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| OK, the face detection box here is easy to see, and even color-coordinated in a Christmasy way. But in other times and places that fixed color could be well-nigh invisible. |
As a camera reviewer, part of my job is to find faults with cameras. Of course what I dislike isn't what another user might dislike. But I do have a pet peeve which you may also share. And if you don't, maybe I can convince you otherwise.
Long have I complained about the color of the autofocus box displayed in a camera's EVF, and on its back LCD, which in certain situations can make it hard to see what is indicated as in-focus, rendering it pretty much useless.
Most of the major manufacturers are guilty of this crime, despite each one wanting to have its own unique look to its UI. Sometimes we're given the classic little green box that frames a subject's eye, or dances around the profile of their face. Sometimes it's a very unobtrusive (read impossible to see) whisper gray outline, which certainly does not distract from the view, but demands a lot of trust from the user.
There is nothing wrong with a manufacturer having its own style, but why can't anybody give the user the simple option to customize the colors to their own preference?
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Finer Points: Ideas for issues big and small About this series: |
There is good reason to be able to give users control of the color. Many times I have been frustrated to find a bright green box against a viewfinder full of foliage. Yellow and white boxes are particularly annoying to manage because our home town of Alberta, Canada is basically a blanket of white snow, giving way to a field of yellow grass for six months of the year. Then comes summertime and we are back to that pesky green stuff again! Gray AF boxes in urban landscapes – I could go on and on.
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Gray colored AF boxes can be difficult to follow with the eye. Especially in a fast action situation. |
Beyond the challenge of the autofocus box blending into a similar background, which is merely annoying, there's also the issue of refusing to address accessibility in technology when it's easily made possible by most modern cameras.
What if the user is color-blind in some way? Red and green, the two colors most commonly associated with color-blindness, also seem to be the most commonly utilized AF box colors. Unchangeable autofocus color can go beyond simple inconvenience, and become an issue of accessibility for users with disabilities.
I have to believe that allowing the user to customize the color of their AF box is easier to implement than, say, almost any other camera design issue ever.
Now I'm no photographic engineer or software coder, but I have to believe that allowing the user to customize the color of their AF box is easier to implement than, say, almost any other camera design issue ever. Canon incorporates colors like purple, which are not commonly seen but seem to contrast clearly with a wide variety of backgrounds. But what I'd like to see is a choice of at least a few colors from which the user can select.
Nikon recently implemented a firmware update with its Z9 camera, allowing you to switch between a white or red indicator. A step in the right direction, but still limited.
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The green auto-focus box contrasts clearly against this subject . Had the focus box been on green foliage it could have been another story entirely. |
Wouldn't it be great, though, if we could customize the color ourselves? Allow us to set simple RGB values to create our own palette. Let me have an easy-to-see pink focus indicator which then lights up blue when autofocus is confirmed. Or let me have white and grey indicators if I want, but put the choice in my hands. Whether it's to visualize the boxes more effectively or just to add our own personal touch, I feel like this would be an elegant solution.
Undoubtedly this simple change would please a lot of users. It'll please the engineers too, because they're tired of listening to me complain about it.
Are there other levels of customization in your cameras user interface that you would like to have control over? Share your wishlist in the comments and let the community discuss the future possibilities.
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