Grevillea. FZ1000 Hand held |
In the previous post I expressed considerable enthusiasm for the
LX100 concept.
Now I turn to the realisation of that concept and ergonomic
issues in particular. This is after all the Camera Ergonomics Blog.
I offer this analysis on the basis of published photos,
descriptions and specifications of the LX100 as I have not yet had the chance
to handle one. I have however made a mockup which has exactly the same
dimensions as the LX100 and will present this in the next post.
I have also had over a 50 year period, considerable
experience using cameras with the "traditional" design and control
layout. This I would summarise as
* Top rear shutter button location.
* No handle or a mini handle.
* Aperture ring on lens and shutter speed dial on camera
top.
Contrast this with the "modern" style of control layout the
main features of which are
* Forward shutter button location, on the handle.
* Sculpted ergonomic handle.
* Mode dial and one or two control dials.
The three main elements of camera ergonomics are holding,
viewing and operating.
Holding The
LX100 has a mini handle and a small thumb support. These features will be
adequate for holding the
camera. But why stop at adequate ? If the lens were to be moved to the left (as
viewed by the operator) this would free up space on the right side of the body
for a fully sculpted ergonomic handle.
The top of the handle would form the platform for an efficient quad
control set. This design can be achieved
within the confines of the width, height and depth of the LX100.
Viewing The LX100 has the basics in the form of a
fixed monitor and a built in EVF which mercifully does not have to be popped up
and pulled out for use. But why stop at the basics ?
My main camera these days is a Panasonic FZ1000. I find
myself using the fully articulated monitor very frequently. It is extremely
useful for overhead, waist level and low level work in landscape or portrait
orientation. It is very useful for hand held
closeups. It can be used to point the
camera at 90 degrees to the direction of my gaze with full functionality and
image preview.
Inclusion of a fully articulated monitor would lift viewing
capability of the LX100 from good to excellent. This would make the body a bit
thicker, but the overall depth would not alter, as the EVF protrudes rearward
beyond any style of monitor.
Operating I have spent considerable time investigating
the operational merits of the "traditional" versus "modern"
style control system. I will post
detailed time and motion analysis comparing the actual LX100 with my mockup
when I have an LX100 in hand.
I have recently compared a Panasonic GX7 (as an example of
the modern control layout) with Fuji
EX-1 (representing the traditional
control layout) I conducted a time and
motion analysis of actions required to carry out the tasks of operating each
camera.
I found that for almost every operational task the GX7
required fewer, less complex actions than the X-E1.
Some camera users say they "like" the traditional
control system for various reasons but "liking" something (or not),
is an idiosyncratic personal matter subject to change without notice or reason.
LX100 aperture ring An aperture ring with marked f stops works quite well on a single focal length lens or a zoom with constant maximum aperture. But the LX100 has a variable aperture zoom so the marked aperture setting will be incorrect any time it is set to an aperture larger than the lens can manage at the current focal length. So checking the aperture on the ring will not be very useful unless that aperture is f2.8 or smaller.
LX100 shutter speed dial This cannot display a shutter speed longer than 1 second. It is also not clear from the photographs whether it is click stopped in 1/3 step intervals or just whole step intervals.
So for both aperture and shutter speed the user will have to check in the viewfinder or on the monitor for the correct reading.
In my view these set and see type modules are better used for setting modes in the Prepare Phase of use. (see the next post)
LX100 aperture ring An aperture ring with marked f stops works quite well on a single focal length lens or a zoom with constant maximum aperture. But the LX100 has a variable aperture zoom so the marked aperture setting will be incorrect any time it is set to an aperture larger than the lens can manage at the current focal length. So checking the aperture on the ring will not be very useful unless that aperture is f2.8 or smaller.
LX100 shutter speed dial This cannot display a shutter speed longer than 1 second. It is also not clear from the photographs whether it is click stopped in 1/3 step intervals or just whole step intervals.
So for both aperture and shutter speed the user will have to check in the viewfinder or on the monitor for the correct reading.
In my view these set and see type modules are better used for setting modes in the Prepare Phase of use. (see the next post)
Summary of my
reaction to the LX100, for now: I
think the LX100 represents an excellent
concept which has been realised in a way
which does not optimise ergonomics. A more
efficient camera could be developed
within the dimensional envelope described by the width, height and depth of the recently announced LX100.
The Panasonic view is well expressed in the promotional material
at the link below:
This is worth reading for those interested in the thinking
behind the LX100.
The Panasonic product development people indicate clearly
that they are aiming at a market segment that ......"really appreciates
the mechanics of a quality camera".... ...........
.........."We repeatedly asked user opinions and built these
features into the LX100"......
They do acknowledge that a design based on a Mode Dial
is......"more functional".......
"But we think that being able to operate the camera
yourself (the italics are mine. Who else would be operating the thing ?) is what makes the LX100 so much fun to use"..........
My interpretation of this is that they were not looking to
make a camera with maximum efficiency or functionality
but one which some users might enjoy because ........"there's something
enjoyable about physically turning rings and dials"........
I also note there is a little button on the LX100 labelled [iA] presumably for those buyers who actually don't like messing about with the rings and dials.
My response to this is
* To the users whose opinions were sought...."Be careful what you wish for"
* To the designers......I think the current enthusiasm for
retro type controls is a fad, a push back against the more efficient modern
control system for reasons not clear to me. Nostalgia, perhaps ? Professional photographers use cameras with the modern system precisely because it is more
efficient.
* I got over the "enjoyment" of physically turning
those rings and dials about 40 years ago after spending several years with a
Pentax Spotmatic. The shutter speed dial in particular was always a pest of a
thing to turn requiring the right hand to completely release the camera so the
index finger and thumb could both be applied to the dial.
I am sure the LX100 as offered will work well enough just as
the Fuji X series cameras work well enough if one is prepared to live with the
sub optimal ergonomics.
I will present my alternative vision for the LX100 (LX100 Modern ?) in the next post.
Hi, I feel you are overly critical of the manual dials, and you seem to be overlooking their purpose: they simplify things. Instead of a two-step process, everything becomes a one-step process. Furthermore, it requires less thought/knowledge to change basic settings. For example, to change the aperture on the LX100, I simply need to turn the aperture ring. However, in a DSLR, I need to think about which mode I'm in, then I possibly need to change the mode to Aperture priority, then I need to change the aperture. The advantage of simplifying this to a one-step process in the LX100 is blindingly obvious.
ReplyDeleteI think you over-estimate the relevance of camera ergonomics for the majority of the users. For a professional user, reliability, ergonomics and speed are key features, of course. But 95% of the buyers of even pro-labelled cameras pull these things out of the camera bag occasionally. For me, I can only justify spending a considerable amount of money on something that I enjoy to look at and that I want to touch. And, as a matter of fact, ergonomic shapes are mostly very ugly. Another thing is that, having used cameras for a long time, I am familiar with the concept of dials for shutter and aperture. I look at that thing and know immediately what to do. When I briefly used DSLRs I always was puzzled: so many dials and no obvious meaning. Of course you can get used to it and it might be much faster then, but the classic retro-style I get right from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteA lot of buying decisions are based on emotions. People love nice things. Designers know that.