Interesting:

(Via http://www.flickr.com/cameras/ as of July 5, 2009. Emphasis mine.)

Take another look at that graph. Notice the other cameras on the list? The iPhone is now not only the most popular cameraphone on Flickr, it’s the most popular camera, period. The iPhone camera is more popular than digital SLRs from Nikon and Canon.

Does this mean that people are chucking their DSLRs for iPhones? No, let’s not get too carried away.

There is an old photographer’s saying along the lines of: “The best camera you have is the one you have with you.” The iPhone certainly makes having a camera with you easy. And if this graph is any indication, iPhone users love to use their cameras.

With the introduction of the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone now actually has a respectable camera. The old camera was barely passable with it’s lack of autofocus and macro capability. People are buying 3GS’s like hotcakes. I don’t see this graph changing direction anytime soon.

What I am starting to wonder about is the future of pocket-sized point & shoot cameras. Sure, the iPhone has fewer megapixels and isn’t as good as a dedicated p&s in many other dimensions, but I wonder if many p&s owners with iPhones will care. If you’re carrying around your p&s for opportunistic photography, and you already have an iPhone, will it be worth the extra hassle of another device in your pocket?

I’m not yet sure what else we can deduce from this, but as a developer writing photography software for the iPhone, seeing graphs like this sure is fun:

(Via http://www.flickr.com/cameras/ as of July 5, 2009)