The Camera in a Smartphone World Part 5

To make this photo I turned 90 degrees away from the diners with the camera over my head, viewing on the fully articulated monitor.

 

Part 5, Viewing, Operating, Ergonomics

Camera vs Smartphone  The underlying theme of this 5 part series of posts is my view that the experience of using a camera needs  to be decisively different from  not similar to  that of using a smartphone. The camera needs to be more engaging so that the process of making photos is an integral part of the day's activity, not just an afterthought.

Viewing  The three primary elements of camera use are holding, viewing and operating. The smartphone user views on a  monitor screen. If the camera is to bring something more to the experience it must have an eye level viewfinder.  This makes the process of picture taking more engaging for the user who has to shut out distractions and for a short time, concentrate entirely on making the picture.  DSLR's have an optical viewfinder, Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras have an electronic viewfinder. Both work and  either is better than no viewfinder.

But a proper camera also has a monitor for those times when the user wants to interact with other people while making photos.  There are three types of monitor;  fixed, swing up/down and fully articulated. Having used all three over the years I can assert with some confidence that the fully articulated type is the most versatile. It enables viewing with the camera held above or below eye level, in either landscape or portrait orientation. It also enables otherwise impossible angular relationships between the operator and the camera. You can look in one direction and have the camera pointing in a different direction.

Operating  There has been a buzz of interest on user forums recently about new cameras which feature some kind of hybrid/traditional user interface using marked, set and seedials, rings or levers to indicate the primary exposure parameters: ISO, shutter speed, aperture. Several also display exposure compensation on a marked dial.

The two latest are the Nikon Df and Fuji X-T1. The Nikon is a DSLR and the Fuji an SLR look-a-like MILC. 

My time and motion ergonomic studies indicate that the modern "Mode Dial Plus Control Dial(s)" user interface is faster and more efficient. For most actions required to operate the camera the modern interface requires less actions, each less complex than those required using a hybrid/traditional interface.

I suspect that in due course most users will tire of the sub optimal ergonomics of these  retro style cameras and revert to the more efficient modern user interface.

Ergonomics  Many smart phones have an excellent user interface and very good ergonomics. They enable the user to carry out many actions quickly and efficiently. Camera designers need to equip their products with excellent ergonomics also. But the user interface of a proper camera is completely different from that of a smartphone.

Many designers appear to be on a mission to make their camera work like a smartphone, with touch screens and Wi-Fi featuring prominently. The latest Samsung Galaxy cameras take this notion to it's logical extreme featuring a large tablet style screen on the back and a superzoom lens on the front with a little handle and a shutter button to one side. It will be interesting to see how this travels in the marketplace. If I am right it will not succeed in the long run, because in trying to be both,  it offers neither the elegance of the smartphone nor the engagement of the camera.

I believe the whole enterprise of making cameras like smartphones is doomed to irrelevance. The camera needs to be different from a smartphone and provide a completely different kind of user experience.

What do I use ?  I practice that which I preach. I select and continue to use cameras with good ergonomics, good performance and sufficient picture quality for my varied purposes, which can be quite demanding. Currently my system of choice is  Micro Four Thirds.  It offers the best balance between picture quality and overall kit size/weight, taking lenses into account, particularly long zooms. I use a  Panasonic GH3 which is a no nonsense kind of camera. It is comfortable to hold and provides a streamlined, efficient operating experience.