DSLRs in 10 years..

[Vascilli]

What do you think will be in say a 1Ds VI? My guesses..


OLED main display. Less power draw, better colours.
Multi-touch display. If you've seen how fast you can zoom in and out to pixel peep, you'll know how nice it would be to have.
E-Ink top display. Considering E-ink uses only power when it refreshes, this may happen.
Perfect live view. This is a given.
Video capture. I can see this in the next generation. Live view shows a video feed, why not record it?
Integrated GPS for geotagging. This will probably happen. Would help to track employees and lost/stolen bodies.
Integrated Bluetooth. Maybe not, but it would be great to have to connect to printers and the like.
Integrated connection to mobile phone networks. I can totally see this happen. Take a picture and it's instantly uploaded to your home computer for backup or your companies servers. Record a video and it's streamed live to your company, and from there on live onto television.
Almost or complete water sealing. Imagine taking a 24-105 mounted on your 1Ds into the ocean, no case. Have a 580EX IV? Go ahead.
Fingerprint reader. Use as security or embed the shooters identity in the EXIF.
In camera HDR. This isn't an original idea, I read it here on POTN. :p
Voice commands. Tell your camera to adjust the ISO or change to Av from M while tracking a subject.
Leaf style mount covers. Pull a switch and your glass and mirror have been covered, similar to a leaf shutter but manual and semi-permanently closed...I'm all out of ideas now. :lol:

Edit: Remembered another one.

Pre-record/pre-shoot. Maybe only in Live view, but the camera is constantly recording or taking full resolution pictures (at a set interval or low res constantly) so if you miss the shot or video, you can still get it. Yes, Casio is doing this right now on their super-P&S. (Don't remember the name)

[krepta]

What do you think will be in say a 1Ds VI? My guesses..
[...]
Video capture. I can see this in the next generation. Live view shows a video feed, why not record it?[...]
I don't know... You are probably right that it is likely to happen, but I personally would not care for it. I usually prefer using separate devices for different applications rather than having "all-in-one", and I am sure there are plenty of others who have this preference as well.

Also, I don't think the type of water sealing you mentioned is feasible. By that I mean, it might be possible to achieve this type of sealing directly on camera bodies and lenses without the use of casing, but I doubt any manufacturer would go this route. There are too many obstacles to make such a feature cost-effective. Everything else you mentioned sounds pretty good though!

[Anke]

Integrated GPS for geotagging. This will probably happen. Would help to track employees and lost/stolen bodies.


I think this one is likely very soon, but you've come up with a nice idea/use for it. I bet a lot of people would love to track their stolen bodies afterwards.
This technology is available in laptops via some free software so there is no reason why cameras can't have it.

[sadatk]

I just want a wireless transfer to my computer/network. I get so lazy these days transferring images through my card reader.

[TheHoff]

Extensible interface with plug-in functionality allowing software vendors to improve the hardware much the way we do with PCs and operating systems.

[Anke]

I just want a wireless transfer to my computer/network. I get so lazy these days transferring images through my card reader.

Go get one then, they're available now for your 40D.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon_WFT_E3A/

[fumanchewable]

i've said this before a couple times, but i could imagine a detatchable LCD screen that you can use as a remote control for the camera and flash system. the live view (and control inputs) would be sent via WiFi when the LCD is off of the body.

need to place the camera somewhere and operate it remotely? wildlife photogs? family shots?

[Anke]

need to place the camera somewhere and operate it remotely? wildlife photogs? family shots?

As far as I'm aware my Mark III can do this already.

[nick400d]

Different ISO values per pixel. This Could result in MUCH MUCH MUCH higher dynamic ranges.

[LBaldwin]

Do away with the entire mirror box assembly. Make the lenses smaller and lighter for the same FL and bokah.

[Dusty]

Different ISO values per pixel. This Could result in MUCH MUCH MUCH higher dynamic ranges.

LOL it'll take you for ever to set each one......:lol: :p

[nick400d]

Well obviously you couldn't manualy set each one, the camera would select higher ISO values for certain areas. Eg. it might apply ISO1600 to a shady area, whilst the sunny areas in the scene are at ISO 200 thus resulting in a very large HDR.

[gary88]

Automatic coffee making in the morning

[sadatk]

Go get one then, they're available now for your 40D.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon_WFT_E3A/
$800 for a simple Wi-Fi transfer isn't in my best interest. ;)

[Zenit]

Well aftersome expirements with huge amounts of ether, i came to this conclusion..

Dynamic range better, than on any film camera.
ISO 204800.
20" external sreenroll for pixel peeping.
Geotagging with total 3D camera position (tilt/shift/height..).
WB will decide the outside weather conditions, to get this perfect shot.
10X magnification of the selected AF point in viewfinder.
Automatic lens calibration option.
built in bayonet macro zoom/extender.
and it will be wind/solar powered!

but i think that it will soon be posible to somehow record human vision.

And what the heck, I'll be happy to see a camera with 40D's features, 5D's FF sensor, 1D mkIII ISO performance and the price of 450D within next 5 years..

[TheHoff]

hahah wind-powered


"hold on, hold on, don't move everyone, I just have to blow into my camera for a minute"

[fumanchewable]

"As far as I'm aware my Mark III can do this already."

you can take the LCD off and use it as a nintendo controller for your camera? sweet!

[Vascilli]

Different ISO values per pixel. This Could result in MUCH MUCH MUCH higher dynamic ranges.
So local ISO? Smart.... like local backlights on high-end TVs..

[Vascilli]

I don't know... You are probably right that it is likely to happen, but I personally would not care for it. I usually prefer using separate devices for different applications rather than having "all-in-one", and I am sure there are plenty of others who have this preference as well.

Also, I don't think the type of water sealing you mentioned is feasible. By that I mean, it might be possible to achieve this type of sealing directly on camera bodies and lenses without the use of casing, but I doubt any manufacturer would go this route. There are too many obstacles to make such a feature cost-effective. Everything else you mentioned sounds pretty good though!

Come to think of it you may not even have to seal the electronics.

Example. (http://gizmodo.com/5027545/waterproof-gadget-coating-is-invisible-mystifying-mind-boggling-witchcraft) Now you just have to seal off everything between the front element and the sensor.

[coolie21]

Voice commands. Tell your camera to adjust the ISO or change to Av from M while tracking a subject.


Visions of Britney or Paris shouting STOP and all the paparazzi's cameras shutting off lol.....

[Dusty]

Well obviously you couldn't manualy set each one, the camera would select higher ISO values for certain areas. Eg. it might apply ISO1600 to a shady area, whilst the sunny areas in the scene are at ISO 200 thus resulting in a very large HDR.

LOL I know.....I was just kidding.

Good idea though.
:)

[JeffCanon]

Canon will only be making P&S

[rexspangle]

one button.. perfect focus and exposure every time.. if you want the picture lighter or darker you just tweak it in raw since it has endless latitude anyway.

Personally, I don't know if I would like cameras to improve much more than they are... with proper technique/patience you can get some great results that the everyday person can not...sure your list is primarily features that are convenient.... but I think of it like golf if they invented a club that you could shoot a hole in one every time it would sure lose its appeal (for most)...

[cyrn]

Different ISO values per pixel. This Could result in MUCH MUCH MUCH higher dynamic ranges.

LOL I know.....I was just kidding.

Good idea though.
:)

Well obviously you couldn't manualy set each one, the camera would select higher ISO values for certain areas. Eg. it might apply ISO1600 to a shady area, whilst the sunny areas in the scene are at ISO 200 thus resulting in a very large HDR.

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6757018.html

I guess it's locked out from Canon. :eek:

[shadowcat]

Built in wireless for flash, getting rid of dials and knobs on back and replace them with a full back touch screen display.

[Zenit]

Built in wireless for flash, getting rid of dials and knobs on back and replace them with a full back touch screen display.

how will camera know that this is just your nose rubbing against it while taking a picture.. or maybe it touches something while hanging on your shoulder

then you have to lock it, unlock it and then lock it again... if you'r are photojournalist, then just after 10 minutes of this madness, camera will be flying strait in to the wall!!:evil:


it could be usefull for things like image review, flipping through the images like on Iphone, zoom and menu operation. But not for replacement of main camera operating dials...

or maybe it is just me that is a bit primitive.. :D
and what could be a good way to apply a multi touch screen!?:confused:

[danielyamseng]

Why not brain control activation? i.e if you wanted to have a candid shoots, just ask the camera to take it and it'lll snapped in silent mode.

[nick400d]

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6757018.html

I guess it's locked out from Canon. :eek:

Dammit!! That patent could've been mine:lol:

[JBaz]

I wouldn't mind having my 1D be used as my phone. It would be the mother of all camera phones... lol But seriously, I have my 1D with me everywhere and I'd rather be able be all in one, play mp3, video playback, itouch features, wi-fi, wimax, 3g, bluetooth, hdmi output.

Maybe I should duct tape all of my devices to the 1D, say that Canon did it, send it back to Canon for a warranty repair and ask for the upgraded version with the bugs fixed. lol

[Stealthy Ninja]

Touch screen would suck IMHO. They have them on video cameras, I'd prefer buttons and dials myself.

Unless it was sort of like the iphone. You have to "unlock" it first.

IMO in 10 years they'll have perfected the lens to a point where one 10-800mm DO 1.4L IS lens will do with 100% sharp pictures. Of course, by then aliens will have come to earth to share their superior lens crafting skills.

The 1D MkVII of course which will be a large point and shoot, because they'll have perfected the imaging system to a point where you don't have to set any dials... probably they won't have a viewfinder because everyone will have forgotten how to use them (with perfect live-view).

Oh and by then we'll all have grown wings, so we can get any angle we like. We actually won't need cameras because the internet will be wired into our brains so we can instantly "share" any thing we see with others and we'll have special pills that let us recall anything we've ever seen... oh and we'll actually be robots.... oh, oh and Ninjutsu will be a PhD level degree.

Time to lay off the drugs... :shock:

Mr. Ninja says: "SAY NO TO DRUGS!" and being bored at work.

[Deckham]

A DoF preview that works.

[JBaz]

I'd say by the time we get to have a 1D mkVI, holographic 3d camera's would be the big uproar.

[cyrn]

I'd say by the time we get to have a 1D mkVI, holographic 3d camera's would be the big uproar.

Juz hypothetically speaking. If there is really holographic 3D capable cams that can see behind...what's stopping it from seeing "under". :eek::eek::eek:

[krepta]

Come to think of it you may not even have to seal the electronics.

Example. (http://gizmodo.com/5027545/waterproof-gadget-coating-is-invisible-mystifying-mind-boggling-witchcraft) Now you just have to seal off everything between the front element and the sensor.Wow! That seems pretty impressive. I wonder if they can really apply this to a dSLR.

Now the only other issue left, say, for those who want to venture in deeper under water, is whether it can protect against pressure. You would probably still need a casing for this purpose.

[Vascilli]

Wow! That seems pretty impressive. I wonder if they can really apply this to a dSLR.

Now the only other issue left, say, for those who want to venture in deeper under water, is whether it can protect against pressure. You would probably still need a casing for this purpose.
I'm sure they'll eventually put that coating on if only to make it more water resistant, just not fully waterproof. Wishful thinking.. :D

[DVS_WiNdz]

GPS to track a stolen body would be great!

[vic6string]

10 years from now we will have stuff we never thought of now. My guess is they will find a way to get large format quality from something the size of a current point and shoot, killing off the old clunky slr for good. Clean super-high ISO, virtually unshakable IS, and the dynamic range of the human eye or better.

[Stealthy Ninja]

virtually unshakable IS, and the dynamic range of the human eye or better.

Unshakable IS = I can do a backflip and it just stays pointing straight... cool.

better than the human eye... cool but how the heck could we tell?! :p

[JLukeW]

10 years from now we will have stuff we never thought of now. My guess is they will find a way to get large format quality from something the size of a current point and shoot, killing off the old clunky slr for good. Clean super-high ISO, virtually unshakable IS, and the dynamic range of the human eye or better.

Physics tells me this won't happen. :(

[Colorblinded]

To tie in to that GPS system, accelerometers for orientation setting and a database to tell it where the sun is so that the camera can automatically rotate a polarizer for best effect while shooting action and changing orientations and angles quickly.

[x2x3x4x5x]

Give me a damn RAW file that automatically captures the image in 1/3rd stop increments. Ala HDR, but in one shot, automatically. So in PP I can really tweak exposure because it captured so much information in one file.

[Colorblinded]

I'd like the ability to record that much dynamic range without needing multiple exposures, additionally, I wish the histogram reflected the actual RAW data.

[danielyamseng]

Yeah like 32bit than the current 14bit. And MP is around 50MP.
For security reason, anyone key in the wrong password >3 times the camera would self destruct:)

[krepta]

To tie in to that GPS system, accelerometers for orientation setting and a database to tell it where the sun is so that the camera can automatically rotate a polarizer for best effect while shooting action and changing orientations and angles quickly.I like this idea as well. :cool:

[vic6string]

Yeah like 32bit than the current 14bit. And MP is around 50MP.
For security reason, anyone key in the wrong password >3 times the camera would self destruct:)


yeah, my wife would go through like at least a half dozen cameras a year.

[Stealthy Ninja]

Automatic linking of all photos to Ken Rockwell for critical comments. If it doesn't meet his "high standards" it automatically gets deleted. :lol:

[Vascilli]

I wonder what materials will be like. Maybe carbon fiber on pro bodies or something. That would be cool.

[JBaz]

Please, carbon fiber is so 90's. It's all about carbon nanotubes. And if you heard, the idea of a cloaking has just became reality with using nanowires in a fishnet structure on a very small scale. Has a negative index of refraction for visible light.

http://www.dailytech.com/Scientists+Find+Ways+to+Cloak+3D+Materials/article12629.htm

[fumanchewable]

within 10 years, hmm? my predictions might be a little reality based, but i would imagine that canon, nikon, sony, pentax, olympus et. al will force each other to upgrade their camera bodies so much in the next 4 or 5 generations (10 years), that we will have in almost all models (outside of the most basic):

wireless flash control
all-metal bodies
complete weather sealing
in-body IS
built-in portrait grips
20MP
FULL FRAME
WiFi

[ArenGh]

Actually what you might expect to see are Fuel cell powered cameras as Canon is already on it:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/11/canon-patents-fuel-cell-dslr-were-ready/

[vic6string]

within 10 years, hmm? my predictions might be a little reality based, but i would imagine that canon, nikon, sony, pentax, olympus et. al will force each other to upgrade their camera bodies so much in the next 4 or 5 generations (10 years), that we will have in almost all models (outside of the most basic):

wireless flash control
all-metal bodies
complete weather sealing
in-body IS
built-in portrait grips
20MP
FULL FRAME
WiFi

No weather sealing, no metal body, no full frame, and certainly no grips. Maybe you will still have pro bodies with those, but for the consumer smaller is better. Olympus just announced the micro-4/3 system, and that is only the start. I think 10 years from now, the big difference will be that we can get pictures as good as todays with cameras that are MUCH smaller.

Consumers are just starting to go to DSLRs for basically 2 reasons. 1) No shutter lag and burst shooting. 2) Better low-light shooting. Everything else is a nice bonus, but the only reason most new buyers are moving up and away from their little pocket cams are the two I mentioned. When someone figures out how to get Super high ISO, instant-shot, high quality pictures from a fingernail-sized sensor, the DSLR as we know it will all but disappear. And don't tell me it is against the laws of physics, because it is only against our current ability to manipulate those laws. Someone will find a way, they always do.

[AdamJL]

DSLRs in 10 years:
5D II is finally released..

There, I said it.

[Colorblinded]

And don't tell me it is against the laws of physics, because it is only against our current ability to manipulate those laws. Someone will find a way, they always do.
There are certain limitations to just how much light is arriving at the sensor, however yes I we will see quantum efficiency improve as well as noise drop which are two major factors. That said, there are still some laws (photon arrival) we just can't change.

Still, small P&S cameras with high performance thumbnail sized sensors aren't going to displace the larger cameras because there's still a lack of DOF control possible with them. Big isn't going anywhere, but for many people they may be able to step down and still get the results the want without needing such a large sensor.

[golfecho]

How about on-board Photoshop? No need for all that pesky PP work late at night after a long day shooting. Just a few twirls with the camera's wheel, and a button push or two, and you're done!

[x2x3x4x5x]

Has anyone ever thought that digital is NOT the final frontier?

Who knows what the next 10 years may bring us.

[jerrythesnake]

Has anyone ever thought that digital is NOT the final frontier?

Who knows what the next 10 years may bring us.
now that has got me thinking:):)

[Colorblinded]

Has anyone ever thought that digital is NOT the final frontier?

Who knows what the next 10 years may bring us.
I have suspicions about where digital sensors are going to go in the next 5 to 10 years but I do wonder what's next in the long term (well beyond 10 years though I think).

[JLukeW]

http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/#sensor_analysis

Check out that link to see why small sensors will always have lower image quality than large ones, and why big cameras will always have better images than small ones. (Edit: I guess that was filed by the department of redundancy department.)

That being said, if you dropped mpx to 6 or 8, and had alternating pixels capturing at different EV values (one stop or two stops apart) and auto-merging the two (auto-HDR), that would make a significant difference in image quality. Definitely something I'd like to see.

[JBaz]

i think a few camera's already have automatic EV value compensations for flesh tones.

[vic6string]

http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/#sensor_analysis

Check out that link to see why small sensors will always have lower image quality than large ones, and why big cameras will always have better images than small ones. (Edit: I guess that was filed by the department of redundancy department.)

That being said, if you dropped mpx to 6 or 8, and had alternating pixels capturing at different EV values (one stop or two stops apart) and auto-merging the two (auto-HDR), that would make a significant difference in image quality. Definitely something I'd like to see.


I am not saying large sensors aren't better than small ones, but the small ones 10 years from now may very well be much better than the large ones of today. Yes, by today's standards, a pocket camera cannot have higher IQ than a 5D, but 10 years from now, there may be a pocket cam every bit as good as today's Hasselblad. New technologies, new materials, new manufacturing capabilities, etc. Nanotechnology is in it's infancy, and scientists are doing things now that were too far fetched for even science fiction not too long ago.

[ArenGh]

but 10 years from now, there may be a pocket cam every bit as good as today's Hasselblad.
http://www.arengh.com/misc/1shifty.gif

[x2x3x4x5x]

now that has got me thinking:):)
:lol: