[asw66]

Just had a few random ideas that I'd like to share. Let me know if you like them, if they're unworkable, if you've got other ideas, etc.

1. A hyperfocal shooting mode. My camera knows what lens is mounted, so it should be able to work out the hyperfocal distance for the lens, and save me the trouble of thinking about it.
2. A lightweight screen that automatically covers the internals of the camera when I'm changing lenses, to prevent dust entering.
3. More ambitiously, I'd like to see a mode that extends "sweep panoramas" to create 3D maps of the image being shot. That is, in this mode you would move the camera around the subject a little to give it some parallax information, which could then be used to estimate the relative positions of objects in the scene. From there the camera could process the image with your preferred depth of field, a little like that "concept" camera that Canon was showing off a few months ago.

[RioRico]

What, nobody's responded yet? #1 and #3 are good ideas; #2 might not be do-able. (I just aim the camera body down when changing lenses.) But the others can be implemented in software alone. #1 need only be informative, a display on the INFO screen. #3 would be trickier, requiring a bunch of CPU cycles that would slow down other processing. But these should be installable as firmware upgrades. Or am I hallucinating again?

[K-9]

Wireless internet connection on an DSLR would be nice, to instantly send the pic you just took anywhere.

[Ivor K Ecks]

I'll add one firmware wish to the list.

Password protected "photographer/copyright " info.

Could be very useful if you get your camera stolen.

Peter

[richard balonglong]

For me:
1. More AF points
2. AF Priority Option (makes you set the camera to prioritize its auto focus more on closer subject or farther subject, or like priority on Foreground / Middle-ground / Background).
2. Input of f-stop like the input of focal length and a continuous display of Exposure Meter when using full manual lenses like the K and M lenses.
3. Short Voice Recording option [MP3 format] for making notes on the photographs (very usable for photojournalists and documentary assignments)
4. Image Splash Screen option [using small size jpeg] when turning On the camera (for more personalizing of camera like using your profile picture as your splash screen).
5. Dual SD Card Slot - very important especially when photographing under heavy rain or muddy condition. (You don't want to change your cards under those conditions).
6. AF or Green Button as Start/Stop Record - an option where you can assign the AF button or Green button to Start/Stop video recording instead of using the shutter release button.

[RioRico]

Interesting ideas.

For me:
1. More AF points

Might improve AF accuracy, or slow-down AF, or not

2. AF Priority Option (makes you set the camera to prioritize its auto focus more on closer subject or farther subject, or like priority on Foreground / Middle-ground / Background).

Can AF differentiate between FG and BG? Sounds like an AI problem.

2. Input of f-stop like the input of focal length and a continuous display of Exposure Meter when using full manual lenses like the K and M lenses.

Yeah, it would be handy to record lens ID and aperture used.

3. Short Voice Recording option [MP3 format] for making notes on the photographs (very usable for photojournalists and documentary assignments)

My old Sony DSC-V1 and DSC-P10 P&S's have this.

4. Image Splash Screen option [using small size jpeg] when turning On the camera (for more personalizing of camera like using your profile picture as your splash screen).

Sure, why not?

5. Dual SD Card Slot - very important especially when photographing under heavy rain or muddy condition. (You don't want to change your cards under those conditions).

Or you can just use a bigger card. I've an Oly P&S with multiple card slots. Feh.

6. AF or Green Button as Start/Stop Record - an option where you can assign the AF button or Green button to Start/Stop video recording instead of using the shutter release button.

No video on my K20D so I have no opinion. But if you say so, then sure!

[richard balonglong]

Hehe... Even if I have a bigger card, there will still a point that it will go full. I shoot sports and news, and usually I shoot a lot especially when shooting sports (and I always shoot RAW)..
In "AF Priority", it's like a built-in focus limiter so that when the AF misses it won't turn the focus ring all the way around (especially for those lens with long focus turning or slow AF)... hehe... =)

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Last edited by richard balonglong; 08-06-2011 at 09:40 AM.

[sebberry]

I'd like to see an option to quickly create a new folder on the card and put sebsequent photos into that folder. Would be handy if you are photographing several locations in a day and want to keep your photos seperate.

For example: The Tall Ships festival is in town and you visit 10 different boats. How do you remember what ship which photo was taken on? Easy - create a folder, name it the name of the ship and shoot away. When you move on to the next ship, create another folder.


I'd also like dual SD slots with the option of having one work as either a clone of the first or an overflow card for when the first runs out.

[Just1MoreDave]

I don't know if this is technically possible, but here's my idea, The camera knows when an autofocus lens is attached because it receives digital information through one of the mount's contact pins. That data includes focal length and maximum aperture. I would like the camera to have an RFID transmitter to interrogate the lens if it's not sending digital data. Pentax would have to make chips that we'd attach to our older lenses. You'd have to buy a chip for a particular lens.

So let's say you have the Pentax-M 50mm f1.7. The chip can tell the camera the lens name to put it in the EXIF data. It could send the focal length. It may even be able to send information about the maximum aperture. This part would also require the camera to know how much the lever needs to move for each lens. It wouldn't work perfectly for every lens, but they might get it good enough for Pentax lenses. For these older lenses (pre-KA), it was not necessary for the lever to move in a predictable way. It was essentially an open or close switch. So whether the camera's aperture control arm can accurately control the blades depends on how picky the desgner was a few decades ago.

If they can get the aperture data to be useful, Pentax could sell the add-on chips for a lot more than the manufacturing costs. I'm thinking $20 retail for each chip. They get a lot of money for lenses made 25 years ago, plus give many current customers another reason to upgrade their old body.

[RioRico]

I'd like to see an option to quickly create a new folder on the card and put sebsequent photos into that folder.

Yeah, I can do that on my old Sony V1 P&S. I can't name the folders, they default to the next number, but it's easy to create new folders on the fly, where following photos are saved. And it's easy to navigate between folders. In the absence of such a feature, I guess you'll just have to WRITE THINGS DOWN, eh? Oh bother...

I'd also like dual SD slots with the option of having one work as either a clone of the first or an overflow card for when the first runs out.

The clone idea is good, like having a RAID-1 system onboard. If one card is munged, the other is still good. But overflow? In a world with 32GB cards? Maybe Eye-Fi card is the solution to both problems.