Personally, I’d love it if cameras got smarter. Of course, there are some companies that talk about computational photography (see our article on the most innovative camera brand), with the introduction of AI for a variety of reasons, including AI subject detection AF (many companies), AI automatic white balance (Fujifilm), and computational photography (Olympus focus stacking, etc), and some others have also adopted some of these features.
However, in comparison to smartphones, the AI found in normal digital cameras is somewhat slower paced than we might hope to see. So, here are some of the features found in smartphones, that I think should definitely make their way to cameras, some of them to do with capturing images, but some of them operational…
Searchable menus (and options)
On phones you can easily search for settings, and on some, you can use your voice to search. Why have cameras not added a search feature to their menus? So you can actually find the settings you want to change quickly without having to scroll through multiple screens. Also, why are companies still releasing cameras with 3inch touchscreens, but without the ability to scroll through the menus using the touchscreen? Surely someone can fit a larger screen on a camera?
Automatic HDR/noise reduction multi-shot modes
Some cameras give some multi-shot options, but very few bake it into the camera, and when they do, there’s often ghosting problems. However, smartphones take multiple shots without even letting the user know, this lets smartphones capture better dynamic range, better colour and detail, and lower noise with clever processing meaning there are rarely any ghosting issues. There are definitely cameras out there capable of high shooting speeds, such as the 120fps Olympus OM-1 / OM-1 II, but do they lack the processing power needed?
Night mode
I use my smartphone for snaps, and if it’s too dark, it’ll tell me to use night mode, and when I switch to night mode, it’ll automatically take a sharp, mostly detailed photo, even without me needing a tripod or steady hand, thanks to both optical image stabilisation and clever multi-shot noise reduction, and digital image merging / stabilisation. Many cameras have built-in in-body image stabilisation, but often I’ll still need a tripod for really slow shutter speeds.
HDR video
Yes, of course, all the latest cameras have LOG and 10-bit video recording, but what they all seem to miss, is that I can record HDR video on a smartphone, simply by flicking a switch, and I don’t have to worry about processing or LUTs or anything complicated, it just works. Why can’t these $3000-$6000 cameras simply give me HDR video recording? They have high-speed sensors, so should be able to do it, but again, is it lack of processing power?
For traditional photography, of course, these features could be switched off, but for beginners who just want to get the shot, shouldn’t the technology be there to help? The camera industry could collaborate with the phone industry, especially when it comes to making features and technology help the photographer. What do you think? Is there something missing from your camera that you wish it had?
Related reading
- Forget video, this is what I really want from a camera
- Night and low-light photography can be a pain – here’s why iPhones make it easy
- Where are the camera innovators and what’s the next big thing?
The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Amateur Photographer magazine or Kelsey Media Limited. If you have an opinion you’d like to share on this topic, or any other photography related subject, email: [email protected].
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