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Macquarie Island. Panasonic GH3, 14-140mm lens |
How it all Started Several years ago I became frustrated by the cameras on offer in the marketplace. It seemed to me that many of them were characterised by remarkably poor ergonomic design. Yet there was very little comment in published camera reviews about ergonomics or the broader issue of the user interface. I found that established camera makers made just as many ergonomic errors as newer arrivals to the camera making scene.
I was, to be candid, totally amazed that major corporations with vast resources would locate a control dial where it could not be operated by any finger without releasing grip on the camera, adopting a different grip while operating the dial then returning the hand to the original grip position. But camera makers are still doing this and making many other egregious, totally un-necessary and perverse ergonomic mistakes in new camera models. All brands are at fault.
If camera designers were let loose on motor vehicles the road toll would skyrocket due to key controls being located in unpredictable and irrational places.
Research So I set about conducting my own research into the ergonomic aspects of camera design. I studied functional anatomy of the hand and fingers. I analysed the primary and secondary camera parameters which needed adjustment in the various stages of camera use. I realised that there were 4 functional phases of camera operation, each with different functional and ergonomic requirements.
Write a Book ? At first I thought to publish my findings as a book. But I soon realised that a book is far too static a medium for the subject, which presents new designs and challenges every week. Fortunately I discovered Google Blogger and a way to reach many more readers than a book could ever do.
The Camera Ergonomics Blog Began with the first post in February 2012. The first 20 or so posts describe my basic research and some practical applications thereof. I initially wondered if I might see 5000 page views and was quite thrilled when this actually happened.
The blog is entirely my own work. I am an independent amateur camera buyer and user having no affiliation with any person, corporation or organisation which makes or markets photographic equipment.
Types of Blog Posts Most of my posts are either equipment reviews or opinion/analysis/commentary of some kind. The equipment reviews are by far the most popular type of post. However my own judgement is that the analytical pieces are more important to an understanding of camera design from the user's perspective, as they contain more of my thoughts about ergonomics and the user interface.
The future, is there one ? I have at various times become bored, disinterested or just exhausted by the blog, which requires a considerable input of time and energy. However I will probably keep it going for a while. My main reason for this is that the camera makers appear to be learning amazingly little about ergonomics as they continue to produce multitudes of new models every week or so.
Highs and lows I am pleased that a significant number of people are reading the blog. I hope they have been stimulated to think about ergonomic issues in camera design. I hope that if enough camera buyers become literate in ergonomic analysis and expression this might influence designers to lift their game.
At the same time I find it quite depressing that many new model releases either repeat old ergonomic mistakes or invent new ones. There seems to be no end to the capacity for camera designers to locate major user interface modules where no human finger could reach unless the hand bearing the finger is removed from the camera thereby completely disrupting the image capture process.
To be continued...................