One of the key features spanning all of my work so far is the omission of any sort of viewport, as I consider it the most distracting feature of modern cameras. With no LCD or viewfinder, composition must be done by eye, and there is an element of uncertainty as to how accurate the user will be able to frame a photo.
My 3 initial concepts utilise different form factors, both traditional and untraditional. By changing the form of the camera, the is the potential to make ‘blind’ composition easier or harder. To test this, I have mocked up very simple block models and mounted a camera sensor onto the front. Then, I and some colleagues have taken photos at targets, so I can assess how the form factor affects the accuracy of composition and why.
To test the accuracy of the different body shapes, a camera module was tacked into the front of each one and linked to a W board. The forms where then pointed at targets on a wall 6 foot away, arranged in the same 4:3 ratio as the camera module image space. With each form I took multiple photos and tried to get the best composition without the help of any previews.
The results from the test are shown below:
Rectangular
Using the rectangular body was very similar to using a normal camera. This carried a key advantage; anyone who has used a camera before should be fairly capable of composing a good image without the screen simply because they have composed so many shot before on normal cameras that the action feels natural. This type of muscle memory resulted in accurate results:
Square
The square format body is used in a similar way to the rectangular body, and as such also produces good results. One thing to note however is that it was not as easy to grip, and at times my fingers slipped over the circles on the front of the body which were marked out to dictate where a lens body would sit. This could possibly be fixed with a good grip design.
Half Frame
Composing with the half frame (and making up the other half with fingers from my free hand) was satisfying as I could ‘see through’ the boarders of the image. However, the frame was difficult to grip, and the resultant photos, while well centred, were offset considerably due to the sensor being in the corner and not the centre of the frame.
Cylinder
Using the cylinder was most difficult. Whilst it is logical to think that due to it’s shape and length it may be easy to point at the subject, I found that unintentional rotation due to the way you have to twist your wrist in order to hold the cylinder caused the resultant photos to have severe angled horizon lines. Below I have included multiple results to show how erratic the errors were:
