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| McAllister Tugs, 1981, Kodachrome (click to enlarge) |
Also, I'm really happy with everything my cameras and lenses can do. I have more features built into my cameras than I will ever need. The focus is fast and accurate. I can track flying birds with relative ease! The dynamic range is more than color slide film ever gave us. I think It may even exceed color negative film. I can fire off more frames per second than I thought possible in the past. More than I'll ever really need. I can even buffer up to 60 images in my camera upon half-press of the shutter then fire off a couple of dozen frames after full press so I never miss peak action! Finally, I can make images in near total darkness. Incredible.
In years past, ISO 400 film was called "high speed." Believe me when I tell you that when Kodak first released 400 speed film, it was horribly grainy. But it was the fastest color film around. Now, I can photograph all day at ISO 800 or 1600 with virtually no digital noise. Really, it is not uncommon for us to photograph at ISOs over 6400. Photographic life is really good.
Add to all that goodness that the cameras today are highly customizable and almost all include terrific video capabilities. They feel good in our hands and do everything we want them to do. As I said, the digital cameras today are wonders of technology. So what is it that I would want?
I would love to have a digital camera with a square sensor. Yes square. I would love to have the opportunity to change my image aspect ratios on the fly without losing pixels, i.e, not having to crop the original image. Additionally, I would love to be able to photograph horizontally or vertically without having to turn the camera. Remember, the image projected from the rear of any camera lens is a circle. We don't take advantage of this circle when we design cameras that produce rectangular images. Only square images captures maximum information produced by the lens' image circle.
This idea hearkens back to how the Hasselblads and other medium format film cameras were designed with available different format film backs. Hasselblads were natively a square format (6cm X 6cm) with a square film back attached. However, you could also buy other film backs with other ratios, such as 6cm x 4.5cm. Mamiya and Bronica, I believe, also provided this same variety of aspect ratio film backs for some of their medium format cameras. With digital cameras and the technology available, the number of aspect ratios/formats available is not really limited.
Now, I don't care if the camera uses a micro4/3, APS-C or full frame sensor, I would buy it if it was engineered correctly. I would like to have a camera that would allow image aspect ratios of 1:1, 2:3, 3:4, 4:5, 16:9 and 16:10 at least. With the exception of 1:1, I would like to have these ratios available in either a horizontal orientation or vertical orientation. While we are at it, maybe even an ability to create your own aspect ratio! Why not?
I would to have this function engineered in such a way that, in the menu, I could check off boxes of which ratios I would want available when I would toggle through them. I could have all, only one, or just a couple, depending upon my way of photographing and my preference.
I would like to access the different aspect ratios in a manner such as this. Assign a function button to this feature. Press the function button and rotate the rear command dial to change aspect ratios. Each click would step through the list of aspect ratios you checked in the menu. Press the function button and rotate the front command dial to change a given aspect ratio from horizontal to vertical. Very simple and straightforward and easy to do without taking your eye from the viewfinder.
What are the drawbacks of this capability? First, the sensor would cost more as a 1:1 aspect ratio sensor would be necessarily larger than a sensor in any particular horizontal format larger now. For example, a full frame camera has a sensor that is approximately 24mm x 36mm. The sensor in the new camera would have to be at least 36mm x 36mm. That is about 1.5x larger in my calculations. Larger sensor, more cost. Second, I think the larger than you would normally find square sensor would necessarily make any camera in any particular format larger as well. More materials would have to be utilized in order to construct it. Third, I suspect the cost research, design and engineering this feature to add to the costs already mentioned. Finally, there would be a somewhat limited market—at first. That would also mean higher per unit costs.
I don't think we will see a camera such as this for the mass market. It may first appear as a medium format camera with a limited potential customer base. However, I think that if costs could be amortized over the long run to minimize the cost of each camera. I think this idea would catch on and, sometime down the road, be the norm for professional and enthusiasts cameras.
So what do you think? Does a square sensor interest you? Does having the ability to shoot horizontal or vertical without having to turn the camera sound good? Does being able to shoot in a variety of ratios tickle your photographic curiosity? Leave a commeny and let us know.
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Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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Good idea Dennis. I myself have long dreamt of a camera with a circular sensor, as you point out the images circle of all lenses is, well, a circle. My idea is for a camera with a waist level finder shielded by a hood exactly like the myriad of medium format film cameras. This view finder would be an OLED screen that could be raised into a vertical position for eye level use. A knob on the side of this imaginary camera would control the aspect ratio. It would allow selection of, say, 500px x 3500px to 3500px x500px and anything in between. It would have click stops at the typical aspect ratios both horizontally and vertically.As the ratio was changed the corners of the capture area would be automatically adjusted so as to be at the edge of the sensor thus always give the maximum quality. As I said a dream camera that I'm sure will never be produced,but I've always felt that if you are going to dream you might as well dream big as it costs no more. Oh and of course this camera would use my lovely Fujifilm X lenses.
ReplyDeleteCheers INKPHOT
Very interesting. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
DeleteHi Dennis, interesting idea! Have to say though, I don't really get it. It boils down to saying you'd like a sensor with more pixels so that the camera can do the cropping for you and end up with the same number of pixels you would've had if you had a standard sensor and done the crop in post. It's not an efficient use of the sensor.
ReplyDeleteHaving to rotate the camera to take a portrait shot could be solved by having the sensor rotate within the body. Or by the time you've found the button to make this happen you could probably have just done it the old fashioned way :)