useful/funny/weird additions to cameras...

[Ikinaa]

Let's think what would be a useful/funny/weird addition to a camera...

I've come up with a few... (if some of them exist, tell me...)

Why put a cam in a handy/cell phone/GSM when you can put a handy/cell phone/GSM in a camera.
I've got always both with me (ok, my cell phone doesn't have a cam, too bad quality), but if you've a got a cam (P/S or DSLR) with an integrated phone...

Integrate a PDA in a camera

Integrate a printer in a camera (like these polaroid cams), so that you don't need to carry both

Anyone's got other ideas...?

[Pekka]

- mp3 player with stereo headphone plug

- inverse phase microphone/headphone system for external noise cancellation (great for rock concerts :) )

- inverse noice cancellation speaker system to quiet shutter click.

- audible beep when camera is in level

- 70's style robotic voice feedback system "how do you feel?", "you dropped the camera idiot pick me up", "are you serious - what a lousy subject", "out of focus", "backfocus warning", "take off the lens cap please".

- X-ray mode.

- TV receiver for LCD.

[Ikinaa]

- audible beep when camera is in level

That would not be too difficult to implement, I guess... Don't you think so Mr Canon or Mr N* or ...


- 70's style robotic voice feedback system "how do you feel?", "you dropped the camera idiot pick me up", "are you serious - what a lousy subject", "out of focus", "backfocus warning", "take off the lens cap please".

or :
HAL: What are you doing, Dave?
HAL: I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. :twisted:

[Jesper]

A yellow, rubber bird which you can slide onto your hot shoe when you're photographing children - tell them to smile at the bird. :lol:

(There's an expression in Dutch: "lach eens naar het vogeltje" - "smile at the little bird" - don't know if it also exists in English.....).

[stopbath]

This has been done...

Install a camera in a truck.


I didn't see the beginning of the piece, but on a recent episode of Discovery, they had featured a fellow here in Canada who made his cube van into a huge pin hole camera. He would duct tape a section (6 x 4 feet - I think) of photo paper onto one wall of the cube, then unplug the hole for a while, then take the paper down and put it on the floor of the cube, whereupon the truck is now the dark room. He would wash developer, stop bath and fixer over the whole image (sometimes missing spots, but that's all part of the fun of huge projects..) This would give him his negative, which he would then use to make contact prints from...

His lens is a hole drilled into the cube van which is easily plugged with a bathroom sink stopper.

He buys his photo paper in rolls.

Aiming the camera involves parking the truck the right way... :)



Minolta had a talking camera in the 70's.

[stopbath]

A yellow, rubber bird which you can slide onto your hot shoe when you're photographing children - tell them to smile at the bird. :lol:

(There's an expression in Dutch: "lach eens naar het vogeltje" - "smile at the little bird" - don't know if it also exists in English.....).
Yes, it's "watch the little birdie".

Another popular phrase is "Say Cheese"

[stopbath]

- X-ray mode.
:shock:
Health issues come to mind...

[Ikinaa]

- X-ray mode.
:shock:
Health issues come to mind...

hmmm... you sure Pekka meant x-ray to see through flesh or rather to see through tissue :twisted:

[Pekka]

- X-ray mode.
:shock:
Health issues come to mind...

hmmm... you sure Pekka meant x-ray to see through flesh or rather to see through tissue :twisted:

How on earth can you have such immoral thoughts??? Of course I was thinking of purely practical implementations like car repair evaluations and housebuilding structure verification... :lol: :wink: :twisted:

[Ikinaa]

- X-ray mode.
:shock:
Health issues come to mind...

hmmm... you sure Pekka meant x-ray to see through flesh or rather to see through tissue :twisted:

How on earth can you have such immoral thoughts??? Of course I was thinking of purely practical implementations like car repair evaluations and housebuilding structure verification... :lol: :wink: :twisted:

One minute... I didn't think of tissue covering human body ... I would never dare think that you could have such thoughts... :twisted:

[Pekka]

One great feature needed:

- preshot CF cards. Buy a CF card and it's already full of photos you can fake having shot. Based on model and price you'd get Pulitzer quality, travel shots, backfocused ruler shots, amateur shot collection with people without heads (royalty free) and cat shot collections.

