We should re-invent the digital camera

I discussed here earlier the implications of the new Panasonic Lumix G1 camera. Perhaps I should develop these thoughts a bit further.

In the 1980s I used a SLR camera, Minolta XG-1, which was quite simple but effective. (I still own it but no longer use.) The only automation was aperture-priority exposure. You could also use full manual exposure. Focusing was of course manual, using the focus ring on the lens, which had the apertures written in it, and thus you could estimate the depth of field at a glance.

But would I like to go back to such simplicity? No. What I would like to see is this intermediate stage of mechanic-to-electronic cameras to end, so that we could enjoy fully electronic cameras, not something in between. The new Panasonic Lumix G1 is a slight step in that direction, but too modest in my opinion. What we need is to get rid of some of dead weight still hanging around from the time of the mechanical cameras, and enjoy the benefits what a fully electronic (and computerized) camera can give us.

The best feature of G1 which demonstrates this is the shutter preview mode, where the camera shows what the photo will look like using the current shutter and aperture. Very handy especially with moving objects. Moving further in this direction, the next generations of cameras will be able to present possibilities to the camera user, who can then decide what she wants. This would be a new kind of exploratory and discovery-based photography. I can't wait for that to happen.