Camera ergonomics review 12 October 2025

 

I was introduced to the world of cameras 72 years ago at the age of ten.  My father enjoyed photography  leading him in 1950 to purchase the Baldafix folding medium format film camera which you see in the photo. The shutter and mechanical parts of this camera still work although the lens succumbed to the ravages of mould many years ago.

I went on to use many cameras over the years, from sub-miniature to 4x5 inch large format. For most of that time I did not question the camera maker’s design decisions. With each new camera model I just figured out how it works and used it to make pictures. I might on occasion have RTFM.

In retrospect I can see that for most of the 20^th Century the inner workings of cameras determined their external design.  For many years the dominant camera type was the 35mm single lens reflex (SLR) taking double perforated 35mm film. One popular model was the Asahi Pentax Spotmatic of 1964 which you can see in the photo. In fact the majority of 35mm SLR models in the mid to late 20^th Century looked very similar to this regardless of their maker. The reason is simple enough. This is the most economical way to package the film, donor and receiver cassettes, flipping mirror, lens mount,  pentaprism, lens and controls for manual focus, aperture, shutter speed and film speed. 

In the latter part of the 20^th Century some camera makers started to invest R&D effort into studying the ergonomic relationship between user and camera.

One of the best known products to emerge from this process is the Canon T90 of 1986, a 35mm SLR manual focus FD mount professional model as shown in the photo. Already in this model we can see the basic configuration of body, handle and controls which will be familiar to Canon users today.

In due course autofocus displaced manual focus, digital sensors displaced film, mirrorless interchangeable lens (MILC) models started to eat into DSLR sales and smartphones displaced cameras as the preferred device for making pictures for most people.

However although the number of cameras produced each year has dramatically declined from a peak in about 2010, consumer demand for dedicated cameras continues as does their development.

In the early part of the 21^st Century I mainly used Canon crop sensor DSLRs such as the EOS 20 and EOS 40. These had their limitations the main one being unreliable autofocus but they were generally easy enough to use with mostly user friendly handling and controls.

I was an early adopter of MILC s with the Panasonic Lumix G1 in 2009. This was more compact than the APSC DSLRs of the time and had more consistent single shot autofocus. But the body shape, handling and controls were terrible. I thought: what has gone wrong here ?  How did the  user interface aspect of camera design go backwards ?

 This was the start of my voyage of discovery into the world of camera ergonomics.

I figured out that the main problem with the Lumix G1 is that they took the shape and layout of the DMC-L10 DSLR of 2007 and shrunk it down. This failed to account for the fact that the hands and fingers using the device would not oblige by also shrinking. The smaller size required a different approach to the physical design of the device.

In due course I bought a Samsung NX10 which is the same compact size as the G1 but has a different layout of the handle and controls making it much more enjoyable to use.

I have written extensively about my discoveries in earlier posts on this blog. I made 20 wooden mockups of full size and compact cameras. The process allowed me to change any part of the design such as the handle, shape and size or the thumb rest or the position of the dials and buttons to evaluate the effect of doing so on the physical handling of the device. Learning by doing, in other words.

Out of all this I developed a systematic schema for evaluating and scoring camera ergonomics. I have scored 53 cameras to date over a 12 year period.

I believe I may be the first and possibly only person to have done this.

Nikon Z6 in use. That location of the front control dial is suboptimal. It lies so close to the middle finger of the right hand that in order for the index fingr to get onto the dial and turn it, the whole right hand must move down about 10mm. This might not sound like much but every action adds to the total required to operate the device, and in this case one of those actions is moving the whole hand. 
The key is number and complexity of actions

Initially I got quite a bit of push back especially from Fuji-lovers who are inclined to respond with outrage at the slightest critique of their beloved camera marque. This experience taught me to clearly differentiate between ergonomics, which can be evaluated and scored using specific criteria and preferences which are much more idiosyncratic and often based on a range of factors not amenable to systematic evaluation.

It also taught me that there are, broadly speaking,  two schools of thought  in modern camera design, with intermediate variants.

The numerically dominant school uses the handle, thumb rest and mode dial plus twin control dial layout.  Most Canon, Nikon, Sony, OM, Lumix, and Fujifilm GFX, X-S and X-H  models use this layout. There are few or no fixed function dials or buttons. The function of most dials and buttons is mode dependent and user configurable. Aperture is adjusted with a control dial on the body, not a ring on the lens.