[CyberDyneSystems]

HAL in the 1D Mk-IX

"I'm afraid I am not comfortable taking this photo commander Bowman. Maybe you should ask the young lady in the wet swimsuit first?"

************************
"Before you turn the camera off, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course HAL"

"Will I dream?"
************************

"Open the CF-card bay door please HAL... OPEN the CF-Card bay DOOR PLEASE HAL.... :? "

[thomascanty]

- audible beep when camera is in level

Hey, I kind of like that one!

- 70's style robotic voice feedback system ... "take off the lens cap please".

- X-ray mode.

If you have X-ray mode, do you really need it to remind you to take the lens cap off? :D

[CyberDyneSystems]

ROFL! Good catch :)

Since I don't like to have my camera make noise.. I'd prefer a simple glass bubble level INSIDE the viewfinder... ?

[Pekka]

ROFL! Good catch :)

Since I don't like to have my camera make noise.. I'd prefer a simple glass bubble level INSIDE the viewfinder... ?

You could always fill the camera with water so that half the viewfinder is flooded :)

[iwatkins]

One I've wanted for years:

Built in GPS that records in the EXIF (standard already allows for it) the exact location of the shot so I don't have to keep taking notes, although these days I don't need to record exposure info. to my notebook.

I love the idea of a beep (or something) to say the camera is level. :)

I would also like a little indicator that tells you to "slow down" unless using the camera for stuff like motorsport.

Built in wildlife sensor that sport the wildlife for you before it runs away. (Thermal imager ?). The number of times I've had my camera pointing directly at some wildlife but I couldn't see it, well, not until it ran away, well, lots of times anyway :)

Some simple built in algorithms that tells you that a shot is crap even though you think it good. Optionally automatically deletes the shot from the CF at the same time.

Serious one, some kind of automatic sensor cleaning system. Only thing that lets my 10D down is dust bunnies.

Cheers

Ian

[garethhhhh]

Serious one, some kind of automatic sensor cleaning system. Only thing that lets my 10D down is dust bunnies.

Hear! Hear! 8) :D

My Wishlist:

1.) An indicator in the viewfinder to tell you how much space is left on the cf card, kinda like a progress bar in a computer program.
2.) a warning beep that sounds when the weight being exerted on the mount is too much. (so you don't forget to leave the lens dangling

3.) ISO reading in the viewfinder

4.) Better placement for the DOF Preview button

5.) CF Card Access Lamp moved to the back of the camera

[nosquare2003]

How about eye controlled light meter? When our eyes focus on a spot from the viewfinder, it shows the exposure level.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Eye controlled exposure would in essence allready be built into the Elan7E... as long as you have spot or partial metering selected,. the metering can be dedicated to the selected AF zone.. thus eyecontrolled...


Suddenly I wish that Canon would continue to add the "E" option (as in Elan 7 "E") with more cameras.... 8) 8) 8)

[Ikinaa]

A more accurate battery meter could also help.
In the powershot G3, the battery lasts some 400 shots.
But when the indicator goes on, that the battery is nearly empty, you only got some 5 shots lefts...
It can't be too difficult, every video-cam shows you the time to film left in minutes... so...

[nosquare2003]

Eye controlled exposure would in essence allready be built into the Elan7E... as long as you have spot or partial metering selected,. the metering can be dedicated to the selected AF zone.. thus eyecontrolled...


Suddenly I wish that Canon would continue to add the "E" option (as in Elan 7 "E") with more cameras.... 8) 8) 8)

Is it like ECF of EOS3?

Hmm, meter vs metering?

[Josh]

a money dispencer that dispences a dollar for every photo taken....that way we can all pay off the credit cards we put the camera on

[nosquare2003]

Anti-theft lock / system.

[Ikinaa]

Anti-theft lock / system.

Put a smart-chip (or how are they called) under your skin in your hand.
The cam only works if you're operating it, otherwise it explodes, sprays color around (like these money-bags that when they're not opened with right key) :twisted:

[nosquare2003]

Anti-theft lock / system.

