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 1600
- 10ms global shutter or equivalent readout, maybe reduced pixel count, but full sensor area
- allow basic flash sync using electronic shutter (ex. @ 1/100 or faster)
- sync speed allow 1/800 (maybe mecanical shutter or combined)
- IBIS would be very nice, maybe acceptable for video with additional digital (cropped) 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 ??(somethink like Sony A99 II, or Sony A6600, or Fujifilm x-T3, but flip sideways the other side and full 180 deg to get the selfie mode)
- 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)
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). Tripod would not block
- no need for hotshoe, use lateral sync/trigger interface (similar Nikon gps interface)
- 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, 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)
- built-in fast 512GB memory, additional single SD card slot, cover not blocked by tripod
Processing:
- capture control:
- speedy AF options
- 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
- 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, also 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 ?
- save lighting settings to exif (just an idea.. like flash power, flash count..)
Lenses:
see You later… or maybe first ?
??