Getty buys Shutterstock – is this good news at the beginning of the new year? Finally, one of the largest photo agencies, which mainly focuses on current reporting, is acquiring a niche provider of stock photos, where many smaller creatives are also active. It will be interesting to see how many of them will bow down to the terms and conditions of the bigger, new owner. Getty’s greater reach may be an advantage, but that remains to be seen.
Advertisement
A quasi-monopolist for stock photos
Other industry observers say the size of the new Getty’s stock market valuation alone creates a giant that commands 75 percent of the stock photo market. At least that’s what PetaPixel’s Jaron Schneider has calculated. demands immediatelyRegulators should put a stop to the merger. Our colleague Daniel AJ Sokolov analyzed the fact that this even happened: Of course it’s about money, or more precisely, about the stock market prices of the two companies, which have been falling for a long time. .
Whatever the case, you may be concerned about the stock photo market anyway, because AI images that can’t be protected by copyright are just a threat. The business model of making a living from genuine, self-produced stock is not only threatened by this. Schneider also fears that Getty could reduce its share of photographers. And if not: With an estimated 75 percent market power, you can dictate it to virtually the entire industry. Also for Shutterstock customers.
Nikon’s moon camera takes shape
Let’s move on to a more pleasant photo motif that is already uncharacteristic: the moon. Here the Sadhya must be understood in the literal sense, as the motif is not the Moon as seen from the Earth, but its opposite. And this is the first manned lunar mission since 1972. We’re talking about HULC, the “Handheld Universal Lunar Camera,” which we reported on as early as 2023. This is a modified Nikon Z9 that also includes an electric blanket. Nikon now has exactly what it looks like Shown at CES,
And it was one of Las Vegas’ few newsworthy photo innovations. This trend became apparent a year ago, and with the death of photo fairs in Germany, it will likely remain that way. Producers are increasingly relying on controllable and much cheaper in-house events or completely online events. It’s a shame, especially with cameras, because you want to hold them in your hands before you order them for a few thousand euros.
Panasonic’s new, old cameras
There are at least two cameras to report that are new in one small aspect, even though they were announced in December but haven’t appeared here yet: Panasonics Lumix G97 and Lumix TZ99They remain largely consistent with previous models, but now have a USB-C port as it is mandatory in the EU from early 2025. At the end of February, the compact “TravelZoom” TZ99 will be released for 549 euros, the MFT camera Lumix G97 for 749 euros, in a kit with a 12-60 mm lens for 949 euros.
Since our column took a winter break, it will now appear as the second issue in the second week of the year instead of the first issue. Confusing? No, because we stubbornly count them by calendar week. And because there is a lack of notable long reading for the weekend, this time there is a long click with photos, namely photos of the winners of our “Urban Architecture” photo contest. Even if you’ve photographed your city or another city many times: The winning photos show that there’s always something new to discover.
(Never)
