Radical ideas needed to outdo cameraphones

Started Jul 31, 2012 | Discussions thread
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Andrew Butterfield
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Radical ideas needed to outdo cameraphones
Jul 31, 2012

Some camera makers seem to be realising that they have to find ways to differentiate their consumer products from cameraphones.

But really, they're not thinking that hard if you ask me. Fast lenses and zoom lenses seem to be about the only things they've come up with so far. And now Nokia has shown you can use a huge sensor to provide zoom, things are looking even more precarious for the compact camera.

So I'm surprised we haven't seen some more radical thinking.

Camera makers are a bit stuck. They think they can't make a camera that doesn't have a huge LCD on the back, for instance. But who really needs that? Get rid of the LCD and the camera could be a more useful shape and size, and there would be more room for better controls. Many photographers would be happy to use just an EVF if it was good enough. A long-zoom camera with just an EVF could be a radically different shape that would be easier to transport.

Or you could have an EVF, and a mini projector for when you want to show your friends your photos.

Or let the camera communicate with your phone and use that as the LCD. Have a slot in the back of the camera for an iPhone.

Or what about having the EVF detachable, and wireless, so you could set your camera up on the bird table and use the EVF as a remote shutter release.

And why haven't we seen a compact camera with a super-wide-angle lens and a tilt-shift mechanism so we can take great architecture shots without converging verticals? I'd love a tilt-shift compact camera.

And of course there's the obvious opportunity to have apps on your camera like on your phone. How this hasn't happened yet is beyond me.

These are just off the top of my head, but it has to happen or camera makers (particularly ones like Casio whose range of cameras seems very vulnerable to the cameraphone) will find themselves out of the compact market altogether.

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