What next for cameras?

What technologies do you think we'll be seeing in cameras in the coming years?

I read on one rumour site that the D400 was going to have a touch screen !? Crazy or what

I'd deffo say touch screen. My P&S Sony is FULLY touchscreen - no buttons at all bar zoom and shoot.

As far as future? GPS inbuilt with geotagging, WiFi inbuilt, you name it - anything is possible.

GPS and built in Wi-Fi for sure, Wifi is already available as an add-on, so a natural progression would be to include it.

GPS was supposed to be in the new Canon range, it might make it in to the 1DMk1V, but I thought the 5D/50D would have been first, as I can't see surveyers and Estate Agents forking out for 1Ds.

Pixel count will almost certainly slow, so expect to see FF trickle down ranges over the years.

Glass is prohibitively expensive for a lot of users, maybe some high quality plastic lenses.

Canon have already admitted to experimenting with EVF combined with live view screens, could this be the end of the mirror? lets face it, its almost the last mechanical part of the SLR that is prone to failure.

Perhaps (for Canon anyway, I think sony or Nikkon had a go at this) Image stabalisation in body, or was it Fuji that tried it?

I would personally like to see the following:

LCD screen incorporated in to the memory card slot, perhaps with a rechargable cell, so you could slide out the screen and memory card and preview your shots while your camera was in your bag.

Ability to fit 3 memory cards, or use an external HDD.

iPod style photo preview

Choice to leave LCD illumination on.

Hyperfocal distance meter

Completly programmable buttons

A mode where I can focus on a foreground object, then a background object, and camera uses relevant Aperture (if my camera does that already, let me know) I think some older Canon Film bodies did that.

Tetris - Weddings can be so boring

Alan.

Larger sensors.......LARGER SENSORS

Yup - larger sensors will be the next technology leap - they will soon be de rigour in all new DSLRs on the pro market....and then shortly after on the prosumer market.

Wheeled all-terrain remote controlled tripods with lots of hanger clips so photographers don`t hurt themselves lugging heavy cameras, battery packs, multiple lenses and any other peripherals due to the weight involved to incorporate all the abilities people want in their camera`s

Not sure on that one Jack. Larger sensors would mean none of our lenses would work, so we would have to all buy new ones

Perhaps when costs come down Medium format bodies (or the digital backs to go in the film bodies) would become affordable to the masses.

6x6 digital images, omg I can already hear my hard disk crying

Alan.

I'd love GPS in my camera. Nothing worse than walking through miles of hills and then looking back over 200 pictures trying to remember where they were all taken.

Larger sensors I can see but as WildWalker says - people own a lot of lenses. That said there's a lot of people with EFS type lenses who will no doubt have to buy new lenses as full frame becomes the norm. Why shouldn't current full frame user get hit too?

Take Tim Flach's camera for example. Hasselblad H3DII-39. It's an 'H' series SLR with a 48x36mm sensor (twice the size of full frame) with 39 MP. A mere snip at £15,000 although they do throw in a 80mm lens.

Leica's new 37.5MP DSLR the S2 has a 30x45mm (56% larger than full frame)

I think the word 'full' in full frame makes us think that it's the ultimate size. It only means it's the same as a 35mm camera. I'm sure FF will become the norm and bigger sensors will creep in.


VR / IS in camera ? Sony do it but I know Nikon and Canon say that putting it in the body isn't the right approach (for DSLR) as it's a 'one for all' solution. They claim having it in the lens is best as each lens needs a different 'amount' of stabilisation due to length, weight etc. Could be just them saying that though.

I actually have a handheld gps for when I am walking. When I get home I download my tracks to the mapping software and Google Earth. I can see where I took my pictures as you can see where I walked back and forth pacing around trying to find the best viewpoint etc!

The D300 can have gps now

http://terrywhite.com/techblog/?p=406

I've got similar stuff as part of my job BC but being lazy I'd just like an X Y to appear in the photograph's file without having to use other gizmo's or the 40d hotshoe GPS add on.