The perfect camera doesn’t exist, but if I were a camera designer, I know exactly what sort of camera I would make for myself, and how I’d improve on the one that I’ve already got. I’m not asking for the impossible either – all these ideas could be implemented using current technology. Really, what I would do is take the camera I already own – the Fujifilm X-T1 – and add the best bits from other cameras, to make a kind of super-camera, or at least one that is better tailored to my own needs.
1 – Sensor size
Let’s start with the sensor. The X-T1’s sensor uses the same 3:2 aspect ratio as other APS-C and medium format cameras. This often works well when taking photos in the landscape orientation. But it doesn’t work nearly so well when taking photos in the portrait orientation (with the camera turned on its side).
The portrait on the left has an aspect ratio of 2:3 (width always comes first), the same as the sensor on the X-T1. The portrait on the right shows how it would look if the sensor had a 4:5 aspect ratio. The area is the same, but the width and height are different.
It’s surprisingly hard to create a good composition that utilizes all the space in the frame well, especially for landscapes and portraits. It’s much easier with a shorter rectangle, such as those found in large format cameras (aspect ratio 5:4), some medium format film cameras (7:6) and Micro four-thirds cameras (4:3).
For example, check out the landscapes of Joe Cornish. He uses a large format camera for a lot of his work, and he uses the portrait orientation a lot. It works really well with the short rectangle.
My proposal is this. Ditch the 3:2 aspect ratio sensor and place it with one that uses the 5:4 aspect ratio. But keep the area of the sensor – don’t make it bigger or smaller. This would give you several benefits:
- It’s easy to compose images within the 5:4 aspect ratio.
- If you crop to a square (as I often do because I love the square format) you use more of the sensor than when you crop the current APS-C sensor.
- You get a slight improvement in image quality, especially at wide apertures, because you are using the centre part of the lens to create the image.
The above two photos, cropped to a square. The dark grey area shows the unused part of the sensor. You lose less information captured from the 5:4 sensor than you do from the 3:2 one.
What I don’t want to see, is a full-frame camera introduced into the Fujifilm range. The problem with having two sensor sizes in the same range, is that it greatly complicates the process of making, and buying lenses. It’s far better, as Fujifilm has done so far, to use a single sensor size throughout the range (in my opinion).
2 – In-Camera Image Stabilization
I think this is a fantastic idea, and I’d like to see it in Fujifilm cameras. The advantage of having Image Stabilization in the camera is that you can use it with any lens. That includes wide-angles, which you can then potentially hand-hold at shutter speeds like 1/4 or 1/8 second, giving all sorts of interesting creative possibilities when it comes to recording movement. Sony and Olympus have got this one right.
I took this photo with a 35mm lens at 1/180 second to freeze movement. This lens doesn’t have Image Stabilization, but if it were built into my camera, I could try taking the photo at a shutter speed as slow as 1/15 or 1/8 second. The man would be a blur, creating a different image entirely. Image Stabilization lets you try this with a hand-held camera, so you don’t have to use a tripod.
3 – Quick control dial
Mid-range and high-end Canon cameras have a quick control dial – a thumbwheel on the back of the camera, that you can move while looking through the viewfinder. The big advantage of the quick control dial is that you can adjust exposure compensation without removing your eye from the viewfinder.
The quick control dial on the EOS 5D Mark II. Its position means that it’s easy to move with your thumb, while looking through the viewfinder.
The X-T1 can already display a histogram in the viewfinder. With a quick control dial you can adjust exposure compensation (when in an automatic mode like aperture priority, shutter priority or program) as you go, to get the histogram where you want it. All guesswork regarding exposure is gone. The current exposure compensation dial is too hard to move while looking through the viewfinder, and reduces the usability of the camera.
The joystick added to the X-Pro 2 for quick movement through the autofocus points would also be a welcome addition.
4 – Dual card slots
Probably coming in the XT-2, but essential for backing up photos. Good quality memory cards are virtually indestructible. If your camera saves a copy of each photo on two different cards this makes backing up photos much easier, especially while travelling.
So Fujifilm, if you’re listening, I know I’m only one user among many, but I’d love it if you could give some consideration to these ideas. Especially the one about sensor size, which I think could revolutionize the way we use cameras.
Your turn
If I could add just one feature to my X-T1 it would be the 5:4 aspect ratio sensor. So here’s a question for you – if you could add just one feature to your camera, which would it be and why? I’m looking forward to reading your answers, this should be interesting.
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