Demand for high-end cameras is soaring

The ubiquity of smartphones has helped

ubiquity: 美 [juːˈbɪkwəti] 到处存在；遍在 注意发音

原文：

Buying a Leica feels like buying a piece of art. Made in Germany, the

cameras are sold in the swankiest neighbourhoods, sometimes in shops

which double as galleries. The current models pack the latest imaging

technology into sleek all-metal bodies. For decades they have been the

chosen cameras of masters of photography such as Henri Cartier-Bresson

(pictured) and Annie Leibovitz. Their price is extravagant. Leica’s latest

compact model, the Q3, costs around $6,000 (an accompanying thumb rest is

available for an extra $245). Opt for a flagship M-series camera with a couple

of lenses and the bill can easily run into five figures.

购买徕卡就像购买一件艺术品。德国制造的相机在最高档的街区出售，有时在兼作画廊的商店里出售。目前的型号将最新的成像技术融入到时尚的全金属机身中。几十年来，它们一直是亨利·卡蒂埃·布列松(如图)和安妮·莱博维茨等摄影大师的首选相机。他们的价格昂贵。徕卡最新的紧凑型相机Q3售价约6000美元(额外支付245美元可获得一个附带的拇指托)。选择一款带有几个镜头的旗舰M系列相机，账单很容易就能达到五位数。

学习：

a piece of art：一件艺术品

swankiest：爱出风头的；时髦的；（swanky的最高级）

double as：兼任；兼饰两角

sleek：有光泽的；光亮的；造型优美的；时髦的

extravagant：奢侈的；铺张浪费的；

price is extravagant：价格昂贵

rest: 支架；支撑物；枪托；撑架；托架；

thumb rest：拇指托

run into：（费用或数量）高达；达到

the bills can easily run into five figures：账单达到五位数

原文：

Today few see the need for a dedicated camera. High-quality pictures can be

snapped, edited and uploaded onto social media all with your smartphone.

When in 2011 an interviewer asked Ms Leibovitz to recommend a camera,

she responded by taking out her iPhone 4S, calling it “the snapshot camera of

today”. The camera on Apple’s flagship device has improved with each new

version, including the one released this week. Since Ms Leibovitz’s remarks,

the share of photos taken on smartphones has grown from 25% to over 90%.

Digital camera sales, meanwhile, have fallen by 93%. Entry-level models

are steadily disappearing from the market.

如今，很少有人认为需要专用相机。高质量的图片可以通过智能手机拍摄、编辑和上传到社交媒体上。2011年，当一名采访者请莱博维茨女士推荐一款相机时，她拿出了她的iPhone 4S，称之为“当今的快照相机”。苹果旗舰设备上的摄像头在每个新版本中都有所改进，包括本周发布的版本。自从莱博维茨女士的评论发表后，用智能手机拍摄的照片的份额从25%增长到了90%以上。与此同时，数码相机的销量下降了93%。入门级型号正逐步从市场上消失。

学习：

dedicated：专用的；专门的

dedicated camera：专用相机

snap：拍摄

entry-level：入门级的；基础的；适合新手的

原文：

Premium cameras, however, are bucking the trend. Waiting lists for Leica’s

Q3, released in 2023, were initially six-months long. Its success contributed to

record sales at the 110-year-old firm last year. The latest version of the

premium x100 camera made by Fujifilm has been sold out since its launch in

February. The cameras are being flogged online for multiples of their

original price of $1,600. Rivals such as Nikon have also begun to prioritise

higher-end models. As a result, the average price of a camera has tripled in

the past six years, according to the Camera and Imaging Products

Association (CIPA), a trade group.

然而，高档相机却逆势而上。2023年发布的徕卡第三季度的等候名单最初长达6个月。它的成功促成了这家有着110年历史的公司去年创下的销售记录。由富士胶片制造的最新版本的优质x100相机自2月份上市以来已经销售一空。这些相机在网上的售价是原价1600美元的数倍。尼康等竞争对手也开始优先考虑更高端的机型。结果，根据相机和成像产品协会(CIPA)，一个贸易团体，相机的平均价格在过去的六年里翻了三倍。

学习：

premium：优质的

premium camera：高档相机

buck：反对；抵制；抵抗

buck the trend：逆势而上

sold out：（商品）销售一空的；（音乐会、比赛等）票已售完的；

flogged：〈英；非正式〉 卖；出售 （flog的过去式和过去分词）

original price：原价；原始价格；原定价格

原文：

Professional photographers still rely on high-end cameras: few couples

would be happy to see their wedding snaps being taken on an iPhone. Entry-

level cameras were never a substitute for premium ones, and nor are

smartphones.

专业摄影师仍然依赖高端相机:很少有夫妇会乐于看到他们的婚纱照在iPhone上拍摄。入门级相机从来都不是高端相机的替代品，智能手机也不是。

原文：

Instead, smartphones have buoyed demand for high-end cameras, by giving

more people a taste for amateur photography. It helps that premium cameras

have become a status symbol among the hip. Videos featuring Fujifilm’s

x100 have racked up millions of views on TikTok, a trendy short-video app.

相反，智能手机刺激了对高端相机的需求，让更多人喜欢上了业余摄影。高档相机已经成为时髦人士的一种身份象征，这一点很有帮助。以富士x100为特色的视频在流行的短视频应用抖音上获得了数百万次点击量。

学习：

hip：时髦或潮流的人或事物

这里的 “hip” 是指时髦或潮流的人或事物，表示某件事或某人很受年轻人或潮流群体的欢迎。

举例：

1. 英文: That new coffee shop is the place to be for all the hip people in town.
2. 中文: 那家新开的咖啡店是镇上所有时髦人士的聚集地。

buoyed：使浮起；支持；（buoy的过去式和过去分词）

status symbol：身份象征；地位象征；

rack up：积累；累计；

原文：

Growing interest in these high-end devices helps explain why the overall

number of cameras sold this year is on track to increase for the first time

since 2017. For the world’s embattled camera-makers, it pays to refocus. ■

人们对这些高端设备越来越感兴趣，这有助于解释为什么今年售出的相机总数将自2017年以来首次出现增长。对于世界上四面楚歌的相机制造商来说，重新聚焦是值得的。■

学习：

embattled： 四面楚歌的；处境艰难的

camera-maker：相机制造商

on track: 某事进展顺利

这里的 “on track” 是指某事进展顺利，按照预期的方向发展，意味着预计会实现某个目标或结果。

举例：

1. 英文: The project is on track to be completed by the end of the year.
2. 中文: 这个项目预计会按计划在年底前完成。

后记

2024年9月15日12点48分于上海。