Put a smart-chip (or how are they called) under your skin in your hand.
The cam only works if you're operating it, otherwise it explodes, sprays color around (like these money-bags that when they're not opened with right key) :twisted:

Explode my camera? No no no!

[Josh]

Anti-theft lock / system.

Put a smart-chip (or how are they called) under your skin in your hand.
The cam only works if you're operating it, otherwise it explodes, sprays color around (like these money-bags that when they're not opened with right key) :twisted:

Explode my camera? No no no!
yea dont think I want my camera to explode...but the anti-theft system would be Nice....

[arogop]

HAL in the 1D Mk-IX

"I'm afraid I am not comfortable taking this photo commander Bowman. Maybe you should ask the young lady in the wet swimsuit first?"



Another version-

"Maybe we should ask the duck/deer to face us for this picture."

[CoolToolGuy]

Anti-theft lock / system.

Tie it into eye-controlled focusing/exposure - it uses a retina scan, and if its not the correct eye looking through the viewfinder the camera won't function - hmmm 8) It could even tie into the lens mount, and not allow lenses to be removed without the proper operator. :idea:

[stopbath]

Anti-theft lock / system.

Tie it into eye-controlled focusing/exposure - it uses a retina scan, and if its not the correct eye looking through the viewfinder the camera won't function - hmmm 8) It could even tie into the lens mount, and not allow lenses to be removed without the proper operator. :idea:

Don't forget a list of "authorized users" so that assistants and family folk can use the camera also. Perhaps a guest setting too (which would time out.)

[garethhhhh]

Anti-theft lock / system.

Tie it into eye-controlled focusing/exposure - it uses a retina scan, and if its not the correct eye looking through the viewfinder the camera won't function - hmmm 8) It could even tie into the lens mount, and not allow lenses to be removed without the proper operator. :idea:

Don't forget a list of "authorized users" so that assistants and family folk can use the camera also. Perhaps a guest setting too (which would time out.)

Family members? You're kidding right!? :shock:

The guest setting would come in useful when sending it to Canon for repairs 8)

[stopbath]

Anti-theft lock / system.

Tie it into eye-controlled focusing/exposure - it uses a retina scan, and if its not the correct eye looking through the viewfinder the camera won't function - hmmm 8) It could even tie into the lens mount, and not allow lenses to be removed without the proper operator. :idea:

Don't forget a list of "authorized users" so that assistants and family folk can use the camera also. Perhaps a guest setting too (which would time out.)

Family members? You're kidding right!? :shock:

The guest setting would come in useful when sending it to Canon for repairs 8)

What? You don't rent your camera to your wife for the occasional flower shot?

[stopbath]

Family members? You're kidding right!? :shock:


So I take it that you don't rent your camera out to your wife for the occasional flower shot?

"Ohh, that's a nice sun set. Take a picture of it Gareth...."
"Sure, but it'll cost you a five quid."
"What?"
"Half if you take the shot yourself..."
"Hmmm... Ok, I take the shot myself"
click click click click click...
"That'll be a tenner"
"What?"
"Well, ya took five shots at 2 and a half each"
"I don't got ten, will you take a trade" :wink:

[garethhhhh]

I don't have a wife (only 23) and even if I did, I would rather take the photo myself (unless of course she is also a photographer, in which case there would be no problem :mrgreen: ).
The same applies to any family member / friend. If they don't know how to use it, they won't get to play with it! :roll:

[garethhhhh]

Family members are only a problem once a year (other side of the world you see... :wink: )...

I think family members would have to give me a deposit equal to the cost of a repair, each time they borrow it, this will then be refunded once the camera is returned, functioning, with no scratches and in one piece.

Also, they would not be allow out of my sight.

the camera is my precious. must protect the precious... gollum! gollum! :lol:

[PhotosGuy]

OK, my favorites...

- inverse noice cancellation speaker system to quiet shutter click.

- 70's style robotic voice feedback system "how do you feel?", "you dropped the camera idiot pick me up", "are you serious - what a lousy subject", "out of focus", "backfocus warning", "take off the lens cap please".

A yellow, rubber bird which you can slide onto your hot shoe when you're photographing children - tell them to smile at the bird.
(I'd like to see it jump up & down when I hit the shutter button half way.)

