It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:58 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:33 am 

Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:42 pm
Posts: 2875
Of interest to all the digital photographers in the group...

Megapixels are important components in any digital imaging device. With digital cameras, cell phones and tablets like the iPad all having digital cameras, demand is at record levels.

Megapixel supply shortages will extend into the first half of next year as an accelerating Megapixel battle more than doubles the pace of growth in global consumption even as mines extract a record amount of megapixels. The attached photos shows the Big Megapixel Mine in Canonikon China, one of the largest megapixel mines in the world, and as you can see, the mine is already very deep. It is unclear just how long before it will be mined out.

Demand will outpace supply by 316,000 metric tons in the first six months, more than all pixels in London Metal Exchange warehouses, Arclays Plc estimates. Production has lagged behind consumption since 2012, when the Nikon D800 was introduced. With a 36 megapixel sensor, we simply couldn't supply pixels fast enough! The wait time for a new D800 was months when they were first introduced, due to the shortage.

Canon has also increased demand, with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III with 22 megapixels. Demand for this camera has been very strong, and demand for the D800 and D800e continues to be high.

The United States, which uses 51 percent of the world’s megapixels, is rebounding from seven quarters of slowing growth. Housing starts in the U.S., the second-largest consumer, reached a four- year high last month. Japan continues a very strong demand for cameras and cell phones with high resolution cameras and business confidence unexpectedly strengthened in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, and the third largest consumer of pixels.

“U.S. growth will continue and Europe is increasingng, so the demand will continue to grow. It all falls back to China, and whether they can find new veins of pixels” said Dominic Schnider, Singapore-based global head of non-traditional assets at UBS AG’s wealth-management unit.


Attachments:
megapixelmine.jpg
megapixelmine.jpg [ 58.15 KiB | Viewed 8186 times ]
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:47 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 8:28 am
Posts: 2726
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Pictured is Rio Tinto Group's Brigham Canyon Pixel Mine near Salt Lake City.

_________________
David M. Wilkins

"They love him, gentlemen, and they respect him, not only for himself, for his character, for his integrity and judgment and iron will, but they love him most of all for the enemies he has made."


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 1:24 pm 

Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 10:30 pm
Posts: 981
Location: Bucks County, PA
There we go...now this is a good one :D


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 2:18 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:25 pm
Posts: 2329
Location: The Atlantic Coast Line
Here you go.


Attachments:
Guy with Prize.jpg
Guy with Prize.jpg [ 23.45 KiB | Viewed 8155 times ]
Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:21 pm 

Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:25 am
Posts: 1025
Indeed, Megapixel production has increased to the point that the off-highway trucks can't keep up with the output. Railway museums with large electric mine locomotives have been contacted as part of a feasibility study for adding an electric railway to the mine.

_________________
Bob Davis
Southern California


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:50 pm 

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:59 pm
Posts: 644
Grant Swinger, Executive Director of the Center for the Absorption of Federal Funds, announced that Breakthrough Institute has been awarded a federal grant to develop a genetically-engineered strain of E. coli which will generate organic pixels as a byproduct of decomposing garbage.

Quote:
These organic pixels will be welcomed by photographers who dislike inorganic pixels and the tremendous excavations required for their mining. The organic process also creates more pollution than it consumes. We feel that this process can only grow.


Last edited by Al Stangenberger on Sun Apr 07, 2013 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:52 pm 

Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:42 pm
Posts: 2875
Using e-coli and waste to generate pixels? Isn't that what YouTube has been doing for years?


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 7:53 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
Oh! The humanity!

_________________
"It's only impossible until it's done." -Nelson Mandela


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Worldwide Pixel Shortage Looming
PostPosted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 5:21 pm 

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:37 pm
Posts: 448
Location: Missoula MT
It should be noted that Rio Tinto only mines color saturated pixels of the Red, Green and Blue families. White pixels supplies have been dwindling, but the decline in use of monochrome displays has improved the long term prospects for this critical commodity.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT








BTW, the Rio Tinto groups is an actual mining conglomerate. Which probably wishes is could mine pixels.


Offline
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


 Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 24 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: