Unique and Unconventional Looking Digital Cameras

Do you know why traditional film 35mm cameras (SLR and point-n-shoot) all look very similar to each other?

See, with traditional 35mm film cameras, they all have the same physical constraints. The constraints that they must carry the 35mm film roll, canister on one side, film on the other, while running the film pass the shutter curtain. On 35mm film SLR cameras, they must also house a penta-prism on top of the case for the optical through-the-lens viewfinder.

Virtually all of the digital SLR cameras on the market look like traditional film SLR cameras. But they no longer have to. One of my biggest gripes is that with digital cameras, manufacturers no longer have to conform to the traditional camera "look". Yet, they do.

Many digital cameras today, support the use of the rear LCD as its viewfinder, reducing the need for the penta-prism, or the optical parallax viewfinder on point-n-shoot rangefinder cameras. Also, there is no longer a long strip of film that must run pass the shutter curtain. In fact, digital cameras don't have to have shutter curtains. The digital sensor can start and stop capturing images at any time. The elimination of these constraints means manufacturers are no longer bound by the physical constraints of the camera. They can make the cameras any shape or size they want, only to be constrained by the size of the sensor, memory storage media, power source, and input/output form-factor. The size of circuit board is not a factor, because I welcome manufacturers to minimize it as much as possible, only limited by their own ingenuity.

I once raved (see my "Canon IX Body Style" article) about the Canon EOS IX, an APS film SLR camera. The Canon EOS IX had a revolutionary design that sets it apart from the traditional 35mm film SLR cameras. Yet, it supported the same features that you'd expect from a SLR camera. I had once said that if Canon would to release a digital version of the Canon IX, I would be first in line to buy it. What I said still hold true today.

Despite the fact that Canon hasn't followed up with the revolution design of the Canon EOS IX, other manufacturers has done some R&D on coming up with innovative body shapes in both SLR and point-n-shoot realm. In this article, I will showcase these innovative cameras in the hope to encourage manufacturers to think outside the box during camera design.

Whenever a new unique camera designed is released into the consumer market, I will add them to this article. In the meantime, I will showcase unique digital cameras of the present and the past; one will be posted every few days. So come on back and see all the cool looking cameras. And if you know of a unique-looking digital camera of the present and the past, please let us know about it.

Comments & Discussion >>

Kodak Digital Science DC50

Back in 1996, Kodak Digital Science DC50 was one of the first batches of digital cameras on the consumer market. Back then, digital cameras were called digital imaging devices. They were reviewed in personal computer magazines (i.e. PC Magazine) rather than photography periodicals. The DC50 has a shape that looks like a projector rather than a camera. It is elongated like a set of binoculars. In fact, during operation, it is held like a set of binoculars. The camera has a built-in hand-strap that is handy.

The DC50 is a rangefinder camera with a separate optical viewfinder. Its features include auto-focus, zoom lens, and built-in flash. It uses the very original PCMCIA memory cards, a step up from the ancient floppy disks. A serial cable is included to download pictures to your computer. Its resolution was only 756x504, a sub-standard resolution compared to today's digital cameras. But back then, it was considered as a higher-end model.

You can find out more about the Kodak Digital Science DC50 at the KODAK DC50 Zoom Digital Camera Support page.

Comments & Discussion >>

Sony alpha NEX-3 and Sony alpha NEX-5

Sony is probably came closest to creating a digital camera that meets the expectation of a Canon EOS IX users. The alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5 has similar form-factor and style to the original Canon EOS IX. All of these camera has a rectangler body with detachable lens mount and shoulder strap attachment that allows the camera and lens to flow parallel down beside your body. And all three camera supports APS film and sensor sizes. You'll have a hard time finding more similar cameras.

The Sony alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5 digital camera accept the new alpha E-mount lenses. Currently, Sony has three E-mount lenses: 16mm, 18-55mm, and 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3. With the Sony Alpha LA-EA1 lens adapter, these cameras can also use the alpha-series lenses. There are also a tremendous number of lens adapter for other manufacturer's lenses; except you'll lose auto-focus. Therefore, the expandability is virtually limitless.

Sadly, this innovation didn't come from Canon for its EOS-series of cameras. Otherwise, I would have ordered myself an Sony alpha NEX-5 last night. Nevertheless, the prospect of getting a Sony alpha NEX-3 to use with all my EOS lenses in manual-focus mode is still tempting.

Comments & Discussion >>

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M1

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M2 that recently released is the unique digital that got me started thinking about writing this article. But the M2 is not the first in this innovative design. Sony actually delivered Cyber-shot DSC-M1 prior. The M2 is basically the newer slicker version. And the M2 is available in silver, rather than black.

The DSC-M1 looks more like a cellphone mated with a camcorder. When you are ready to use the cellphone looking device, swerve its back sideways and a LCD is revealed. The LCD can be rotated like a camcorder. The DSC-M2 features 5.1 megapixel (2592x1944 pixels) Super HAD CCD, a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens, a 2.5" hybrid LCD monitor, and a built-in flash. It also captures Hi8-quality video.

Comments & Discussion >>