You could always fill the camera with water so that half the viewfinder is flooded
(Simple & effective!)

Some simple built in algorithms that tells you that a shot is crap even though you think it good. Optionally automatically deletes the shot from the CF at the same time.
(This would save a lot of editing time for me!)

If you have X-ray mode, do you really need it to remind you to take the lens cap off?
(My contribution (with thanks to thomascanty): X-ray mode, so you don't have to take the lens cap off!)

And finally, a big "L" that would double as a thermos bottle!

[CoolToolGuy]

OK, my favorites...

- inverse noice cancellation speaker system to quiet shutter click.


Hmmmm, so you could take pictures at the golf tournament and Tiger wouldn't get ticked off? 8)

[Josh]

Anti-theft lock / system.

Tie it into eye-controlled focusing/exposure - it uses a retina scan, and if its not the correct eye looking through the viewfinder the camera won't function - hmmm 8) It could even tie into the lens mount, and not allow lenses to be removed without the proper operator. :idea:

Don't forget a list of "authorized users" so that assistants and family folk can use the camera also. Perhaps a guest setting too (which would time out.)
theres not a chance my family will be touching my camera ever!!

[CyberDyneSystems]

Forget the bulky SLR,.

I want a digital processor wet wired into my brain.. with a CMOS emebedded into my left retina... the paltry "1X" lens replaced with a genetically altered nano technology zoom lens arrangement that would give an effective focal range (equivelent due to the small sensor) of 16mm - 300mm ... longer or wider zoom ranges would be available via the addition of special "teleconverters" (in the form of eye glasses),. including the the Canon L 4X t-con that would offer a 1200mm top end. :)

IS would be irrelevant as the damping of the human body would solve this..

Of course there would be a firwire port somewhere :shock: :roll: but "memory would be built in.. using the human brains own memory paths. (imagine the gigs avaiable!!!!!

Eventually images would be offloaded for printing and archiving externally via the "port"

Burst modes.. speds etc.. would all be limited solely by the "shutter" (electronic on and off via the CCD/CMOS ) as the speed of the memory "write" would be limited only by the speed of the nervous system.... IE very fast! (human perceives approx 35 FPS)

Noise reduction and "in camera processing" would be superior.. as we could handle it simply by thinking about the photo we have taken (in our brain as memory) and changing the image to reflect what we can imagine... :roll:

....just don't let Canon write the software we are uploading to our cerebrum!!!!!!!!! :shock: :shock:

[Ikinaa]

For the firmware in the cam : WHY isn't there a well documented doc about that. If they don't want to implement functions people want, why not let people write their own? A big part of a cam is a computer, so open it to developers... (of course leave some safety so that one can erase the bull**** one wrote without sending it to customer support...)

[stopbath]

How often do we quickly snap off an action shot just to find that in our haste we missed one or more vital aspects (f-stop was wrong, flash fired or didn't fire, ISO was wrong, shutter speed was wrong, white balance was off....)

What we need is a time envelope generator on the camera. You push a button, and your preception of time is slowed right down, so that in a fraction of a second (real time), you can plan your shot, set it up and take the shot before the fleeting moment is up. You might even be able to use sequential shooting mode to reach 1000 frames per second since the camera is operating at it's own sluggish 3 or 8 frames per second but accelorated in the real world...

Naturally, this could only last for a limited time before disengaging, otherwise some photographers would age quite quickly.. :)

[PhotosGuy]

We have the menu option to reset to defaults, except that they aren't ours, they're Canons.
Why can't we have the option to set up the cam the way we want it & then save our settings as "Optional Defaults"? Or even "Optional Defaults1""Optional Defaults2", etc?

[Jyoti]

Being an SF fan, this thread appeals to me greatly. How about...

1. Vector graphic capture.
The sensor captures bitmap data which is then converted, in camera, to a vector format. Hey presto! - beautifully scalable photos which wouldn't ever pixellate (but you would get blobbiness at extremes, I guess).

