Suggestions to camera manufacturers . . .

TacticDesigns · Jul 27, 2017

FrancoD said:
TacticDesigns said:

Yes. My mother had a compact camera in the film days that use to constantly say . . . "Too dark. Use flash." with a heavy Japanese accent.

Click to expand...

That was the Minolta AF S V.

+1

Yes. I think it was a Minolta.

FrancoD said:
The reason I know that is because it was the only talking camera beside a Polaroid (instant print) version.

+1

FrancoD said:
From that I get the idea that it wasn't all the popular past the initial impact of that gimmick.

I guess it didn't take off. At least not the talking part.

Although . . . all our auto cameras have that flashing "flash" symbol that warns us if the picture could use the help of flash.

But we used to joke because it seemed like we were constantly shooting in less than ideal lighting . . . apparently. LOL.

FrancoD said:
( I don't really need to think about it, I sod them....)

As for a self diagnostic mode, Google Now ( and Siri) work by searching the net for info so your camera needs to have a built in phone to do it.

I was just thinking that all the answers could be stored on the camera. Maybe have updates to it either by SD Card or by letting your camera connect to your phone for updates, and download of additional educational videos?

Take care & Happy Shooting!

Marty4650 · Jul 27, 2017

Eliminate the cord.
Eliminate the computer.
Eliminate the software.
Use the built in WIFI instead.

Put the software right on the camera, and make firmware updates a menu option "on demand." The menu option could be "look for upgrades" and then if the camera finds any asks "Press OK to download."

Make it simple.

TacticDesigns · Jul 28, 2017

Marty4650 said:
Eliminate the cord.

Eliminate the computer.

Eliminate the software.

Use the built in WIFI instead.

Put the software right on the camera, and make firmware updates a menu option "on demand." The menu option could be "look for upgrades" and then if the camera finds any asks "Press OK to download."

Make it simple.

+1

Yes.

Absolutely!!!

IMHO I think the time has come!

Since tablets can do so much, I assume that desktop computers may become a thing of the past for many. If so, how do you write the update file to the SD Card? Even if you get a UTG (USB to go . . . is that what it's called? device for your phone / tablet, not all phones / tablets support that yet. And not everyone will buy that cable.)

So, either direct download to the camera's SD Card using the WiFi of the camera.

Or . . . download the file on your phone with the company's App (I have Fujifilm and Nikon's on my phone right now.) And then, have the ability for the App to download the update file to the camera's SD Card.

Eliminate the cord.
Eliminate the computer.
Eliminate the software.
Use the built in WIFI instead.

+1

Take care & Happy Shooting!

Heritage Cameras · Jul 28, 2017

TacticDesigns said:
I can't remember exactly, but I think there are some cameras that have buttons without labels, but they are beside the main LCD panel.

As you change modes, what the button does appears as little labels on the main LCD panel.

That could be one way to have custom labels for buttons without adding additional hardware?

Indeed – here's the Sony NEX-5 from DPR's 2010 review, but I'm sure there are many more:

The two soft buttons change function depending on the mode. Here, the top one is labelled "Back".

--
Dave, HCL

TacticDesigns · Jul 30, 2017

Ok, here's an old idea I had back in 2012.

A "flippable" or "switchable" exposure mode dial.

I posted it in a thread on PentaxForums titled "Next desired enthusiast / prosumer camera"

My wish was for a retro Pentax.

I wanted (and still want) a Pentax with a proper shutter speed dial. (And I guess, also the ability to use the aperture dial on the lens.)

But, I conceded that maybe the target market for Pentax users that want a dedicated shutter speed dial may be low.

So I suggested having a flippable exposure mode dial.

On one side of the dial you have shutter speeds. And if you flip it over, you then have the more contemporary exposure mode dial with P, A, S, M and scene modes. To that, I guess I should add the user settings, which I've really grown to like. For that matter, add the user settings to the shutter speed dial side as well.

Here's what I wrote . . .

"But make it look retro. Make it look like a Pentax MX or miniature Pentax Spotmatic or something. that would be cool!

Oh, yeah. The other idea is to have the top dial able to flip over so that on one side you have P + all the shutter speeds (Like the Fujifilm X-Pro1 or X-E1), but when you flip the dial over, you see the more contemporary mode dial with Auto, P, A, S, M, Scene, etc."

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums...umer-camera-ricoh-pentax-6.html#ixzz4oJwBGRln

Take care & Happy Shooting!

Heritage Cameras · Jul 30, 2017

TacticDesigns said:
Ok, here's an old idea I had back in 2012.

A "flippable" or "switchable" exposure mode dial.

My wish was for a retro Pentax.

I wanted (and still want) a Pentax with a proper shutter speed dial. (And I guess, also the ability to use the aperture dial on the lens.)

But, I conceded that maybe the target market for Pentax users that want a dedicated shutter speed dial may be low.

So I suggested having a flippable exposure mode dial.

On one side of the dial you have shutter speeds. And if you flip it over, you then have the more contemporary exposure mode dial with P, A, S, M and scene modes.

That's an interesting idea, and it has been tried before:

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/eos/eoscamera/EOS700/index.htm

TacticDesigns · Jul 30, 2017

Heritage Cameras said:
TacticDesigns said:

Ok, here's an old idea I had back in 2012.

A "flippable" or "switchable" exposure mode dial.

My wish was for a retro Pentax.

I wanted (and still want) a Pentax with a proper shutter speed dial. (And I guess, also the ability to use the aperture dial on the lens.)

But, I conceded that maybe the target market for Pentax users that want a dedicated shutter speed dial may be low.

So I suggested having a flippable exposure mode dial.

On one side of the dial you have shutter speeds. And if you flip it over, you then have the more contemporary exposure mode dial with P, A, S, M and scene modes.

Click to expand...

That's an interesting idea, and it has been tried before:

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/eos/eoscamera/EOS700/index.htm

Heritage Cameras · Jul 30, 2017

TacticDesigns said:
Heritage Cameras said:

TacticDesigns said:

Ok, here's an old idea I had back in 2012.

A "flippable" or "switchable" exposure mode dial.

On one side of the dial you have shutter speeds. And if you flip it over, you then have the more contemporary exposure mode dial with P, A, S, M and scene modes.

Click to expand...

That's an interesting idea, and it has been tried before:

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/eos/eoscamera/EOS700/index.htm

Click to expand...

TacticDesigns · Jul 31, 2017

Heritage Cameras said:
TacticDesigns said:

Heritage Cameras said:

TacticDesigns said:

Ok, here's an old idea I had back in 2012.

A "flippable" or "switchable" exposure mode dial.

On one side of the dial you have shutter speeds. And if you flip it over, you then have the more contemporary exposure mode dial with P, A, S, M and scene modes.

Click to expand...

That's an interesting idea, and it has been tried before:

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/eos/eoscamera/EOS700/index.htm

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

TacticDesigns · Jul 31, 2017

Ok.

Here's a goofy idea I came up with this weekend.

I went to a water park with my family and a bunch of friends.

I took my Fujifilm XP80 waterproof camera.

I didn't bother taking my cellphone because my wife was taking hers. Once we met up in the park, my wife just put her phone in a locker.

But . . . it got me to thinking . . .

How about a waterproof compact camera, like my Fujifilm XP80, but a bit larger.

But inside, it is just empty space.

The empty space is an expansion bay.

If Fujifilm made a "cellphone" module, when I didn't want to carry around a separate phone, I could just toss my SIM card into the Fujifilm Cellphone module and toss it into my waterproof camera and . . . I've got a waterproof camera + cellphone!

If I don't want the cellphone module, I can just toss in an extra battery and I have a waterproof camera that lasts longer between battery changes! Great for snorkeling!!!

LOL!

Take care & Happy Shooting!

TacticDesigns · Aug 2, 2017

Ok. Not sure if any camera does this.

But . . . have the ability to define the format of the filename of the pictures being stored.

So . . . for instance, I could have the camera put the date + time at the front of the filename, followed by the conventional picture filename.

Such as . . .

2017-08-02-12hh30mm06DCP0001.jpg

That way, when I grab pictures and simply toss them into a folder, they all get sorted chronologically, and . . . I know exactly when they are taken.

For that matter, let other format be made.

Like . . . if shooting portraits at a school, have the format . . .

<date><Name of School><Session?or Class?><filename>

But all done in camera.

As it stands, I have Lightroom apply the 1st format to my pictures as I import them into Lightroom. And for JPG vacation pictures that don't get imported into Lightroom, I use a program called NAMEXIF that is able to do that formatting to JPGs directly.

Does any camera do that?

Take care & Happy Shooting!

NowHearThis · Aug 2, 2017

For all manufacturers:

Sweep Panorama like the iPhone with onscreen panorama build up, also you should be able to stop the panorama with any button push. Panorama should sync with the orientation sensor and resolution should be 80% of the vertical or horizontal axis, depending on the orientation of the camera. Example you have a 24mp camera with 6000px on the horizontal axis, when you have the camera in portrait orientation the panorama should be 4800x##### Pixels long.
In-camera Background Defocus, yes it's not as good as a good prime, but so what. If a cell phone can do it (regardless of the result and speaking about camera features only) a camera should have it and do it better. For people who never buy more than the kit lens, this might help them take more pleasing people photos.

TacticDesigns · Aug 2, 2017

NowHearThis said:
For all manufacturers:

Sweep Panorama like the iPhone with onscreen panorama build up, also you should be able to stop the panorama with any button push. Panorama should sync with the orientation sensor and resolution should be 80% of the vertical or horizontal axis, depending on the orientation of the camera. Example you have a 24mp camera with 6000px on the horizontal axis, when you have the camera in portrait orientation the panorama should be 4800x##### Pixels long.

In-camera Background Defocus, yes it's not as good as a good prime, but so what. If a cell phone can do it (regardless of the result and speaking about camera features only) a camera should have it and do it better. For people who never buy more than the kit lens, this might help them take more pleasing people photos.

FrancoD · Aug 2, 2017

I posted this before...

Features like sweep panorama and de-focusing are typically patented and often not by camera companies.

Therefore they all cost money to implement.

How many features do you want to pay for with your next camera ?

