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Innovation stay away . . or not?

Started by Giles ·

  • 5Posts
  • 5Replies

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Innovation stay away . . or not?

5 posts
  1. I just read this .. and while I am normally very much all for change and innovation right now I think I like how my dSLR looks and feels.

    nova-dslr-1.jpg

     

    what does anybody else think? would you embrace a change if it came or be a bit disappointed?

     

    Obviously would have huge implications for housing manufacture .. but I am having trouble in my head processing if a change is a) needed or b) necessary ... it's just something i had never even considered needing changing.

     

    via engadget.com Nova DSLR concept reminds us that cameras need not be boring

  2. Forget housings, how the heck am I supposed to fit that into a pocket?!?

  3. IMO the heading of the article says it all: "Nova DSLR concept reminds us that cameras need not be boring". So there is no need to change the shape of the camera body the way they have done it -it's just a move to maybe get a few sells and gain some attention ;)

    And tough it's nice to see some folks are working with new ideas, I think this is not THE next step for DSLR's.

  4. Looks like some silly "art-haus" designer's idea of a good camera, not terribly realistic to me. Even with the two arms being moveable, for different shooting positions (I assume the concept lets them go out to either side for shooting prone, for example), you're no longer supporting the camera near the lens axis at all. If both handles rotate, how do you keep the lens 'level' so your rectangular shots have the right alignment? (Or does the concept just assume you're using a whole image circle and can crop to whatever orientation you end up choosing?)

     

    Imagine trying to aim a long tele lens that way...it's not like steering a motorcycle. There's a reason we end up gripping the lens for land shooting, same as using a telescope or a pair of binoculars, or a rifle for that matter: one grip for the body to eye alignment and triggering, the other cups and steers the lens. Buttons on the front of the arms as shown may be finger-friendly, but aren't eye friendly at all. As photographers we probably should learn to 'touch-type' with our equipment but how many really do?

     

    Then you want to sling the camera at your side and walk with it one-handed...where's your wrist strap? How is that huge other handle going to bang against your leg as you walk? I guess you rotate the handles to being at the same point on the 'clock' but then you've gotta un-scissor them to use it, whereas a boring box camera with grip dangles off the tips of your fingers with a wrist strap for security and just has to be brought back up to the eye with the other hand going for the lens tube. How do you put it down on a table for crying out loud...lay it down on its back, or again 'close' the handles together and end up laying it on its 'side'? Camera 'boxes' may be boring, but shapes like this just lose interior volume vs. surface area and take up more room to pack, etc. as well.

     

    Would in fact make more sense IMO to come up with an alternate body/grip concept that has your hands cupped somewhat 'tube-like' in front of your face, palm facing palm, as if you were grabbing a fat monocular, vs. having them turned 'forward' in a chinup position, no matter how much angle you can put on the relative levers. for one thing that's a much more anatomically 'relaxed' position to hold your hands and wrists in: as you bring your elbows together in front of you with your forearms vertical, the hands naturally want to face palm to palm. In such a body style, either hand could have a wrist-strap across the back of it for carrying, much like smaller video cameras.

     

    I think with gradual Liveview improvements, the only big camera body shape "innovations" needed are better tilt-swivel-fold-out screens that don't add so much back thickness they end up mashing against your nose during EVF shooting.

    Edited by rtrski
  5. We are already seeing SLRs that take video and Video cameras that take stills. Soon there will be no difference between the two. But I hope the form doesn't follow the concept picture. I can't imagine that fitting into any sensible housing design.

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