[Kunzite]

What can you do on a smartphone that you can't do on a DSLR interface.

Play Angry Birds and many other games. Check your e-mail. Browse the Internet. Make phone calls. Listen music. Watch movies.
We should not forget we're comparing a generalist device with a specialized one - the "better" solution is not necessary identical in both cases.

[leekil]

The Nikon F5 had a computer interface (the Photo Secretary software) that allowed you to set parameters, and also create your own program line. (And maybe more?) The program line control would be a good feature, right off the bat.

Nikon F5 User's Guide

Nikon F5 Review by Thom Hogan

[Kunzite]

Photo Secretary is not a better alternative to the camera's menu system. Photo Secretary was a hack because the film-era F5 did not had a proper menu system.

[leekil]

Photo Secretary is not a better alternative to the camera's menu system. Photo Secretary was a hack because the film-era F5 did not had a proper menu system.

Any computer-controlled interface would only be a complement to the interface on the camera, not a replacement.

The camera already has multiple levels of interface; there are the buttons and dials, which give you quick, instantaneous control. For more complicated or less-used settings you go into the screen with the slower menu system. Progressively less-used and more-complex settings could be done through a computer interface. The custom program line settings would be a perfect example of this.

[Kunzite]

My point is, Photo Secretary with an F5 is an inferior solution to a standalone modern DSLR. Connecting your camera to a PC and using a software application is neither faster, nor more convenient than setting custom functions on the camera via its menus; but the F5 lacked such user friendly menus.

I'm not convinced that using a computer interface would be faster. Even saving configuration files can be done in-camera.

[JeffB]

There is limited UX value in creating a configuration interface for a device the has multiple physical buttons (a camera) from a device having 2 (a phone - volume up/down). The only value here would be if the camera had no physical menu control buttons. A few mirrorless cameras approach this threshold but I would find a camera like that to be nearly useless for actually taking photos.

I tried the android app to control my Fuji once. It was novel and amusing but I have never used it since. Frankly it was the one time where Fuji's manual-focus-by-wire system made sense because you could adjust the focus via the app which is pretty nifty. I still prefer physically coupled manual focusing (i.e. all SLR lenses) over the Fuji system.

[surfar]

so we would think Samsung would have made a phone camera by now

They've made 2, both are excellent for the price but production runs finished and it seems, with Sammy,if its not an instant overwhelming profit maker then they drop it.

[clackers]

The best "phone camera" to date was the Nokia 808, which I had for 2 years. Totally outperforms my Samsung S7... or any Iphone. It died for various other reasons. Nobody has since bothered to incorporate such a camera in a phone, probably because it makes the phone about 15mm thick.

Not much of what you just said is true, Peter.

The Nokia Lumia flagships used an updated version of that camera. They had a hump.

Performance wise, it's not as good as you make it out to be according to DxOMark testing - most phones are better than it now, even as far back as the Samsung S5, see for yourself:

https://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles

[victormeldrew]

Weird...I can't see the point in trying to mirror dozens of controls, including rotary controls, on one tiny touch screen. They're already right there at your fingertips... Any implementation would need stacks of tabs and submenus to slowly wade through and horrible sliders, which never work properly, and zero sensory feedback to allow you to locate and use them quickly. As for 'profiles', they're already there too on the dial.

The amount of effort for this woeful reward would be an huge waste IMO.

Humbug!

[clackers]

Weird...I can't see the point in trying to mirror dozens of controls, including rotary controls, on one tiny touch screen. They're already right there at your fingertips... Any implementation would need stacks of tabs and submenus to slowly wade through and horrible sliders, which never work properly, and zero sensory feedback to allow you to locate and use them quickly. As for 'profiles', they're already there too on the dial.

The amount of effort for this woeful reward would be an huge waste IMO.

Humbug!

Yep.

You can mount a case for replicating the Menu settings.

But I have a Samsung Mini-NX with no mechanical dials or buttons, just a screen.

It's an abysmal shooting experience, just like a phone, except for being able to touch focus.

[shardulm]

The K1 has wifi (though horribly implemented - 10x too slow for photo transfer and works only as a DHCP server / access point) so it could easily have bluetooth.

It isn't horribly implemented. It is slow for a reason. And the app is still being developed. Newer versions of the app and K-1 fw update should fix this in a few months. What needs to happen is K-1 needs to compress the images before exchanging them over WiFi. 36MPIX is too much data to tx over an ultra low power device with minimal CPU processing power. And bluetooth is out of question as it is a very limited protocol and is extremely error prone. So let me get BT out of the way. It should never be implemented.
For more usable experience try setting the JPEG recorded pixel size smaller (XS or M) to improve performance. You don't need 36MPIX images on SMS any way.

[surfar]

But I have a Samsung Mini-NX with no mechanical dials or buttons, just a screen.

Yes, a detachable lens point and shoot with a few variables and it can produce great images.


An added bonus is the battery is the same as the Samsung S4 Zoom, a great hybrid device.....so these 2 tag along with me.

[grahame]

A k-1 with customized android system built in is not a bad idea indeed!
I don't need to play game or write a book on it. But if I can light edit the photos, upload some here via wifi or 4G cellphone SIM card... GPS navigation and tracking, with apps help me finding right time and place for perfect light... Navigate through gallery, find a photo, and can do 2nd or multiple exposure on top of that...and maybe built-in small projector to share photos at camp site...don't mind playing some music...set camera on tripod and go sleep, camera wake up at 5:30am and take some photos, before sunrise, a few more at 5:45 am, when I am still in sleeping bag , ....connect to a motion sensor and take some pictures of animals in the dark...

DSLR has bigger battery (more batteries in the bag, easy change in 3 sec) and more space, why not?

[clackers]

Yes, a detachable lens point and shoot with a few variables and it can produce great images.

It can. I have the 17mm f1.8 prime for it too, but the 9mm and 9-27mm lenses are slow.

I bought a Canon G7X from a forum member a month ago to do the bulk of my 1" shooting.

[Not a Number]

There are already cameras that are configurable by smartphones. They are built into the smartphone.