This is one such firm :
https://www.fotonation.com/products/

However camera companies like Canon and Fuji in particular, hold many thousands of patents and that is why I mentioned that the major cost in a camera is not the components but (often, not always...) the R&D that goes with it and to that yes you need to add paying for the use of all those existing patents that are included .
better link :
https://www.fotonation.com/technologies/

FrancoD · Aug 2, 2017

A quick Google search came up with this :

5) Digital camera with voice recognition annotation

We can see how this could be cool, but can also see how it never caught on… The camera contains multiple apparatus to capture and store images, sound and text, which would be neat if you wanted to record some information about the photo you just took. But as the patent points out, you can’t print sound: any audio recordings attached to an image would show up as text. It doesn’t clarify where that text would be printed.

Just one of thousands.

So we could be ranting and raving here about why and why not when the idea has already been patented therefore it cost money to implement.
As an example , in a 10 year period Canon was awarded over 27.000 patents.
The following year, 2016, Canon was granted 3.665 patents.Sony was not far behind.

NowHearThis · Aug 2, 2017

FrancoD said:
I posted this before...

Features like sweep panorama and de-focusing are typically patented and often not by camera companies.

Therefore they all cost money to implement.

How many features do you want to pay for with your next camera ?

No offense, my post had nothing to do with this. I merely responded to the OP request to (this is not verbatim) 'toss in your suggestions'. The OP did not put in stipulations such as patent ownership, etc. So I put out two thoughts without regard to those. Mainly I just listed 2 features not in my camera that I would like to have and thought maybe one or two others might agree with me and want them too

FrancoD said:
This is one such firm :
https://www.fotonation.com/products/

However camera companies like Canon and Fuji in particular, hold many thousands of patents and that is why I mentioned that the major cost in a camera is not the components but (often, not always...) the R&D that goes with it and to that yes you need to add paying for the use of all those existing patents that are included .
better link :
https://www.fotonation.com/technologies/

TacticDesigns · Aug 2, 2017

NowHearThis said:
FrancoD said:

I posted this before...

Features like sweep panorama and de-focusing are typically patented and often not by camera companies.

Therefore they all cost money to implement.

How many features do you want to pay for with your next camera ?

Click to expand...

No offense, my post had nothing to do with this. I merely responded to the OP request to (this is not verbatim) 'toss in your suggestions'. The OP did not put in stipulations such as patent ownership, etc. So I put out two thoughts without regard to those. Mainly I just listed 2 features not in my camera that I would like to have and thought maybe one or two others might agree with me and want them too

+1

Absolutely!

Basically, I just meant this as kinda a brain storming session.

The kind where there's no wrong answers, just ideas.

Take care & Happy Shooting!

NowHearThis said:
NowHearThis said:

This is one such firm :
https://www.fotonation.com/products/

However camera companies like Canon and Fuji in particular, hold many thousands of patents and that is why I mentioned that the major cost in a camera is not the components but (often, not always...) the R&D that goes with it and to that yes you need to add paying for the use of all those existing patents that are included .
better link :
https://www.fotonation.com/technologies/

Click to expand...

NowHearThis · Aug 2, 2017

TacticDesigns said:
NowHearThis said:

For all manufacturers:

Sweep Panorama like the iPhone with onscreen panorama build up, also you should be able to stop the panorama with any button push. Panorama should sync with the orientation sensor and resolution should be 80% of the vertical or horizontal axis, depending on the orientation of the camera. Example you have a 24mp camera with 6000px on the horizontal axis, when you have the camera in portrait orientation the panorama should be 4800x##### Pixels long.

In-camera Background Defocus, yes it's not as good as a good prime, but so what. If a cell phone can do it (regardless of the result and speaking about camera features only) a camera should have it and do it better. For people who never buy more than the kit lens, this might help them take more pleasing people photos.

Click to expand...

FrancoD · Aug 2, 2017

NowHearThis said:
NowHearThis said:

RE: Sweep Panorama

I think a lot of compacts have that. I know my Fujifilm XP80 has it.

Click to expand...

No I don't think it does and no they don't. I did not ask for Sony's low res sweep panorama or others knockoff attempts. I asked for an enhanced version of Apple's panorama mode.

Ignored here but yes patents do have something to do with this... https://9to5mac.com/2016/03/15/apple-patent-panorama/

you can't just use a patented idea , first you need to apply to the patent holder for the right to use it, next you have to pay for it.

FrancoD · Aug 2, 2017

Here is a real example of why sometimes a good idea or a feature already existing in another product can't be used.

Minolta invented the Through The Lens (TTL) flash metering.

It was a big step at the time.

Olympus bought the rights to use that patent for a period of time. It was used from 1975 in the OM2.

I don't know how long that was but Minolta itself did not use its own patent till the CLE, produced in 1981.

The first Nikon with TTL flash was the F3 (I think...) in 1980

Canon started in 1986 with the T90 (yes 14 years after Olympus) so my guess is that Olympus bought the rights to that patent for 5 years.

Now , is Apple sharing the rights to its own patents ?

Maybe yes, maybe not , just like the rest.

Suggestions to camera manufacturers . . .

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