The dreary definition of a digital camera is still the same. A camera that used an image sensor instead of film to create images. And that’s just a thimble-full of expectations from a sea of possibilities.
It’s no surprise that the most exciting cameras in the market today are built by the likes of Sony and Panasonic. These are consumer companies that have long understood the idiom of the digital world. At the beginning of their development, watch manufacturers, adept in designing precision mechanics developed cameras because shutter mechanisms and other precision machinery required skilled hands. Optics then took centre-stage. But cameras needed to go through one more turn of the wheel. Let’s face it, the last innovation in the camera industry was the development of the aspherical lens. The current camera innovators are people who understand digital engineering and understand how technology design and marketing differ so much from other fields of endeavour.
Traditional camera giants like Nikon and camera seem to be struggling with the entire concept. Their offerings are still feeble attempts at holding the fort. Although, to be fair, Canon does have a large enough selection and Nikon’s cameras are individually great. However, that is not the end of that story.
Digital technology has its uses and neither of the big boys are getting around to using them. For starters, Both Nikon and Canon are building interchangeable lens SLR cameras that use proprietary lens technologies. Pentax is going the same way. Olympus, on the other hand has embraced the digital path of creating a standard for cameras and lenses with their 4/3 system, developed with Kodak. Several other manufacturers of cameras and lenses have climbed aboard and it will be interesting to watch the future of this system. Like the development of computers in the past two decades, one hopes that prolific development by multiple brands will create better products at cheaper prices. If that happens, the big boys are in for a fight.
The other aspect is the development of interfaces. Canon and Nikon still have tepid interfaces, although the fact that both know their users well, may fare them well. Today, the best interfaces are made by Sony, who obviously spends time and effort on their interface design skills.
Digital cameras are no longer about replacing film, they are a completely new genre of photography. The next path of development will not be about the optics. Lenses have been made before. Perfection has been achieved. Versatility and design excellence are already in place. The next step is digital design.
Digital cameras are already being made that use the white balance feature to extend the camera’s image capability. Adjusting the white balance of a camera can duplicate the effects of colour filters. Some cameras allow you to shade the image in minute progression of any colour, which gives the photographer more options than a bag full of filters.
Imaging the power to split the image into two or moiré levels of sensitivity. So that the bright sky is shot in 100 ISO while the darker landscape is shot in 200 ISO in the same image. Imagine also, the possibility of drawing out the areas that need higher exposure or lower.
Image sensors work through electronic pulses. Mechanical shutters are constrained by physical limitations. There is no reason why a cheaper camera cannot have a shutter speed of 1/5000 of a second or faster. After all, all it needs is a shorter image capture time controlled by an electronic timer.
ISO Boost is another feature gaining ground. Sensors are no longer limited to the sensitivities available on film. 1600 ISO is almost commonplace. We may soon see 3200 ISO sensors available to the mass market soon.
All the world’s image control algorithms are available to the digital camera manufacturer. Image settings and special effects can be dialled in before the shot is taken. Imagine shooting a photograph with an electronic diffuser or colour effect inserted as you shoot.
New features can be downloaded off the web and installed into cameras. This could be the start of a new industry. Olympus, already offers a firmware upgrade for its E-system SLRs. This may become standard on all future digital systems.
For digital cameras of the future, the rules will be re-written by the digital innovators. Like all digital technology products before, the state of the art will be extended every couple of months, instead of the decades that it took in the film era. Perhaps a little more respect for Moore’s Law will do the traditional camera brands a world of good.
