I was asked by Canon to design a camera for them. OK. I wasn't asked, but I'm going to do it anyway.
Take one of their "A" series cameras, say the A620 and make the following modifications.
1) It already has a flip out revolving LCD with a 2 inch screen. Please make that a 2.5 inch screen.
2) Remove the "optical viewfinder." It is more than useless. Anyone that takes pictures while looking down that tunnel should have the camera removed from them.
3) Give it IS (image stabilization). But don't pump up the zoom lens. The zoom should be in the 35mm equiv. of 28mm to 90mm.
4) RAW. It doesn't have to be the quickest thing between shots, but it should have RAW capability.
5) In the software - have a way of disabling menu choices that are never used. Take out idiotic stuff like the ability for the camera to "swap" colors.
6) Remove all the stuff about printing directly from the camera.
7) Make the body black.
8) Let me shoot in the Adobe RGB color space rather than sRGB if I want to.
9) And that's about it Canon. You have the technology. These features exist separately in several of your cameras. You've already got IS in the new Point and Shoots. But they don't have the flip screen, or they've got ultra long lenses. And none of the PS cameras in current production have RAW. So just put them all together and what will you have - a great street camera. Oh - how many pixels - just keep increasing them as you've been doing. That's fine with me.
6 comments:
Save the optical viewfinder -- I much prefer it to "chimping." It would be nice, however, if the VF showed closer to 100% of the recorded image.
You know what I would like to see from a camera manufacturer? Bear in mind that I am still a proud film user and most likely always be, until I have no choice in the matter, and this doesn't have to be from Canon, but any camera maker listening, which I know is probably all of them here checking out your site regularly :-)
...anyway, I would like to see a film/digital hybrid camera. A camera that simultaneously captures to film, but has a camera back like a digital camera, so you can see what it was you just captured so you know whether or not you got the shot or not. To me, that would be sweet.
If you want to put a real viewfinder on that a person can see through and that shows 100% (or more) and that you can actually use to see through - then that's fine with me. But the P/S zooming viewfinders are like looking through a pinhole. My not so humble opinion.
I like your specs, Dave - I'd buy one!
I have a Canon A620, and it's an excellent camera, one of the best digicams around, I'd say. Most of the photos on my blog nowadays are from this camera, since it's the one I carry with me pretty much anywhere, thanks to its small size.
But I definitely wish the wide end (now about 35-37mm equivalent) would be a bit wider. Also, although it goes up to ISO 400, I find the quality really suffers above 100. So Image Stablization would be a great addition to compensate for that.
Steve,
Yep. I'm using the A620 as well. And I agree - once you move above asa 100 you are dealing with noise. Ninja can do a fairly good job with it at 200, but what I would like is either a larger P/S sensor in the same size or IS. And the problem right now is that IS is not available on a Canon with the flip around LCD unless you go to the S3 line which is too long, focal length etc...
But it is a great camera (A620) and we all know there is nothing perfect in this world. I carry the 620 everywhere - and in this world where everyone is suspicious of you - it is a great camera to use and not be noticed.
Gotta say Dave,
I just discovered your site and am enraptured by the b&w.
Funny, all of your color images would make fabulous b&w's.
But, you probably know that.
Thanks for the inspiration,
Bob
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