The Camera in a Smartphone World Part 4

Lighting the way ?

 

Part 4  Handles and thumb supports

Why does a camera need a handle ?   For many years through the 20th Century most cameras did not have a handle.  35mm film SLR's had, by today's standards, few control modules. As a result there was plenty of camera surface on which one's fingers and thumb could get a decent grip.  But cameras became larger, heavier and more complex with many more control modules.

Canon's T90 of 1986 weighed 800grams bare, had an LCD on the top plate, 5 buttons on the back and several more on top, and a control dial.  How could the operator get a hold on this thing ?

It needed a handle and it got one, thus setting the basic shape for SLR and DSLR cameras to the present day.

Thumb support   In the digital era cameras have acquired a great big monitor screen covering most of the rear of the body.  Those parts of the camera back not occupied by the monitor are filled up with buttons, dials and other user interface modules.

Now there is even less camera real estate on which the user might gain purchase. The electronic camera needs a thumb support as well as a handle, if it is to be held securely.

Relaxed half closed hand position  Adult human hands vary in size and length:width ratio but they all work the same way. The photo shows the position into which the right hand falls naturally when the wrist is slightly dorsiflexed, as is usually the case when holding a camera. This is the "ready for action" position. The muscles are relaxed. The hand and fingers are in position to grip something with minimal effort. Those with small hands can open the grip a little, those with large hands can close the grip a little. Both can comfortably hold the same  anatomically shaped camera handle.

Optimum camera handle and thumb support design shapes the device to match this natural hand position.

Right hand in half closed natural position.

 

Panasonic G5 camera

 

 

Holding the G5 camera. The right hand is able to adopt a position very close to the natural half closed one. This provides a good grip on the camera without strain. The fingers are in position to operate the controls.

 

Cramped hand position  Many cameras require the user to take up this position with the right hand. The thumb support is at the extreme right side of the rear of the body. The thin handle is likewise as far to the right as possible. The shutter button is not far enough from the right side forcing the index finger to lift back and flex.  This hand position is not a disaster, it is just uncomfortable, ergonomically sub optimal and also unnecessary.

 

Cramped hand position

 

 

Olympus EM5 camera. This is the same size as the G5 but it's design makes it more difficult to hold comfortably.

 

 

Rough mockup of a "no handle" camera. You can see where the fingers want to place themselves.

 

 

The EM5 again. This camera lacks a proper handle on the front. It just has a small ridge running down below the shutter button.  If I try to get comfortable holding the EM5  my fingers end up as shown. The thumb is all over the monitor and the index finger is 15mm beyond the shutter button.

 

 

Holding the EM5 so it works. This is the cramped hand position. It is difficult to feel confident that one has a good grip on the camera with the fingers forced into this position. There are other ergonomic problems with this camera. The buttons just in front of the thumb are difficult to press and the control dial just to the left of the index finger cannot be operated comfortably by either the thumb or index finger.

 

 

The EM5 allows an accessory handle to be fitted, shown here. This is an improvement. The palm is opened up, the index finger is in a more natural position and the fingers have something substantial to grip. But the thumb is still rather cramped over on the right side of the body. Now there are two shutter buttons and three control dials cluttering up valuable top of camera real estate.

 

 

Panasonic G3, right hand hold. Like the EM5, this camera has only a mini handle on the front. In addition it's thumb support is small  and located to the far right. To make matters worse, the control dial, which is just under the thumb as shown, is really difficult to operate. The is one of the ergonomically least satisfactory cameras I have ever owned.   I sold it on pretty quick. You can see the un-natural hand/wrist position which the user has to adopt to hold this camera.

 

 

Good handle and thumb support design  costs no more than sub optimal design. Good design makes a camera more enjoyable to use and therefor more likely to be used. In the smartphone era, camera designers cannot afford to inflict poor ergonomic design on their customers, who have the option of dumping the camera altogether.