Future Medium Format Camera

[Stefan Steib]

OK - what are your dreams of a High resolution (MF?) camera in lets say 2-3 Years from now ?
Does it need to have an electronic viewfinder, Live View and deriving from that full video recording ?
Should it be integrated (like an Leica S2) or modular (like a Blad) or even a tech cam ?
Should there be wlan, remote control, internet access, GPS, more of these technical features or
would you center on water and dust protection, enhanced battery life, better usability overall ?

What would be a price range that is realistically possible for those features ?
And could a RED with more still resolution than the Scarlett X fulfill these needs ?

Please don´t hold it back, may it sound phantastic or crazy, I think ideas need brainstorming and input, speak it out.
If the industry reads this, they may also have some more motivation to realize it. Speaking about it does make things happen,
think about the Startrek communicator and Motorola who brought this to life with the first mobile phones.

And don´t we all want to have a future for this market segment so we can use these highend cameras
in the future ? What should be done to ensure this market will thrive ?

Interested to hear your opinions

Greetings from Munich
Stefan

 

[Shashin]

Whether the back can be changed or not, an integrated system is going to the best solution for the future. The camera, lens, and the back should be able to communicate. For tech camera, there needs to be distance encoders to indicate movement and lenses need to carry focal length, aperture, shutter, distance, and model information.

I hope manufacturers will play more with aspect ratio. I would like to see some 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 formats. Perhaps some swing-lens scanning pano cameras would be fun.

I hope they don't keep pushing the pixel war--not unless they are going to increase sensor size rather than reduce pixel pitch. I would rather a really large 40MP (6x7?) than a 300MP the same size.

However, I will let the camera companies design the gear--they know more about it (and they will ignore threads like this). They also have other constraints like cost which is hard for photographers to understand.

 

[Graham Mitchell]

More than anything, higher ISO performance. Sometimes you might want to shoot moving subjects at f11 and the shutter speeds become simply too slow at ISO 50/100/200.

A faster frame rate would be welcome too, as would multi-point AF. This is hardly ground-breaking stuff, but we still don't have it.

 

[Stefan Steib]

Shashin
maybe they are listening ? I am quite sure the industry is at a turning point now, the customer is king, you will see it. If otherwise they cannot sell the engineer products they need to develop customer products. It´s always best to listen to the customer. But those have to say what they want !

Greetings from Munich
Stefan

 

[baudolino]

For me, a Mamiya 6 digital (or Bronica RF 645 digital). Well, not exactly but a camera that is compact, the lens retracts into the body, there is no mirror to slap - I want to be able to handhold it down to 1/30s. EVF, live view. Fast autofocus with face/nearest eye recognition. Higher ISO. Higher frame rate.

 

[malmac]

Stefan

Thanks for starting a thread which is probably of interest to many photographers.

Currently have a range of Canon cameras, a Phase One 645Df and a Cambo WDS with a 35mmXL lens panel.

What do I dream of?

Phase one camera which has an auto focus system as good as my Canon 1D Mk4.
An ETTL on camera flash for location work for portraits and weddings.
A better range of leaf shutter zoom lenses - primes are great but sometimes one needs flexibility more than ultimate sharpness.
Basically give me a ID with exchangable digital back.

Price point.

I would pay $15,000 to $20,000 US dollars for the pleasure of owning such a camera body.

Thanks for the opportunity to put my point of view out there.

Cheers


Mal

 

[Stefan Steib]

Thanks Mal

this is exactly what is needed ! We need to talk to the industry and make a point. I think they already know what is the most urgent stuff, but it will definitely help being as precise as possible. (which you did !)

Greetings from Munich
Stefan

 

[Paratom]

For me it would be a S2-like camera with
+ multi spot AF
+ AF speed more on level like 35mm DSLRs
+ 2 stops better ISO (usable 2500 ISO)
+ half the price

 

[Stefan Steib]

Here a link with some food for further thoughts - by Leica:

http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/leica-says-optical-finders-will-get-less-and-less-important/

Regards
Stefan

 

[Shashin]

Shashin
maybe they are listening ? I am quite sure the industry is at a turning point now, the customer is king, you will see it. If otherwise they cannot sell the engineer products they need to develop customer products. It´s always best to listen to the customer. But those have to say what they want !

Greetings from Munich
Stefan

I am sure the designers at the companies are not sitting around and twiddling their thumbs waiting for someone to get them ideas...

