Make it a Little Better
Modern cameras are amazing. Mostly. Even if some of the smart technology and convenience lags behind phones, they are still wonderful pieces of technology. But there are a few obvious small design changes could make them better.
(Some of these suggestions are admittedly my preferences. We all work differently with different needs so my preferences won’t necessarily match another photographer’s. But it does seem to me that some design choices are just better than others.)
In no particular order:
Almost every camera has a system for attaching a strap, and most of them are tiny little metal hoops that look like they were glued on after the camera was made. Even Leica does it. You then attach a little metal loop and then some method to stop that loop scratching the camera. How is that a good design?! Sony has a better design on the ZV-E10 but they still stick out. Only Canon does it well, integrated into the body for any strap to attach without little extra hoops.
When I connect my Panasonic (or it’s SD card) to my iPad, it appears as ‘Lumix’ in iOS Files. With my Sony or Fuji, it appears as ‘Unknown’. Why? It’s not a problem, just a little reminder of something that could be better. Like a scratch or disappointing rattle on your new car.
I don’t think many photographers need dedicated ‘PASM’ or mode dials. To me, the physical buttons and dials on my camera should be for the stuff I need to change often, during a photoshoot. Most photographers I know either shoot in manual or aperture priority, and don’t switch. So why have a big prominent dial? Let me assign ‘modes’ to a dial if I want to, and choose which modes it will toggle between.
Give me the option to fix a setting, such as shutter speed. I almost always record video at 24fps for example, so I want the shutter speed fixed at 1/48s or 1/50s. I don’t want it assigned to a dial that I might (and do) knock accidentally. Even my Panasonic with shutter angle won’t let me leave it entirely fixed. Let me assigned whatever function I want to each dial, including ‘none’.
Leica knows that simplicity is generally a better design. Less buttons, and fewer labels on the buttons. So I’m disappointed to see that the new M11 has a ‘clickable’ control dial. I get the idea of adding functionality while keeping the visual design simple, but it’s a bad idea. Any clickable dial is going to get clicked accidentally, especially if your hands are cold or you’re wearing gloves.
Have any of the camera manufacturers managed to produce a good phone app yet? Fujifilm is was unreliable when I was using it to transfer photos. Panasonic seems to work well for transferring images but doesn’t seem to transfer GPS data. The Sony app doesn’t have a good reputation but at least the GPS transfer seems reliable.
In the race for better specs, I’d still rather have these things fixed for a better all-round experience.
Maybe these sound trivial, but I was also thinking that it’s the small things that we too, as individuals, do that can make a difference. The little, everyday actions that might seem trivial. We might not be able to fix global pollution, but we can pick up some trash. We might not be able to write a 500 page novel but we can write the first page (or a poem or a short story). Small steps, small habits, small improvements. The big stuff is daunting and overwhelming, but the next little step in the right direction usually isn’t.
