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 camera has to be operated while looking through the viewfinder. So it has to be controlled by direct finger interaction with hard interface modules, in the form of dials, levers buttons and the like.

An inverted L shaped handle can have a substantial top deck which can host some key user interface modules (UIM's) for adjusting primary exposure parameters in Capture Phase of use. It would be a waste of top value camera real estate to locate UIM's which control Setup, Prepare or Review Phase items in this area.

These UIM's are operated by the right index finger, ideally without the user having to move a muscle of any other body part.

The configurable camera There is a multitude of modes, functions and features on a modern camera. Any individual user will have his or her own ideas about which ones to bring out onto the hard buttons and which ones to leave in a menu. Therefore most of the hard UIM's must allow the user to select from a long list the function to be assigned to each.

As outlined in a previous post, each Phase of use brings with it a task list. The tasks of Capture Phase present the highest demand for speed and efficiency.

The fingers of the right hand can be categorised as having gripper or operator duties. The index finger is the only one with no gripper duties at all so we should assign to it operation of the UIM's controlling the highest priority Capture Phase tasks. My work with mockups and experience with real cameras leads me to the view that the index finger can effectively manage 4 UIM's. Here is my suggestion about which ones should best be allocated to the index finger:

1. Shutter button. I think just about everybody would agree on this one. Maybe with an on/off lever around it.

2. Front control dial. Most cameras with a front control dial locate it close to the shutter button. Well, the usable ones are close to the shutter button, anyway.

3. Button 1. I would assign ISO to button 1, others will have their own ideas.

4. Button 2. I would assign exposure compensation to button 2, other will have their own ideas, which by the way will likely change with time and experience.

How should these UIM's be disposed on the top deck ? I have spent much time experimenting with the locations of UIM's on cameras. I sort of blundered into the quad control group layout by accident on my second mockup. Please refer to the photo and caption.

This is my second camera body mockup.  I shaped the handle then located the shutter button and control dial where my index finger wanted to find them. That left a space on the right side of the top deck so I put some buttons there.  Later I realised that I had serendipitously created a quad control set including the shutter button, control dial and buttons 1 and 2.  

Each of the 4 UIM's has it's own distinctive shape and deliberately strong texture so they can easily be identified by touch. Buttons on the more recent mockups are Phillips head screws which have a nice strong texture. The shutter button and control dial are higher than buttons 1 and 2. Thus the 4 UIM's are fairly close together but none will be activated in error. The precise position of each UIM in 3 dimensions is important. The buttons and dials on my mockups are significantly larger and more prominently textured than those you usually encounter on actual cameras. As a result they are easier to find and operate with the fingers which must use them.

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The four photos above show how the index finger operates the quad control UIM set. It can do this without the need to shift grip with either hand and without needing to move any other finger or part of the right hand.  Access to the rear two buttons (3 and 4) requires a substantial shift in the right hand grip.  Therefore they are used for adjustments required in Prepare Phase not Capture Phase. I could have used a small set and see dial in that position, like you see on the NX30 below, but that would remove a substantial element of user choice about functions available in Prepare Phase.   

 

The Quad control group allows the user to drive the camera most of the time with just the right index finger. It can do the following quickly and smoothly:

* Shutter button: Initiate AF and AE, hold AF and/or AE (with half press) and capture the shot.

* Control dial, directly: Change aperture (in A Mode) or Shutter Speed (in P Mode).

* Button 1: Change ISO (or another parameter if selected), by pressing button 1 then rotating the control dial.

* Button 2: Adjust exposure compensation (or another parameter if selected), by pressing button 2 then rotating the control dial.

That's not bad for one finger. Best of all the quad control group is really quick and easy to use. The curious thing is that I have not yet encountered a real camera with precisely this top deck layout. The recently released Samsung NX30 is heading in that direction with regard to the positions (but not the functions) of the 4 UIM's.

Top deck of the Samsung NX30. This actually does have a quad control set but the main problem here is that both the buttons can only have factory set functions, thus negating the benefit which could have been gained by this arrangement. Neither of the functions assigned to these buttons is directed at primary exposure parameters in Capture phase of use.There are other minor issues. The button 2 (Wi-Fi) is out of place and both buttons are too small. The control dial could be angled a bit to better match the lie of the index finger across the top of the camera.