This R7 uses the standard Canon handle/shutter button/Fn button/front control dial layout. The hand is in the half closed relaxed position with the index finger lying naturally on the optimally oriented shutter button. The Fn button and front control dial are easily operated by the index finger without the need to move any other finger. 

The Sony A9 is an expensive high performance model with s few less than ideal ergonomic elements.
The middle finger of the right hand is almost touching the front control dial, same problem as the Z6 above. There are marked dials for drive mode and focus mode and an exposure compensation dial. Stacked dials are not optimal and the fixed function control modules will require more actions, each more complex when switching many operating parameters together than would be the case with better ergonomic design

Poor handle design on Lumix GX8 with no overhang under which the middle finger can gain secure purchase on the device

Some of these cameras also have fixed function dials for such things as drive mode, exposure compensation and  focus mode. This is not necessarily a good idea if we need to change many camera settings quickly, as I will discuss below.

Some camera models especially from Fujifilm and Leica utilise a quasi-traditional design. The controls cannot be entirely traditional as modern digital cameras have video and a gazillion adjustable functions which simply did not exist on mid 20^th Century film SLR cameras.

There are also several hybrid models which have a mode dial and control dials but also some direct control dials for aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation. The Nikon Zf is one of these, with marked dials for shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation but also a PASM mode lever under the ISO dial plus front and rear control dials.

I realised that the process of using a camera could be usefully understood in four phases, Setup, Prepare, Capture and Review. I further divided the Capture Phase into three principal functions, Holding, Viewing and Operating. I allocated a maximum score to each of these functional elements. This is of necessity a bit arbitrary as to the allocation of maximum numerical score but I think most camera users will probably agree that, for instance,  Operating is the most important thing so it gets the highest maximum score and that from the ergonomic perspective Review is the least important so it gets the lowest maximum score.

The essential elements of camera ergonomics are

* Full user control over all aspects of camera operation,

* Number of actions and

* Complexity of actions

I assembled a schedule of characteristics for each of the Phases of use listing those which enable full control with few actions, each of low complexity and those demanding more actions each of greater complexity.

I do not measure or score time taken as that will resolve itself as a consequence of the number and complexity of actions.

The exercise is not relevant to simple point-and-shoot devices. It applies to proper cameras which allow the user to directly control all primary and secondary exposure, focussing and framing functions.

Here I will just run through some common issues in each of the Phases of use, to illustrate the principles involved.

Setup Phase

This is when we are getting a new camera set up to our personal requirements, mainly involving menu decisions and button and dial function allocations.

Over the last 25 years camera settings have proliferated, not always to the benefit of the user experience. Some recent models come with a 900 page operating manual and a convoluted menu system to intimidate just about anybody. Early model Sony and Olympus menus defied comprehension. Things have gradually improved but even menus regarded in the industry as good practice leave a great deal of room for improvement.  The main problem is that a lot of menu systems are tech-nerd oriented, when they need to be user oriented. My Canon R7 has a standard menu system which is serviceable once we learn to navigate the labyrinth but it is far from photographer friendly.  There are setup items scattered all over the place through the red camera menu, the yellow and the orange menus. Some submenus make photographic sense such as  AF, Playback and Connectivity, but the traditional ones are a dogs breakfast of miscellaneous items scattered without much relevance to photographic operation. Several camera reviewers have pointed to the Hasselblad X2D medium format cameras as exemplars of a better way forward. On one screen we have icons for Exposure, Focus, Quality, Crop modes, Flash, Display, Power, Storage, Stabilisation, Wi-Fi and General.  I would add a few more such as Drive Mode, and tease out the General category a bit more. There is always room for improvement but we can see that DJI/Hasselblad is on the right track to make the menus more relevant to the photographic process than we see in most cameras today.

Prepare Phase

This is the minute or few in which we want to re-configure the camera for a new set of subject requirements. Cameras which allow the user to change many exposure, focus, drive and other capabilities quickly and reliably will score highly on this measure.

Here is a little example to illustrate the issue. I was recently having lunch outdoors, camera nearby and noticed the adjacent road flooding without rain, as if by miracle. So I photographed that using one set of camera parameters then noticed some swallows flying about above my head, quickly changed nine settings with a quarter turn of one dial and photographed a swallow in flight.

