Clik here to view.
Canon G1X Mark II, Thoughts about the concept
Sydney, Circular Quay, early evening. Engineering triumph or missed opportunity ?One of Photography's Really Good Ideas: Consider the following: 1. According to data from camera makers, occasionally...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nikon 1 V3, Where is Nikon going with the 1 series ?
Nikon 1 V3 Photo courtesy of Digital Photography Review dpreview.comWhere is Nikon Going with the 1 System ?Background Last year our household acquired a Nikon 1 V2 camera with 10-100mm zoom lens. It...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using mockups to explore camera ergonomic design
Mockups 2014. I will discuss these in detail in subsequent posts. Older models towards the rear, most recent versions at the front. A brief personal history Background I have been using cameras for 60...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ergonomic Camera Design: The problem with likes
When I started to explore ergonomic design in cameras I somewhat naively imagined that a useful way to evaluate a camera would be to hand it to some people, ask them to hold and operate it then seek...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Language and Taxonomy of Camera Ergonomics
Many cameras these days have good enough picture quality and performance for the majority of users and uses. The principal characteristic by which cameras can be distinguished from each other is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Basic Design Decisions
Since the advent of the smartphone camera sales have fallen heavily. Compacts have been affected most but DSLR's and MILC's are also down, at least to the end of 2013. It seems to me that if the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hump top or Flat top ?
I posted a piece on this recently. Here is a summary :Holding You would not think that the two would be any different to hold. Indeed if both are fitted with a full anatomical handle there is no...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shutter button location
Coastal Scene. Panasonic GH3 with 12-35mm f2.8 lens. Location of the shutter button is of crucial importance to the overall functional design of a camera. There are basically two options, 1. Shutter...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Traditional or modern control layout Part 1 Discussion
Kestrel. Panasonic GH3, 100-300mm lens. I was getting ready to make some long distance landscapes with the Mode Dial on A (perture priority). This kestrel hove into view so while continuing to look...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Traditional or modern control layout Part 2 Worked examples
Toilet as architecture In the following comparisons, I will use two cameras, the Panasonic GH3 representing the Modern layout and the Fuji X-T1 representing the hybrid/traditional layout.Heading the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Handles
This is my mockup of a full featured medium sized camera. It is, purely by chance the same width and height as the Sony RX10 below. This photo shows the inverted L shaped handle and associated top deck...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Front control dials
Rest area for goats, Barrier Highway New South Wales.All right it's not really for the goats but they have taken up residence. Some cameras have a front dial, some a rear dial, some have both. I am...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Thumb supports
The camera which set the shape and style of SLR's and DSLR's to the present day was the Canon T90 of 1986. This had a prominent handle with a control dial behind the shutter button, an ergonomically...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rear dials
In a previous post on front dials I wrote that these were often placed in a variety of different places with an apparently wanton disregard for human functional anatomy. Unfortunately I can say the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Quad control group
Canning Stock Route, Western Australia I am seized with robust enthusiasm for the latest in touch/swipe screen devices like the Microsoft Surface which recently arrived in our house. But a proper...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Moving active autofocus area
Birds in bushfire smoke Autofocus for interchangeable lens cameras was invented in the late 1980's. One of the many challenges facing AF engineers was finding a way to move the active AF area from one...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lens based controls and the left hand
Small camera left hand under lens. A comfortable position with the camera held low for monitor viewing, as shown here. Much of the discussion in the last ten posts has been about the role of the right...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Functional anatomy of the camera Part 1 Basic Characteristics
Three wise cameras (mockups). Each has the features I require of a Proper Camera. Compact in front, Medium full featured upper left and Small full featured upper right I have devoted a good deal of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Functional anatomy of the camera Part 2 detailed description
Medium sized full featured mockupIn the last post I proposed that we need only three basic camera designs, compact, small full featured and medium full featured. This post describes them in more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Measuring Camera Ergonomics Part 1 of 3, Discussion
The road to................. Camera evaluation can be considered under four headings: Specifications, Image Quality, Performance and Ergonomics. I often read reviews of camera gear which compare camera...
View Article
