It’s a bit of all white

One of the first things you will notice when you first see it is that it’s white, it kinda looks like what you might get if an iPod, a Fuji instant film camera, a lens and a traffic cone have a high-speed collision.

When the iPod was launched in 2001, the white colour suddenly became cool and funky for an electrical device that was entering an industry full of boring black boxes. Although it has become a cliche somewhat now, where white is often used by manufacturers (other than Apple) to make a product seemingly unique and chic. Making a camera look like a white traffic cone is a slightly dubious vision of the future in my opinion.

How the Wonder Camera will change the way we take photos forever

Aesthetics aside, the features that Canon envisions the camera of the future will have are really quite interesting. The kind of ideas that will make you either say “wow!” or “wtf?!”

1. Video capture only – the idea is that you will no longer need to actively take still photos anymore, because it records video in such a high resolution you simply pick the frame that you like most. There is no need to worry about getting the “decisive moment” anymore, you can choose whatever moment you like while you’re reviewing the video footage at home while wearing your Y-fronts and drinking a can of beer.

2. Everything in focus at all times – a Canon “proprietary” technology where everything in the frame will be in focus at all times.

3. Insanely good Image Stabilisation – it will allow one to shoot at a focal length of 5000mm handheld and still get usable photos video footage.

4. Zoom in when you like – you don’t have to get it exactly right to begin with. The resolution is so stonkingly, ridiculousy high that you can be incredibly brutal with your cropping without worrying about serious degradation of your video.

5. Touch interface – who needs buttons anyway?

6. Connectivity – the Wonder Camera has high-speed wireless connectivity so you can download your perfectly focused, perfectly exposed, perfect capture to show to your friends on Flickr…only you did nothing but point the device in the approximate direction. Your friends will only comment on how good the camera is not you.

With the advancements in digital video technologies, a lot of people have already predicted that the day will come when one doesn’t need to press a shutter to capture a still image, as the video quality will become so good that there will be no discernible difference between video and photos that you can pick a frame from the footage. We’re sort of on that track anyway, what with HDSLRs and HD video modes being crammed into anything these days. What will happen to still photography and professional photographers? Well, that’s certainly hard to foresee, but the Canon Wonder Camera Concept will certainly provoke a lot of opinions from photographers.

First published by digitalrev.com