The switch required just one action, of low complexity, using two fingers of my right hand to turn the Mode Dial to the pre-set Custom position.

I used the EOS R7 which has a mode dial with three Custom settings one of which I have programmed with all the right settings for birds in flight.  The settings are Capture Mode, ISO, Drive, Focus Area, Subject detection, Eye detection, Shutter Speed, Aperture and AF Mode.

Cameras which locate any of those adjustments on a fixed function dial or button or require a trip to the menus  require multiple actions, each more complex.

Holding

My work with mockups showed me that the ergonomic design of handles has to be considered carefully and tested with mockups as the camera body/handle/thumb rest/control layout has to accommodate small and large hands. I found the best way to do this is to provide adequate handle grip height for large hands. Small hands will fit quite well by simply occupying the upper part of the handle. Some cameras are sold without a handle at all. The burgeoning aftermarket accessory grip and thumb support market tells us that many buyers of these cameras go right out and fit a handle and thumb support. So why not fit them in the first place ? There’s a mystery.

Some handles are much better designed than others. The ideal is to allow the right hand to adopt the half closed, relaxed position when gently gripping the handle with the right index finger on the shutter button. The best handles have an overhang in front of the shutter button under which the right middle finger can rest allowing it to support the mass of the camera without finger tension.

Integral to handle design is location, orientation and haptics of the shutter button and front control dial. Having tried many variations using real cameras and mockups I have concluded that the standard Canon layout works best. This has the shutter button on a forward sloping platform just where the index finger wants to find it and angled perpendicular to the preferred line of force of the flexor muscles and within the constraints of the interphalangeal joints. The front control dial is 20mm behind the center of the shutter button, an easy reach for the index finger without having to move any other finger. The Fn button is between the shutter button and front control dial where it is easily reached with minimal movement of just one finger. Fewer movements, each of low complexity.

Several cameras have the front dial facing forward on the upper overhanging part of the handle. This arrangement is suboptimal. Placing the shutter button behind the dial forces the right index finger upwards and out of the half closed, relaxed position. Placing the front dial over the edge and down the front of the handle means that in most cases the right middle finger is so close to the dial that the whole right hand has to move downwards about 10mm so the index finger can bear on the dial and turn it. More movements each of higher complexity.

One intermediate solution which some cameras use is an annular front dial around the shutter button. This can work quite well provided designers get the haptics right.

So we see that holding is not a static activity but has to integrate perfectly with the location, orientation and haptics of attached buttons and control dials. Some very expensive cameras still  provide a suboptimal realisation of this nexus.

Viewing

The best arrangement for a proper camera is a good quality EVF plus a fully articulated touch screen and many cameras offer this combination. But not all are optimally implemented. Some have a laggy EVF which can’t keep up with the frame rate. Some display camera data on a black band over the lower part of the preview picture.

The latest fashion is for camera makers to offer models with no EVF at all. I have one of these, a Canon Powershot V1. Indoors it is a versatile and capable device but outdoors in the hard bright Sydney sun the monitor screen is just not bright enough making the process of framing the subject an exercise in guesswork.

The best but presumably most expensive type of monitor screen is the double articulated type which allows us to tilt it up or down in either landscape or portrait orientation and also turn it to face forward.

Nothing good here. There is no proper thumb support, they stuck a dial where the thumb wants to go.The five buttons controller has very poor haptics. It is almost impossible to press the desired button without looking.

Samsung NX10. This is much better. There is a nicely positioned and shaped thumb support. The cross keys use the rocking saucer style module. Unfortunately Samsung exited the camera business in favour of snartphones, fame and fortune.

Operating

The main item on my evaluation schedule for this Phase of use is that all primary and secondary exposure, focussing and framing adjustments can be carried out without significantly changing grip with either hand and without having to remove my eye from the viewfinder. These days plenty of cameras do allow this but some do not.

Photographers whose main subjects encourage a contemplative approach, such as landscape or still life or architecture will not be much concerned by this requirement. But many of us use our cameras for a wide range of different subject types including objects animals and people running and jumping about in addition to static subjects

A camera which can be efficiently configured to do all these jobs needs to meet my  requirements in Capture Phase.

In general, cameras with a well implemented mode dial + control dial layout will usually be able to meet this requirement. Those with marked, fixed function dials will not.

