Originally posted by Wheatfield Consider that the reason for why cameras look the way they do is because it gives a good, ergonomic tool to work with. Car exteriors are a somewhat different kettle of fish because they are not operated from the outside. Get into a car, pretty much any car, and you will find that the designer has gone to some effort to ensure things work, and most cars are, to a great extent, carbon copies of each other WRT control placement. Also, a lot of those nice, work of art designs have styling that erodes the functionality of the car.
It might make a nice design statement to alter the pedal placement, but it would make the care dangerous to drive.
I suspect if Newson designed a car interior, the pedals would be in the back seat and the steering wheel on the passenger side.
Sorry, I don't buy it - car exteriors (and interiors) have more functional design limitations imposed on them than any camera. Consider - aerodynamics, signal visibility, cargo capacity, safety (for the occupants, other cars, and now pedestrians), and a whole bunch more. Yet, the designs continue to be fresh and progressive.
This is because car manufacturers have figured out that good design adds value - look at KIA, who used to put out putrid little econoboxes and shameless ripoffs, and then decided to hire Italdesign to give them cars that have gotten mistaken for Lexuses.
SLR designs have been stagnant for a long, long time because nobody has thought to do anything else. This is starting to change, first with retro influences, and now with some entirely new approaches. But existing photo enthusiasts are used to the status quo and fear change (like everybody), so anything new is going to be regarded with suspicion and distaste.
I applaud Pentax on taking the lead with using design to add value to their products. Target figured it out when they started selling cheap, attractive clothing (Wal-mart and others have since followed) and cellphone manufacturers and car manufacturers are following. Consider - good design doesn't add a per-unit cost... it is roughly like R&D, and the money invested is easy to recoup across thousands of sales. It's a good strategy, because everybody is limited by the similar production costs when adding features, but design potentially offers a lot of bang-for-your-buck, and the more you sell the better deal it is.
BTW - Marc Newson did design a Ford concept car, and it had some pretty ergonomic features like swiveling seats that made getting in and out of the car easier. And the steering wheel and pedals were perfectly usable.