Ok why not,
Every now and then someone is posting his/her wish new specs of an updated camera + lenses, so here is my try. Maybe someone is listening ?? Here my list for a complete new camera version..
What i learned from:
- i know and used to love 35mm film slr cameras. Love the resolution, especially of the viewfinder, but not friend of big bags and autofocus.
- compact MFT camera. Like the compact style and DOF advantage, but know (current) limitation of ISO/noise, lens diffraction (at closed apertures) and terrible resolution penalty if choosing anything but 4/3 ratio
What i am thinking of:
- a body usefull for travelling first and all sorts of photography, and eventually video clips
- a lens combo for the use cases:
- travel
- street
- social events, fashion runway
- sports events
- wildlife (no underwater for now)
- landscape, sky (no drone for now)
- fashion studio
- products and macro
Sensor:
- Well, my favorite would be m4/3 but (considering that i wish some wider lenses and not be so limited with aperture diffraction effect) now consider APS-C or at least M43 multi-aspect style
- 40MP output with lots of PDAF pixels (which could be also polarising or any helper tec if phase pixel is «prohibited»..), Image ratio 3:2 (or at least no pixel penalty choosing 3:2, maybe using multi-aspect sensor)
- Multi base ISO (at least 2 values), example: ISO 50, ISO 1200
- 10ms global shutter or equivalent readout, maybe reduced pixel count, but full sensor area
- allow electronic shutter for basic flash sync (ex. @ 1/100 or faster) and long exposure (at least up to 20 sec)
- flash sync speed up to 1/800 (maybe mecanical shutter or combined)
- IBIS would be very nice, maybe acceptable for video with additional digital (cropped, 4k remaining) IBIS
Body:
something between Nikon-z5 having a nice grip and some rotary dials on top, but not bulk for viewfinder or whatever. Maybe some combo grip/gimbal like holding grip, could also be some sort of half-circle grip, something for easy portait/landscape/selfie mode shift.
Lateral interface for camera-sync, camera-control (include focus motor control output for cine lenses), speedlight trigger and gps, gimbal and video out like Fujifilm X-E4 having a flat top, and Panasonic DMC-GX8 viewfinder (below more about viewfinder). No need for top display if there are marks on the dials (would like to add some «fake» picture here for the body)
Display:
- well. i want all flexible, but tilt-up first (for hip-shots and low level snaps), plus selfie mode, tilt also useful for portait mode please ! like Lumix S1H yeaah.(edited this, because only recently i found the demo of that)
- if main display not usable for selfie mode: maybe second mini front display like some GoPro (or mini selfie camera on back next to the viewfinder)
- Touch of course, usable for menus and focus point(s)
- or maybe touch only (for focus points), and no visible display at all (save battery), only use viewfinder + external display or smartphone ?? (yes, this one contradicts the above, sorry)
- joystick control not required (I havent got used to it, i dont miss it..)
Viewfinder:
- with diopter adjustments apt for users wearing glasses and distant viewing
- Flexible like Panasonic DMC-GX8 would be cool, but could also be fixed angle 45 or 60 degrees like birding scopes ;). Yes i mean it ! (flexible is so cool on the GX8, but maybe fragile and you could use the top part for some mini display, connector or some extra button, although – no extra bulk please) – or rotary just 2 positions: normal back and from top (I had this style for a classic camera..)
Interfaces:
- Nice battery and option for external power (unified, together with speedlights etc, USB is ok too as long as it does not block video out, or trigger wires). Tripod would not block
- no need for hotshoe, use lateral sync/trigger interface (similar Nikon gps interface, or Sigma FP-L EVF dock)
- trigger output to speedlight by wifi 2.4G, set coding for any manufactorer via camera firmware plugin, via sync auto-detection on speedlight receiver or (new) standard protocol
- audio in/out by universal bluetooth or wifi, although traditional mic input would be nice
- usb-c/thunderbolt/hdmi out/in for image transmission and/or camera control, optional for use as audio input, maybe additional GB-LAN
- trigger input for shutter and focus control (allow by raspberry pi…), maybe using same usb and/or wifi. Allow external focus «helper» to set or «push» focus in camera, or external gimbal, maybe based on video output and other external sensor data.
- in-build mic and speaker, yes.
- Tally led (maybe soft on display on the selfie screen, or on front display, color frame like GH5II is ok)
- built-in fast 512GB memory, additional single SD card slot, cover not blocked by tripod
Processing:
- capture control:
- speedy AF options
- intelligent digital zoom plus: zoom with lens using full sensor where possible, tele additional keep cropping until ex. 12MP limit (showing enlarged on screen, If lens doesn’t talk to body, maybe some turbo switch ??).
- Gimbal sync control, or remote motorized dolly sync
- speedlight control (groups, power, mode…)
- in-build timer: self-timer of course, timelapse, hyper-lapse, also in combination with image series or multi-images
- image series for: action photography, pre-capture, HDR, focus-stacking, de-focus Brenizer stacking, 3D scan (maybe several cameras in sync)
- image – post:
- image compensations: white balance, ND gradient filter (?), color presets (like fujifilm), distortion correction / key-stone
- multi image processing for: HDR, Panorama, Lightpainting/Startrails, Tourist-remover, ND-filter simulation, De/focus-stacking, (double-resolution)
- simple instant backup / social upload / streaming or webcam
- maybe more stuff… like allow firmware/soft plugins for independent developers
Usability:
- give name to custom presets
- give name to manual/vintage lenses (or register some identifier code), and save to exif
- save focus point in exif (show me later on PC, where did the focus hit?), or allow zebra in post ?
- user password, remote block camera, encrypt images (according camera user, configure network key provider) ?
- save lighting settings to exif (just an idea.. like flash power, flash count..)
- (maybe use GPS on power on or after battery swap, for exact time setting and location preset)
Lenses:
see You later… or maybe first ?