Scaling

Cameras do not scale up or down. The hands which use them stay the same size. Going smaller or larger than any given starting point requires a complete re-design.

The perils of scaling. This Canon G1X.3 resembles a scaled-down interchangeable lens model. But the result is not successful. The controls are cramped and crowded and the handle inadequate. The red line erpresents the size of the Mockup15 below overlaid on the G1X.3. You can see that within an envelope of w x h x d, the mockup is only slightly larger but has a much more substantial handle and thumbrest and much more easily operated controls.

Haptics

Early model Lumix cameras had a “five buttons” type of rear panel cross keys arrangement. This is ergonomically terrible. It is almost impossible for us to find and press the desired button on this type of module without looking.

The simple solution is to use the “rocking saucer “ type module which if properly implemented with a raised perimeter is easily located and operated by feel.

Location and haptic issues come into play with every button, switch and dial on every camera.

Sometimes apparently trivial changes can make a big difference to the user experience. 

As an example see the photo with the Canon R8 and R5 side by side and note the location of the AF-ON button. The button on the R8 (and RP) is in the wrong place. I press it inadvertently every time I pick up the camera and frequently when holding it. So I have to disable that button.

It is correctly located on the R5 in which position I never press it when I do not intend to.

The EOS R7 is a good camera but they made a mistake by co-locating the rear control dial with the thumb stick (joystick). In use it is too easy to inadvertently nudge one when working the other.

It will not be apparent until we use these cameras but the AF-ON button on the RP/R8 is in the wrong place and on the R5/R6 in the optimal place.

Co-Located joystick and rear control dial on R7. Oops. Thats is just simply a mistake. Nobody asked for this. What were they thinking ?

Co-Located control modules

Co-locating control modules is always an invitation for the use of one to accidentally bump the other. The idea probably appeals to boffins in the design section as they can offer two or more control points in the space of one. And it probably seems to work OK when we are just playing around with the controls at leisure. But when we are out in the field and want to change settings quickly the error rate rises significantly. 

This is the best strap lug type. Forget the rest. I want all cameras to have this type of strap lug.

Strap lugs

I think there is no excuse for any kind of strap lug other than the recessed handlebar type seen in the photo, in this case on a Canon EOS R7. Those sticking-out ones which require the addition of a triangular paper clip type attachment thingy are a nuisance, a bad bit of design and frequently dig into the hand of the user.

Best ergonomic model ?

I give this to the Canon EOS R6. The R5 is a very similar camera but has an LCD screen which requires the rear control dial to serve double function as mode controller. I have not tested specialised sport/action models such as the R3 and R1 however adding a battery grip to the R5/R6 allows us to emulate these higher spec models to a large extent.

Best brand for ergonomics ?

On my assessment and after many years experience using cameras of many different brands and types I think Canon makes fewer ergonomic mess-ups than the others but there is still room for much improvement. I rate all the rest as about equal and not far behind Canon.

They all need to completely redesign their clunky olde-worlde menu systems, to make them more user oriented and photographically coherent..

The product development people at Canon recently told imaging journalists that making physical mockups is a routine part of their design process. I hope that is true and that all camera makers follow suit if they have not done so already. One thing I discovered from making mockups is that camera design cannot rely on AI generated 3D simulations. Only with device in hand can we literally get a feel for the design.

Are they improving ?

Yes, most cameras from most makers offer better ergonomics in 2025 than they did 20 years ago. But progress has been erratic with some forward steps then some backwards and a few side trips into ergonomic oddities like the Fn bar on the back of the Canon EOS R.  There is a lot of room for all camera makers to lift their ergonomic game. Menus is an obvious area for a major re-design. As to the exterior size, shape, layout and controls I think that it will be difficult to improve much on models like the Canon EOS R5 and R6 and their updates.

 

 

Standard rear panel on Canon Powershot models. Poor design with the dial and one of the cross keys always likely to be activated together. Canon should remove this unsatisfactory module from all future cameras.

Aperture ring on Leica D-Lux 8. To change aperture we must get a grip on the raised lugs with the fingers of the left hand. The relationship between fingers and control module changes as the aperture changes and is completely different when the camera is rotated for portrait orientattion. The number and complexity of actions required to change aperture is high. Compare this to a camera like the R7 shown above on which we change aperture by moving just the index finger of the right hand over a short distance. One action of low complexity.