programmable camera?

[Chan Tran]

Since essentially no new film camera being introduced so this topic is kind of not applicable. However, over the years manufacturers have introduced a lot of automation into cameras whether or not we really need them. All of these automation are in the form of pre-programmed type. There are things like P mode, scene mode, green auto everything mode but they don't ever let us program any of these modes ourselves. I think if they made it programmable it would be a lot of fun and useful. Pre-programmed stuff are boring and not useful because most of the time not to our liking.

 

[hoffy]

There are camera's that do offer some sort of programmable functions. I have a Minolta 700si, that allows you to set up and program in certain settings to be recalled later. Have I ever used the function, well no.

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

not sure what you mean by programmable, but OM4's and OM4T's let you select 8 spot meter readings!!! which it averages all for you! It even allows you to select exposure for highlights or shadows, all with a separate buttons!

edit: oh I forgot, you can save your exposure settings too!

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

You can always use an completely manual camera. With that, you're then relying on the program in your head!
The other mentions here are more to do with customisation of functions rather than 'stepping-in' to modify camera metering settings. The OM4 is an additive multi-spot meter — one of the very best in a camera of that epoch. Naturally with a hand-held meter we can customised metering to be additive or subtractive, averaged or baseline... camera manufacturers serve the mass market, so don't really have interactive "programming" of camera functions as a top priority. Customisation of functions is different to tweaking a program.

 

[Rol_Lei Nut]

The electronic Leica Rs, from the R5 on, allow you to continuously "shift" the program (from a preference for maximum DOF to a preference for fastest speed). Very probably not the only cameras that did.

Personally I don't ever use those functions, or program mode, though I can imagine a number of situations where they could be useful...

 

[Diapositivo]

In the late eighties or early nineties I remember some cameras offered more than one Program mode: things like "Program for sport photography" which would try to use a faster shutter speed, and "normal program". I think there were cameras with three different Program modes. That was not useless innovation as one could use basically a quasi-aperture-priority program but without overexposure when the shutter reaches its maximum speed, or a quasi-shutter-priority but without overexposure when the lens reached its minimum aperture.

A "programmable program" or intelligent program would have its use.

For instance, for generic tourist walk, if the lens is 50mm, the program might try to assure that the shutter speed is 1/60" first and foremost, then close the aperture until the lens is at f/8 (or f/10, or f/11, you got it), then operate the shutter speed only until it reaches its faster setting, and only after that begin closing the aperture again.

Mind you, I do agree the discerning photographer, when having time, will always use manual settings, incident metering etc.

Automatisms are IMV only for those occasions when there is no time to "think" and one only wants to concentrate solely on composition and moment.

It's a bit like matrix metering. Utterly useless when you have time to think. Possibly useful (a better camera guess in difficult situations) when it is the camera that has to calculate the exposure.

So for those situations when automatic exposure is what you need, a "programmable program" would be quite useful in my opinion, one that can be tailored to one's needs, lenses and circumstances.

Fabrizio

 

[keithwms]

I think if they made it programmable it would be a lot of fun and useful.

There are many digital cameras that can be shot tethered, in which case you can do all kinds of specialized things and write all manner of programs to make the camera do whatever you want. There is some nice software already, which allows you to play with tall kinds of things but the name slips my mind.

The more advanced thing to do would be to hack into the firmware and do whatever you like. I don't think that'd be too hard.

But what exactly would you like to do?

 

[fstop]

There are camera's that do offer some sort of programmable functions. I have a Minolta 700si, that allows you to set up and program in certain settings to be recalled later. Have I ever used the function, well no.

Yes, the XXXsi series upper end anyway were programmable.

 

[darinwc]

I think the Nikon F100 allowed you to save settings and I think there were two custom modes to choose from.

 

[Chan Tran]

You can always use an completely manual camera. With that, you're then relying on the program in your head!
The other mentions here are more to do with customisation of functions rather than 'stepping-in' to modify camera metering settings. The OM4 is an additive multi-spot meter — one of the very best in a camera of that epoch. Naturally with a hand-held meter we can customised metering to be additive or subtractive, averaged or baseline... camera manufacturers serve the mass market, so don't really have interactive "programming" of camera functions as a top priority. Customisation of functions is different to tweaking a program.

