Can’t blame the big boys for slowly getting paranoid. Canon’s latest anti-cellphone shooter ad points into exactly this direction. Claiming that only a real camera is a real camera. The point-and-shoot market is in tailspin and Canon’s mirrorless M sells way below expectations, so all the hopes rest on the aging DSLR dominance.

Canon’s not happy that more and more people don’t care about crappy photos that look just fine on their small screens. So the message is blunt and clear. You have to get a DSLR.

Really? That’s what the ad below suggests. However, the message is incomplete. We’re neither shown the difference and aren’t told why people should move back to bulkier gear.

Fact is, most people’s photography only started shining after the invention of portability, filters and Instagram and the likes. They love what they see, so why sink much more money into a camera that’s less convenient, not connected and not interactive?

I think this Canon ad completely misses the point. They try to revive a dinosaur that remains legitimate, but tomorrow points into a different direction.

Too bad Canon’s not at the forefront of innovation. They wouldn’t have to spend money on such ads.

Sure thing a bigger camera can be a better camera and without any doubt is the preferred tool for serious work. But why do more and more photographers — whose business might even be photography! — leave the big gear on the shelf and use a mirrorless CSC or even an iPhone more often than not.

Because, Canon, they dare to ask, “Why.”