john_van_v
Well-known
A train of thought started in my mind when I stumbled upon a picture of the Fuji Natrua Classica.
This ideal camera would have a variety of screw in and screw on components.
Imagine this little plastic camera with the following:
I have also been focusing thought on light meters lately, and I conceived of a thumb and index finger arragement that might give more power to the photographer. Rather than having the two controls as aperture and speed, use the electronic capabilites to make them EV value and aperature/speed ratio. The thumb would control the brightness or darkness in relation to the metering system, and the index finger would control the depth of field (and level of bokah, of course).
Key to these ideas are the component design technologies that were introduced by IBM with the first "open systems" PC. I worked in financial technology for the "hey-day" decade of technology, and have since been supporting the next wave of technology with my writing in collaboration with the L4 OS community.
Using the well proven open design philosophy, technology would allow all these components to be built by anyone, at any level of quality (good or bad) that would fit the system for a variety of prices. The components each photographer would need would be limited to the needs of the photography situation, and all components, including the basic "chassis," would be available from secondary markets, and would be prices according to the public's perception of quality.
Like the PC computer design, the parts would fit the "backwardly-compatible model," within reason. PC motherboard manufacturers, for instance, have been very supportive of older components, eliminating "legacy" interfaces only after the components using them have long been obsolete, if at all.
Knowing Kobayashi's interest and support for "old school" photo journalistic photography, he is almost as a Santa Claus, and Cosina's energy in innovation, I have tagged this camera concept the Kobayashi-san Component Camera.
In fact, the reason I posted my questions about Kobayashi-san in an earlier thread is that the concept I was developing seemed a prefect fit for the philosphy Kobayashi has been pursuing by helping create the recent RF rennaisance.
As you are all engineers, I am hoping you might be intrigued by my component concept. If you are, please tell me how you feel about this.
John
Notes:
** I have found that the tiny screens on the backs of digital cameras are worse than useless; I propose the small off-camera screens that motion video directors use.
This ideal camera would have a variety of screw in and screw on components.
Imagine this little plastic camera with the following:
- Optional screw-on mounting components for 39mm for LTM and early Zenit, and bayonet for Leica M, Contax, and Nikon, along with its presently available Fuji auto-focus system.
- A back that would be interchangeable for film and digital, and the digital back would be a retro-fit of currently available sensor technology, in all its various sizes: true 35mm, 4/3, and point-n-shoot postage stamp sensors.
- The thumb and index finger controls of the Petri Color 35 for aperture and shutter speed.
- A top-mounted rangefinder that would also be a viewfinder and would be removable and interchangeable. Besides the usual mirror arrangement, imagine it in either radar or sonar configurations form widely available parts that are used in robots. I am still trying to conceive of how the view finder controls would work for this, but they would look so cool in a viewfinder like my 24mm Voigt.
- TTL metering integrated with the on-top rangefinder.
I have also been focusing thought on light meters lately, and I conceived of a thumb and index finger arragement that might give more power to the photographer. Rather than having the two controls as aperture and speed, use the electronic capabilites to make them EV value and aperature/speed ratio. The thumb would control the brightness or darkness in relation to the metering system, and the index finger would control the depth of field (and level of bokah, of course).
Key to these ideas are the component design technologies that were introduced by IBM with the first "open systems" PC. I worked in financial technology for the "hey-day" decade of technology, and have since been supporting the next wave of technology with my writing in collaboration with the L4 OS community.
Using the well proven open design philosophy, technology would allow all these components to be built by anyone, at any level of quality (good or bad) that would fit the system for a variety of prices. The components each photographer would need would be limited to the needs of the photography situation, and all components, including the basic "chassis," would be available from secondary markets, and would be prices according to the public's perception of quality.
Like the PC computer design, the parts would fit the "backwardly-compatible model," within reason. PC motherboard manufacturers, for instance, have been very supportive of older components, eliminating "legacy" interfaces only after the components using them have long been obsolete, if at all.
Knowing Kobayashi's interest and support for "old school" photo journalistic photography, he is almost as a Santa Claus, and Cosina's energy in innovation, I have tagged this camera concept the Kobayashi-san Component Camera.
In fact, the reason I posted my questions about Kobayashi-san in an earlier thread is that the concept I was developing seemed a prefect fit for the philosphy Kobayashi has been pursuing by helping create the recent RF rennaisance.
As you are all engineers, I am hoping you might be intrigued by my component concept. If you are, please tell me how you feel about this.
John
Notes:
** I have found that the tiny screens on the backs of digital cameras are worse than useless; I propose the small off-camera screens that motion video directors use.
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