No LCD digital camera. Will we see it soon?

Just looking at Luigi's cases for the Leica X1. Love that back flap. Turn the LCD off, never open the flap and no nose grease or fingerprints on the screen.

Battery life is far improved without the LCD screen and the AF assist lamp.:D

All these years and we still haven't simplified digital cameras enough to do away with silly LCDs....:rolleyes: None of my Leica film cameras have an LCD screen. Why can't a photographer take a decent photograph in digital without a screen and menus? Seriously. Why can't engineers do that one simple thing? And histograms....reallly...
 
paulfish4570 said:
i'd like to do away with the screen on my x100; in fact, i use it almost totally for parameter changes; those could be made en viewfinder. i see each image i shoot very briefly in the viewfinder. i know right then whether i need to move the EV dial up or down to bracket. images on the lcd tell me so little they are useless. ...
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I'm with ya! I actually wish it had a screen like the RD1 or GH1/2 that you could turn around and not see at all.
 
The only time I use the screen on my RD1 is to format the card, the rest of the time its hidden away..
On my XP1 I rairly use the screen - but then I ilke the fun of finding out if it all worked as expected wen I get home... :)
 
thirtyfivefifty said:
I just turn my LCD off when I shoot....
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Sure.
I already mention that.

jarski said:
looking how "normal people" :p use their cameras, raise it arm length and check LCD, press button with flash always on, and chimp. they dont want another gadget to view, even less to edit it.

gear heads/enthusiasts/pro's have tethered options already for their expensive gear.

so, am also in "never" camp.
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Please re-read my post, I am *not* talking about how typically people use cameras these days. This is for those who like to shoot uninterrupted.
If you never feel interrupted by the presence of a big LCD in the back, no problem, but you're not the one I'm intending to discuss.


gns said:
LCD is pretty helpful to check histogram, etc.
When I don't need or want it, I just turn it off. Anyone can do the same and work just like they did with film.
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Sure, a small monochrome LCD displaying histogram, ISO, and card capacity would be very useful.


Archlich said:
Being able to view the result instantly is one of the primary strength of digital photography.

It is possible, though, that a very specialized manufacturer produce a camera without a screen for a niche market only...at a price of like $7,995.
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Strength for whom? professionals, I agree wholeheartedly.
But not for those who take pictures as a hobby or pursuit.
If you concentrate more at seeing interesting things as you walk around, guess what, you will see more interesting things.

Chimping is not good if you want to improve your composition skills.


tbarker13 said:
Going to have to vote Never on this one.
Almost like asking when they are going to come out with a car that has no tires.
While a few people may despise those screens, the vast majority uses love them, or at least find them to be very useful tools.
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Are you saying you cannot use a digital camera that does not have a big LCD in the back? How come?
A simple film camera has only two dials and a shutter button.

If you are saying that you don't prefer it, that's okay. But that does not invalidate the design nor my question.
 
paulfish4570 said:
i'd like to do away with the screen on my x100; in fact, i use it almost totally for parameter changes; those could be made en viewfinder. i see each image i shoot very briefly in the viewfinder. i know right then whether i need to move the EV dial up or down to bracket. images on the lcd tell me so little they are useless. a wi-fi connection to my kindle fire would be way cool. that screen is big enough and good enough to tell me if i need to spend more time on some subject. i reckon the same could be said for any of the various 'pads. phone screen size/resolution - if big enough - would help, too.
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Paul, I agree.
I love shooting with film. Partly because I have no idea whether I got a picture or not, I have to be confident enough with my skill to avoid severe frustration of getting 100% duds. And that's what pushes me forward to be better next time.


jsrockit said:
I can honestly see this happening now that EVF cameras are becoming more of the norm. Anything displayed on the LCD can be seen in the EVF. Menus can be seen in the EVF.
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I didn't even think about the EVF.
I wonder if it has the same distracting effect though.

DRabbit said:
I'm with ya! I actually wish it had a screen like the RD1 or GH1/2 that you could turn around and not see at all.
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Even better, if your images are transmitted to your smartphone or tablet, you don't even have the bulk of the LCD at all.

Imagine a Ricoh GRD size without an LCD. Instead, now you have space for an OVF / EVF hybrid and a beefy CPU for image processing.