You got my idea! But instead of the program in your head, you can load it in the camera and have the camera executes it just the way you would if you were to adjust the camera manually.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

^ Oh Lord. The very last thing you want is a program from my head stuffed into a camera and then expect repeatedly brilliant results, LOL!

 

[Chan Tran]

For better or worse it's yours and not some camera designer's program. You want your camera to automatically carry out what you want it to do not someone else's think it should do.

 

[flatulent1]

You mean like some calculators are programmable? I think that sort of thing would add pages and layers to the camera's menu system, making that camera all the more difficult to work with.

I have a (digital) camera that remembers specific settings for recall, though 1) you can't alter how functions work and b) I've never used the feature. It seems to work like an advanced PIC mode, using your own parameters.

 

[Chan Tran]

Oh no no menu. You would have a development package for mac or pc. you develop there and transfer to the camera

 

[bobwysiwyg]

The Nikon N90s had programmable exposure capabilities, however you had to jump through some connectivity hoops to make use of it.

 

[BrianL]

My level of programming is no battery, no meter, shutter speed dial and aperture ring, no auto wind, rewind or anything else. If I want automation, I'll take out my Weston Ranger meter. A nice Asahi S1a, Leica SM, M, Zeiss Ikonta, Rolleiflex, even my Bronica sans AE finder.

 

[narsuitus]

I rarely use the scenic modes because they do not do what I want. It would be nice if I could program these scenic modes to meet my needs. For example, here are three scenic modes that I would like to use but cannot because they are not programmed the way I want. I would be very happy if I could reprogram them.

1. Landscape Mode – camera selects a small f/stop; turns the flash off; sets the focus distance to infinity; intensifies the color balance (one of my digital cameras); adjusts the exposure to compensate for a bright sky.

I would much rather have the focus distance set to the hyper focal distance in order to achieve the greatest depth-of-field.

2. Freeze Action Mode (also called Sports Mode) – camera selects a fast shutter speed; continuous auto focus; continuous frame advance; and turns the flash off.

I would much rather have single frame advance.

3. Portrait Mode – camera selects a wide f/stop to blur background; selects a long focal length that is pleasing for portraits; and turns on the flash and the red eye reduction.

I would much rather select the f/stop and focal length because the camera usually does not select what I want. Also, I do not want the built-in flash turned on automatically.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/11336821@N00/5218557099/

 

[cliveh]

Since essentially no new film camera being introduced so this topic is kind of not applicable. However, over the years manufacturers have introduced a lot of automation into cameras whether or not we really need them. All of these automation are in the form of pre-programmed type. There are things like P mode, scene mode, green auto everything mode but they don't ever let us program any of these modes ourselves. I think if they made it programmable it would be a lot of fun and useful. Pre-programmed stuff are boring and not useful because most of the time not to our liking.

I am surprised that in this ridiculous age where commercialism has hijacked photography in digital format, we have not yet seen a camera with a dial on top that has setting like HCB, Kertez, Atget, Sudek, etc. It is just that easy and some people would believe it.

 

[Chan Tran]

Narsuitus! Exactly, I want camera that I can program it to do what I want!
Cliveh! you missed my point! I don't care about HCB,Kertez, I want the camera to do what I program it to do. It rather the Tran mode.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

You got my idea! But instead of the program in your head, you can load it in the camera and have the camera executes it just the way you would if you were to adjust the camera manually.

Let me get this straight.
I spend x amount of time writing a program, then loading said program into a camera that is programmeable, so the camera will do what I want it to in every concievable situation.
Do you have any idea the size and complexity of such a program? I'd have to download my entire brain into the camera, forget ever writing such a program.

It's like going from Manhattan to Brooklyn by way of Pluto.

I'll go play in the snow now. I'll be taking my Nikkormat.

 

[Chan Tran]

It's impossible because first the camera doesn't have all the sensory to see what a person can see in a scene. But within its limitation I would rather have it does what I think is right than someone else's idea of what is right.