizes that information, known as EXIF data, and can usually determine what model of camera took a photo as well as what settings were used for flash, aperture, exposure, focal length, and other details (example). Camera Finder aggregates that information to a) show people the most popular cameras across all of Flickr based on actual usage, and b) provide sample photos for any particular camera as a research tool for camera buyers (ex. Nikon D90 photos).
As you can see from the top chart, the iPhone will, any day now, become the most popular camera on Flickr, a position that was, until recently, dominated by expensive SLR’s. The bottom chart shows the iPhone’s dominance in the cellphone category specifically. Popularity is expressed as the relative percent of Flickr members using each camera over time. To be fair, the data isn’t complete. For example, some cellphones don’t provide EXIF data, so they aren’t counted in these charts. Nevertheless, it’s pretty clear that cell phones dramatically improved the ease and frequency with which we share images. It’s also clear that iPhone camera usage is exploding and showing no signs of slowing down. I bet the iPhone 3G S will have a similar impact on video in the coming months… not to mention GPS devices, handheld games, remote controls, and a slew of other gadgets.
