[RioRico]

personally, i'd love to see a voice controlled camera, although it might make you look like a Jerk.

It's not enough that you can't tell whether that flake jabbering to themselves is insane or just phoning home, oh no!! Now you want photogs to keep a running dialogue with their devices, preferably with an AI in a belt-clipped micro supervising.

Photog: "Camera, I want the Andy Warhol effect on this shot."
Monitor: "I think a Hiro or Bert Stern mood would work better."
Flash: "Give me 20 seconds more to recharge; I'm pretty tired."
Camera: "Make up your minds; I gotta take a RAM dump soon."
Photog: "No, I really want a high-contrast litho-up-the-a$$ look."
2nd Body: "You guys never let me do anything. I've had it. I quit."

Or just a monologue / diatribe:

Photog: "Look at that butt! Tighter on the butt! Snap! Snap! Now up to the tits! Yeah, shoot continuous! Now those kids over there -- get'em jumping. Snap! Snap! Oh sh!t, here comes a bag lady. No, not her. Hey, that guy on the ledge -- is he gonna jump? Oh yeah! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Now close in on the splatter! Oh yeah! Snap! Snap!"

I don't want to talk to my camera. I don't want my camera to talk to me. I have enough problems already.

[kickboxingpenguin]

touch screens are a waste of money and research and development. on a dslr i think its the worst idea because it slows down menu flipping. until the touchscreen is the size of the whole rear of the camera, can prove itself in harsh environments, and is scratch resistant, i say no, focus on performance or lenses first.

Maybe a touchscreen would be useful for more exact in-camera cropping and color sampling, but id stop it at that. Simple image editing programs can do the same thing, and more efficiently.

[justinr]

It's not enough that you can't tell whether that flake jabbering to themselves is insane or just phoning home, oh no!! Now you want photogs to keep a running dialogue with their devices, preferably with an AI in a belt-clipped micro supervising.

Photog: "Camera, I want the Andy Warhol effect on this shot."
Monitor: "I think a Hiro or Bert Stern mood would work better."
Flash: "Give me 20 seconds more to recharge; I'm pretty tired."
Camera: "Make up your minds; I gotta take a RAM dump soon."
Photog: "No, I really want a high-contrast litho-up-the-a$$ look."
2nd Body: "You guys never let me do anything. I've had it. I quit."

Or just a monologue / diatribe:

Photog: "Look at that butt! Tighter on the butt! Snap! Snap! Now up to the tits! Yeah, shoot continuous! Now those kids over there -- get'em jumping. Snap! Snap! Oh sh!t, here comes a bag lady. No, not her. Hey, that guy on the ledge -- is he gonna jump? Oh yeah! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Now close in on the splatter! Oh yeah! Snap! Snap!"

I don't want to talk to my camera. I don't want my camera to talk to me. I have enough problems already.

But as per usual it will be a question of "We have the technology, now what the feck are we going to do with it?" Simple, stick it in a camera and tell everyone that they really must have it to be a top snapper. It's a technique that has yet to fail.

Personally I hate touch screens on anything for there is no feed back as to whether your prodding has had any effect. With a button or switch there is a tactile conformation that you've actually done something where as with a touch screen you have no idea. Touch screens are probably cheaper though one you start making them by the million and no more lots of little holes in the camera body to be sealed which will bring production costs down no end.

[johnmflores]

"In ten seconds, take a photo of the car...."

"In four seconds, take a photo of the car..."

"Take a photo of the car..."

"Recalculating."

[JeffJS]

I think my nose pressing against the screen would be selecting the modes for me. Much like my phone use to pocket dial before I got one that could be closed up.. Want to give me a Digicam feature on a DSLR? Give me an articulated screen.

[ancatdubh]

to the OP, i'd have to say "no" its not a good idea. Simple point is that you should be able to control the camera whilst at your eye, by turning a dial, flicking a switch or pressing a button that you know the location of without having to look. I bemoan cameras and camera manufacturers which 'drop' hard controls for menu based systems.

