PhotographyBay found an interesting patent for a touchscreen DSLR filed by Canon. No, you will not change the menu with your nose while shooting – the iPhone works in a similar way: it has a sensor that turns off the touchscreen when you get it close to your face. Here is the suggested solution from Canon:
“Specifically, the camera is supposed to allow users to register their dominant eye. The photographer will input whether it is the left or right eye. Then the camera will detect the registered eye when it is brought to the viewfinder. At that point, the camera will disable a portion of the touchscreen that would likely be touched by your face and, therefore, prevent any setting changes. Also, note that the patent covers the possibility that the camera may automatically detect which eye is brought to the viewfinder and disable the appropriate portion of the LCD.”
Related posts:
17 Comments
I cant decide whether its good or bad.
Examples:
Its good because you have less buttons, its bad because touch screen is still IMO very vulnerable, so its probably only for the lower end camera’s at first a nice “WE HAVE IT” gimmick.
… yeah, a gimmick, nothing more. Or just a patent to hinder others from implementing something similar.
i think panasonic had something similar on the G1/GH1 as soon as your eye approaches the EVF the LCD automatically switches off, if it were a touchscreen you wouldn’t have to worry about accidental setting changes.
after canon, pana, and apple, i dont think many idea are still available. so my heart goes for the nikon users who will have to watch their noses when touchscreens become the norm.
seriously, touchscreens are overrated =.=
try it once and you’ll become addicted, i have just one handheld device with touchscreen and after i got used to it, i find my PC monitor too annoying without it.
I own an iPhone so I know how it feels. But seriously, touchscreens has their applications, some product will benefit from it while some not.
Consumers don’t want eye control.
(paraphrased from Canon execs since the EOS-3 was launched)
And with glasses ? this will include an anti-stealing mode with password … camera security control !
by the time you entered the password the subject has gone away!
It’s a ridiculous idea, most serious photographers would be loathed to ever part with their dials and switches. Analogue controls are just faster.
Something tells me that this is a patent designed more to block implementation of such an idea in a M4/3 body.
Read more details on canonrumors.com – you’ll notice an interesting thing about changing important settings like aperture and shutter speed with just one move on the LCD screen. I think this could be comparably quick to any dial or switch, once you get used to it.
Faster as in “you’ll have to take your camera away from your eye”? Unlike my current camera with it’s so easily accessible e-dials?
Sounds more like a gadget, and one that could save few $$ by omitting some essential buttons&dials. Thanks, but I’ll pass that.
What’s with the eye detection? What’s wrong with using the same sensor they’re currently using when face is close to camera to stop glare?
I’m not sure how I feel about touchscreens. Then again, touchscreens were around for yearssss before Apple mastered it and now everyone loves it
With some clever programming, they can do miracles. will they? may be not. If touch control is well thought before implemented, is not only cool. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s intuitive, it’s “there, at your finger tip”. Think live view…touch an area and focus…touch bottom of the screen left/right and get exposure compensation, 2 fingers (iPhone like) and zoom in/out to manually focus…etc etc. Then comes play/review: jog through images easy, fast, expand them, delete them…only those who never tried one don’t like it.
And no one said they’ll remove the external controls. Instead, they might improve operability, actually add more functional controls, because some other less important functions have been replaced by touch command. Progress is good. We live interesting times.
I can’t wait for a touch screen on everything! A good one, though!
What if I use both left and right eye to take photos? huh? huh?
I have an Iphone, and wish that buttons would pop out of the screen…. so annoying. and it’s going to piss photographers off the screen lags
Then why did you buy an iPhone in the first place?? iPhone is ALL about touch experience. There are billions of phones out there with buttons that “pop out of screen”.
I see this thing being just like video on DSLR. Why bitch when you can just ignore this function? Again, I’m sure touch screen won’t replace analog/hard controls, not soon, anyway. And when it will, it’s because the technology is mature enough to cope with people’s requirements.
Exactly the inclusion of a touchscreen (TS) doesnt necessarily mean the omission of the external conrols, there is always a temptation to cancel or minimize the space devoted to controls to free that extra area for the TS (because of the demand on compact devices with large screens), Apple took this to the extreme by completely cancelling external control in the iPhone, other manufacturers devote something like 10% for the buttons & the rest for the TS (e.g. Archos 605 media player), if something happens to the TS, you can still do every function by controls, but the experiences (TS vs controls) are completely different, for example if you open a movie and you want to go directly to say the 60% point of the movie playing time, using controls, you have to do that incrementally –which can be really a PITA if the movie is long– compare this to just one touch that takes very close to where you want if use the TS. The same thing applies to exposure settings in order to go for example from 1/2 to 1/1000 shutter speed you have to pass over many steps inbetween if using traditional controls.