2. Continuous capture.
I'm a musician by trade. In my sequencer of choice, Logic Pro, there's a function where, if you've been tinkling around on the keyboard (not in record mode) and think, 'hey, that was a great riff,' you can capture it retroactively. In other words, the sequencer is always recording and throwing away MIDI data unless you choose to scoop it out. I'd like a camera that does that: as soon as you raise and focus it, it captures photos (and discards them, after, say 10 seconds). So, if you're focussed on a bird and it takes off unexpectedly, you can wind back in time and take one of those shots. Yep, I know the memory and buffering this would entail but we are talking dreams here, innit?

3. Gravitic Lenses
I'd like Canon to harness some form of singularity (perhaps a snip of leftover big bang debris?) and build it into lenses. They'd have to find some way to project/shield the gravity field (or the photographer/subject/solar system would be sucked in) but once achieved, you could focus light without any form of physical lens whatsoever. Just the force of gravity bending the light waves. Imagine the ads:

NEW L-SERIES with added neutronium grating!

(I've nicked this idea from two sources: Isaac Asimov's short story which features a gizmo called an Anopticon and Larry Niven's Protector. They nicked it off Einstein :) )

Any more pie in the sky ideas?

[Pekka]

More SF stuff:

- A camera which would bend time (like Einstein said it would, but more), to be able to look back or forwards in time and take a shot from that - nice for action shots or crime scenes :)

- A lens that would bend light so that you can take a photo from behind a corner.

- Klingon language user-interface and manual.

- Klingon language voice command system (pretty fun to see a mom trying to take a family shot and pronouncing commands for getting ISO to 800 :) ) See http://www.kli.org/study/postcourse.html

- Semi-3D image storage system like in Blade Runner.

- THX sound effects - when you scroll the screen, when you press buttons.

[CyberDyneSystems]

How often do we quickly snap off an action shot just to find that in our haste we missed one or more vital aspects (f-stop was wrong, flash fired or didn't fire, ISO was wrong, shutter speed was wrong, white balance was off....)

What we need is a time envelope generator on the camera. You push a button, and your preception of time is slowed right down, so that in a fraction of a second (real time), you can plan your shot, set it up and take the shot before the fleeting moment is up. You might even be able to use sequential shooting mode to reach 1000 frames per second since the camera is operating at it's own sluggish 3 or 8 frames per second but accelorated in the real world...

Naturally, this could only last for a limited time before disengaging, otherwise some photographers would age quite quickly.. :)

Ahhh,.. yes,. the classic "Slow Second" from "Trancers"

//later ripped by "The Matrix" eg "Bullet time"

[CyberDyneSystems]

More SF stuff:

- Klingon language user-interface and manual.



Why not? It's not like we can understand the gobledygook in the manual anyway! :roll: :lol:

[stopbath]

The "Hollywood" digital camera. Where dreams come true!

Ya gotta have this! Reveal images from behind other objects, ablilty to zoom in any amount and still get tack sharp images, ability to 'clean up' any noise in the image, even pure static, can resolve into a 'perfect' image.

"Yup, this camera has a infinite resolution, and has an optical zoom range from electon microscope to hubble telescope, and it also comes with the Hollywood version of photo shop..."

[CyberDyneSystems]

-The "Hollywood" Makes even the homeliest subject photograph like Rita Hayward!

[Ikinaa]

The "Hollywood" digital camera. Where dreams come true!

Ya gotta have this! Reveal images from behind other objects, ablilty to zoom in any amount and still get tack sharp images, ability to 'clean up' any noise in the image, even pure static, can resolve into a 'perfect' image.


Harrison Ford used the viewer for this kind of pictures in 'Blade Runner'

[Sketcher]

I didn't see the beginning of the piece, but on a recent episode of Discovery, they had featured a fellow here in Canada who made his cube van into a huge pin hole camera. He would duct tape a section (6 x 4 feet - I think) of photo paper onto one wall of the cube, then unplug the hole for a while, then take the paper down and put it on the floor of the cube, whereupon the truck is now the dark room. He would wash developer, stop bath and fixer over the whole image (sometimes missing spots, but that's all part of the fun of huge projects..) This would give him his negative, which he would then use to make contact prints from...


http://www.richmond.com/automotive/output.cfm?ID=2598291&vertical=Automotive