How about a motorized tech camera? You set near and far points with the focusing mechanism, train the shifts or rise/fall, press a button and the camera will make a focus stack and automatically stitch the pano and give a 3-D file that can be used for extended focus or pseudo 3-D rendering. Not exactly new technology, but not found on technical cameras. You could also get the camera to make a tilt for single shots by specifying near and far points on a live view. If you get really fine motor (very possible right now), you could use multi-shot capture with any back for either real color or increased resolution.

 

[Shashin]

For me it would be a S2-like camera with
+ multi spot AF
+ AF speed more on level like 35mm DSLRs
+ 2 stops better ISO (usable 2500 ISO)
+ half the price

You mean a Pentax 645D, except that the ISO tops out at 1600...

 

[Stefan Steib]

Here some more links for inspiration:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/future_of_the_camera.php
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663674...future-of-photography-after-cameras-die-video

http://gizmodo.com/5580300/canons-camera-of-the-future

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/canon-to-use-intels-thunderbolt-in-future-cameras-11-03-2011/

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadget...refocuses-the-future-of-photography-20110622/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9585903.stm

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2011/06/02/iphone-infrared-camera/

There´s plenty more, the designers of smaller camera systems are exploding with creativity.
So what do you think will make sense for you personally ?

Greetings from Munich
Stefan

 

[Paratom]

You mean a Pentax 645D, except that the ISO tops out at 1600...

Yes, A Pentax 645 with a smaller body, less buttons, waterproof and fast lenses (which are great even wide open),fast image review and improved high ISO

Frienkly I was torn between the Pentax and the S2 when I had to decide.

 

[Shashin]

Frienkly I was torn between the Pentax and the S2 when I had to decide.

My bank manager made that choice easy for me, although I thought the "but look how much money I will save on film" argument was pretty good.

But I think Leica and Pentax took the MFD DSLR in the right direction. Leica for a completely new design/system around a sensor and Pentax for bring the format up to the technology we have in the smaller formats. I really like the simplicity of the Leica controls. Phase also did some great things in the IQ series, especially for the tech camera.

 

[dick]

I am sure the designers at the companies are not sitting around and twiddling their thumbs waiting for someone to get them ideas...

How about a motorized tech camera? You set near and far points with the focusing mechanism, train the shifts or rise/fall, press a button and the camera will make a focus stack and automatically stitch the pano and give a 3-D file that can be used for extended focus or pseudo 3-D rendering. Not exactly new technology, but not found on technical cameras. You could also get the camera to make a tilt for single shots by specifying near and far points on a live view. If you get really fine motor (very possible right now), you could use multi-shot capture with any back for either real color or increased resolution.

This has already been invented - <edit (Thanks Stefan)> CAPcam... a Sinar P3 replacement with linear actuators that gave you tripod head, full movements, shift-and-stitch etc.
A 3D laser range finder could set movements... programmable stacking for shots where tilt would not cover everything.

...trouble is that it would be a very specialized camera and not many people would by it, so, even tho' is has been invented, it sits on the shelf waiting for someone to manufacture and market it.

 

[Bob]

An updated version (for digital) of a hassy 500c with mamiya 645 mount for a digital back and lens through back integration.

 

[Christopher]

Great normal stuff would be:

-60-100MP
-Much higher DR
-better ISO great 400 and 800 would be nice
-clean exposures for 5 minutes
-No need for LCC
-Real LV
-More communication between cameras and backs. (tech cameras)

Stuff I would love but probably will never see

- 200-300Mp in 2:1 or even better 3:1 aspect ration. I really would love to have a real digital panoramic camera.

 

[Stefan Steib]

Dick

the Sinar-e (1988) was like this, but even Sinar did probably not find more than a few customers worldwide - no wonder if you take a look at the cabling

http://abruce-images.blogspot.com/2010/11/bellows.html

there is a much better solution now by the original constructor of the Sinar P2 - Charlie Gfeller - he has showed a camera named CapCam on the last photokina which is a fully motorized sphere!!! see here

http://gfae.ch

Greetings from Munich
Stefan

 

[dick]

Dick

there is a much better solution now by the original constructor of the Sinar P2 - Charlie Gfeller - he has showed a camera named CapCam on the last photokina which is a fully motorized sphere!!! see here

http://gfae.ch

Greetings from Munich
Stefan

Thanks, I spelled it wrong, but that is the camera I was thinking of. - with software this would solve many problems, including full remote control of all movements for operation on my 10m tripod!

...do you know if it is (going into/) in production?

I think there was a version where each standard was linked directly to the tripod, rather than having the front standard linked off the rear standard?

 

[Stefan Steib]

The camera is on sale as much as I know - the control is done with an iPad which stores all the settings and controls the movements. Write them an email at:

[email protected]

and send them greetings from me.

Regards
Stefan