OT (maybe): DMD
- Thread starter peterc
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 6
- Views 623
Robin Harrison
aka Harrison Cronbi
You beat me by two minutes! I was just about to post about this. I agree almost completely with this design philosophy apart from this bit:
"Controls:
Minimal. Just a fingerwheel for EV shift and an exposure compensation dial. Manual exposure setting would be possible, but from the menu."
No no no. I would want a manual shutter speed dial (with an A setting if required), an aperture dial (with an A setting as and when required), and a manual ISO dial (with an A setting as desired). I think this triangle exposure relationship should be exposed as much as possible, and this set up allows for anything from complete auto to complete manual.
I would also prefer rangefinder focussing to auto-focus.
As soon as they build something similar to this (or a 1.6x crop sensor in a GR1, or a Hexar, or similar) the credit card will be coming out to play.
"Controls:
Minimal. Just a fingerwheel for EV shift and an exposure compensation dial. Manual exposure setting would be possible, but from the menu."
No no no. I would want a manual shutter speed dial (with an A setting if required), an aperture dial (with an A setting as and when required), and a manual ISO dial (with an A setting as desired). I think this triangle exposure relationship should be exposed as much as possible, and this set up allows for anything from complete auto to complete manual.
I would also prefer rangefinder focussing to auto-focus.
As soon as they build something similar to this (or a 1.6x crop sensor in a GR1, or a Hexar, or similar) the credit card will be coming out to play.
GeneW
Veteran
Mike Johnston isn't the first to suggest this type of camera, but he always expresses himself well. I would be delighted if such a camera were on the market.
Gene
Gene
peterc
Heretic
what I'd like to see beyond Mike's suggestions are manual exposure and a really good native B&W mode.
Peter
Peter
DougK
This space left blank
I'm tired of endless SLRs, SLR-like cameras, and cameras that are too bloody small or weird-shaped to hold properly. What I'd like to see would look very much like a "baby Hasselblad." Here's my dream feature list:
EDIT: One more thing... it should accept a bog-standard mechanical cable release or come with an included remote control of some kind.
- A high-megapixel, low-noise square sensor capable of ISO 1600 with image quality at that sensitivity on a par with the Canon full-frame DSLRs.
- Top-mounted high-resolution 2.5" or bigger LCD with a collapsable viewing hood.
- A PC-sync socket or hot shoe to connect an external flash.
- A real shutter speed dial.
- A real aperture ring.
- Either a fixed fast normal-length prime lens or a fast 28-90mm equivalent manually-controlled zoom lens (no slower than f/3.5 at the telephoto end). Lens should have a macro mode.
- Autofocus is fine and it should be reasonably fast in all light levels. Manually focusing the lens with a distance scale displayed should be an option, preferably controlled by a twist ring. Sony's Hologram AF would be awesome for low-light focusing.
- Program (with program shift), aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and metered-manual modes only. No stupid scene modes. No movie mode; if I wanted to shoot movies I'd get a video camera. Mode-switching should be accomplished by changing the aperture and/or shutter controls as in the Pentax 645.
- On-demand live histogram and composition grid.
- Easily accessible ISO and white balance controls; don't make me wade through a menu to get to them.
- RAW format only as in the Sigma SD10, but use the Adobe DNG RAW format.
- Enough buffer memory to handle at least one shot every three seconds. I wouldn't object to faster shooting speeds but not at the expense of any other feature on this list.
- Compact Flash and SD/MMC slots.
- A metal tripod mount located along the centerline of the lens.
- A battery capable of all-day shooting.
- Price < US$1,000.00.
EDIT: One more thing... it should accept a bog-standard mechanical cable release or come with an included remote control of some kind.
Last edited:
Finder
Veteran
And we should abolish death and taxes.
DougK
This space left blank
What's unreasonable about my feature list?
I'm not talking about a camera that's all that much different than a digital SLR or a Sony R-1. Every feature I've listed above except a square-format sensor exists on the market today in one camera or another... just not in the same camera or in my specified body design. I prefer working with TLRs and MF cameras with waist-level finders and I shoot from a tripod at least a third of the time, so that shapes my expectations of what a camera should be for my type of shooting.
My price point is probably pie-in-the-sky; I'm willing to concede that point.
I'm not talking about a camera that's all that much different than a digital SLR or a Sony R-1. Every feature I've listed above except a square-format sensor exists on the market today in one camera or another... just not in the same camera or in my specified body design. I prefer working with TLRs and MF cameras with waist-level finders and I shoot from a tripod at least a third of the time, so that shapes my expectations of what a camera should be for my type of shooting.
My price point is probably pie-in-the-sky; I'm willing to concede that point.
Similar threads