Gazzah said:
The only time I use the screen on my RD1 is to format the card, the rest of the time its hidden away..
On my XP1 I rairly use the screen - but then I ilke the fun of finding out if it all worked as expected wen I get home... :)
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You read my mind, my friend.
 
shadowfox said:
Are you saying you cannot use a digital camera that does not have a big LCD in the back? How come?
A simple film camera has only two dials and a shutter button.

If you are saying that you don't prefer it, that's okay. But that does not invalidate the design nor my question.
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Not what I am saying at all. I see the LCD as a tool.
Neither am I trying to invalidate your question.
But I don't think the world is going to provide the answer you want for your question.
There just aren't enough people out there who feel that strongly about shooting without an LCD. Not enough to justify the production of such a camera.
Of course someone could make one. But the price would be astronomical for the company to recoup its development/production costs from a tiny pool of customers.
 
shadowfox said:
The idea is not to chimp.
I thought I was clear on this up there.

Your phone stays in your pocket or bag.
You shoot.

You take a break, pull up the phone, and review at your leisure.
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I am probably missing the point here, as I expect someone would have mentioned this already if it fit the bill. But basically, I believe the camera you seek is here, provided you have some tape to cover the LCD on the back of it.

Fujfilm announces XP170 waterproof compact with wireless image transfer
 
shadowfox said:
I didn't even think about the EVF.
I wonder if it has the same distracting effect though.
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Of course it does...even worse. However, for the few times you need the menu, it wouldn't be a big deal. The Fuji cameras work this way and I would imagine many others do too.
 
I don't see dropping the LCD for a Bluetooth link, but on the very small cameras, dropping the LCD for an NEX-style eye-level viewfinder on a super-premium, super-small compact...

That i'd like.
 
never I hope!

The RD-1 is about as close to not having the LCD as you can get ... plus it's so small it's a little difficult to use with aging eyes. With limited digital dynamic range I don't like guessing when a shot is important ... the histogram is something that all photographers would loved to have had throughout history, film or digital! To remove this option from a camera is paramount to vandalism IMO! :D
 
That woukld be awesome....hate lcd screens....

on my rd1s i had to use it, cos the framelines were so erratic, but on my m8 m9 i don´t...the monochrom m cried to let go the lcd....but i think this helps a lot of people...anyway at least we have a monchrom leica to keep on wondering about an free lcd camera...
 
shadowfox said:
So here's my question to you:

So how soon do you guys think we'll see a camera without LCD? Images are sent directly to your smartphone via Bluetooth.

<snip>

The benefits that I can see:
- You don't chimp, instead you concentrate and become more aware of both your surroundings (more photo opportunity) and your camera settings (makes you more confident on your own judgements)

- You can review *and* edit your images in a more leisurely manner when you stop at the cafe or what have you (especially for you iPad / Tablet users)

- One step faster to upload your images (although Eye-Fi may already do this, I have no experience with it)

- other benefits... ?

Technical things aside, I do think that this will cause us to be able to pace ourselves better when we are out there shooting. It separates shooting time vs review time and more importantly it brings us closer to the experience of shooting with film.
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I'll post this again. Does this camera not already meet one of your two primary characteristics?

Fujfilm announces XP170 waterproof compact with wireless image transfer

If you simply tape an opaque cover over the LCD, this camera satisfies both of the characteristics you stipulated.

All of the benefits you listed above apply. The only time you'd have to lift the cover is to change a setting that is only accessible via a menu setting.

I doubt any manufacturer will eliminate the LCD screen any time soon, but the XP170 (and similar WIFI enabled cameras) enable the working style you described.

It's here. You can do it now.
 
Gazzah said:
The only time I use the screen on my RD1 is to format the card, the rest of the time its hidden away..
On my XP1 I rairly use the screen - but then I ilke the fun of finding out if it all worked as expected wen I get home... :)
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The good lord gave us film for that sort of thrill ride! :p
 
PKR said:
I was told a story by a photographer: This guy was out in public with a view camera - tripod mounted etc. Some school kids came buy asking what he was doing. He stopped his work to talk to them. They asked if they could look into the back of the camera. He said fine and opend the lens up so they would have a bright image for viewing. One kid commented that his camera had the biggest LCD screen he had ever seen ..
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That is too funny!!:D
 
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