Originally posted by Robert Barnett I would make the camera weigh 15 pounds and need power from a micro-fusion reactor
I don't get the need for in-camera image processing at all. Even a 4 inch touchscreen with an amazingly powerful processor for a mobile device has got nothing on a netbook or 13 inch laptop with a dual-core processor, SSD drive and 4GB RAM.
Take a look at good HDR or panorama compositing software - look at how many options you have to take control of to make the image you want - you have multiple projection mapping modes, feature fitting algorithms, exposure smoothing options, options dependent on field of view, the tilt angle of the camera, and so on... The iPhone app design approach can produce some pretty complex apps controllable via a touchscreen, but it's not right for the complexity and amount of numerical settings necessary for advanced image editing. No matter how good screens ever get, 4in is not enough to display a photo and related data in true detail. I think image taking and processing need to be kept very much separate.
Also, a touchscreen-driven dSLR would be terrible. Sticking a touchscreen on for changing menu settings and reviewing images is ok, but removing dedicated controls is going to be a disaster. A dSLR's shooting controls need to have very defined haptic feedback (people are complaining that the K-7's AF mode switch doesn't "click" firmly enough in the APS-C position, making it hard to tell what mode you're in) and need to
always be in the same place.
I know you are describing a very pie-in-the-sky future, but it's honestly one I would rather not see happen. You are describing a camera that's not a tool but a toy. A camera with an "upload to facebook" button. A camera with a "LOLCAT" and "FAIL" image macro maker application. A camera all about instant gratification and gadgetry rather than photographic craft.
While the speculation has moved about 10 years into the future, here's what I want from my future cameras:
- An advancement of the foveon or similar sensor, with each photosite being able to capture all incoming light in all colours (preferably a true array of microspectroscopes, capturing wavelength information).
- Advancements in the sensor technology allowing more DR - advanced amplifier circuits to prevent the sensor from ever clipping to white.
- A reworking of the sensor gating technology to alleviate the need for a physical shutter.
- Better processors and buffers that allow for entirely uninterrupted operation of all camera features.
- An optical viewfinder technology with integrated transparent display for optional histogram, focus point and info display in the VF.
- Wi-Fi driven tethering and flash control, along with APIs enabling advanced functions (allow the computer to provide location/setting metadata to the camera or carry out advanced pTTL metering based on positions of strobes etc...)