If it does come to pass, at some stage, then please God let them leave the hard controls in place and allow the touch of the touch screen to be deactivated (a menu option would be fine for that!)

[sebberry]

Don't forget that if it was a cap-touch screen like an iPhone, you would need special cap-touch compatible gloves to keep your hands warm in the winter.

Also, buttons don't wash out in the sun like a screen does. You know where the physical buttons are regardless of what the screen is showing. The last thing a photographer wants to do is hunt for a function when trying to capture a rare momeny.

Bottom line is: Is there a NEED for a touch screen on a DSLR? It would add weight, decrease battery life, increase cost and possibly make the camera more cumbersome to use. How would it benefit the photographer?

Pros might be that it would make for easier weathersealing, but that doesn't appear to be a big problem right now anyway.

[ManixZero]

Touch screen, GPS and voice activation. While we're at it lets add an MP3 player and mobile phone! then just as you are about to snap that great ass the camera can call your missus, tell her what you're doing and where you are and play the Jaws theme as she approaches with the roliing pin in hand!

Just a camera for me please!

MZ

[RioRico]

Touch screen, GPS and voice activation. While we're at it lets add an MP3 player and mobile phone!

You forgot the USB-plug-in beer/soda can cooler and muffin toaster, electric fan (to cool your sweaty brow), bluetooth to feed LiveView to your VR goggles, and the AI to warn you from taking lousy shots.

[Sakura]

It's not enough that you can't tell whether that flake jabbering to themselves is insane or just phoning home, oh no!! Now you want photogs to keep a running dialogue with their devices, preferably with an AI in a belt-clipped micro supervising.

Photog: "Camera, I want the Andy Warhol effect on this shot."
Monitor: "I think a Hiro or Bert Stern mood would work better."
Flash: "Give me 20 seconds more to recharge; I'm pretty tired."
Camera: "Make up your minds; I gotta take a RAM dump soon."
Photog: "No, I really want a high-contrast litho-up-the-a$$ look."
2nd Body: "You guys never let me do anything. I've had it. I quit."

You're forgetting one:

Bystander: "Camera, start taking 1975 pictures without interruption"
Photog: "Shit, what's happening?"
Camera: "memorycard is full, please insert empty card again"
Bystander: Laughing out loud

[reeftool]

I haven't really thought about it but the idea of replacing dials and switches on a DSLR with a touch screen should be enough to give any photographer nightmares.

[Mark Castleman]

I would fear that much like the dreaded "butt dialing" on many phones now we would have "nose photos" of all manner of random things

[icywarm]

I would fear that much like the dreaded "butt dialing" on many phones now we would have "nose photos" of all manner of random things

Lord that is brilliant! ISO control with the tongue, eye lash control of shutter speed and nose can pop the flash!!! Hell you could use the camera with one hand... or no hands if you had a tri-pod...

[RioRico]

You're forgetting one:

Bystander: "Camera, start taking 1975 pictures without interruption"
Photog: "Shit, what's happening?"
Camera: "memorycard is full, please insert empty card again"
Bystander: Laughing out loud

I have an older car with a remote control. The control is coded to the car. I got a newer car with a remote control. The control is coded by frequency. Somebody nearby had the same frequency, and kept lowering my windows. At night, in the rain. I had the frequency changed. Now the newer car stays dry.

But it gave me an idea. I can drive the old car to parking lots, use the new control to make cars blast their horns and lower their windows and unlock their doors. Nobody will know it's me. Ha. Won't that be fun?

OK, so we will soon have voice-controlled cameras. Somebody could walk around with a voice recorder that says, "Camera, do this. Camera, do that." At events filled with photographers with 'advanced' cameras, chaos will reign. Murders and suicides will be committed. A jolly time will be had by all.

I can hardly wait, eh?

[allill]

I don't like it. I don't like anything that is touchscreen only. I need an actual interface that I can feel. Buttons, buttons and more buttons. Hell, even switches are good.

I got a DSLR for the easy access via buttons, switches and dials.