What Would Your Perfect Camera Look Like?

Wednesday 5 August 2020, 20:02 by Nando Harmsen | 5,891 views | 16 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

With every new camera that comes onto the market, technology takes one or more steps forward. Sometimes the steps are small, sometimes they are giant leaps that could almost be called groundbreaking. Although we do not stop to think about it, we have come a very long way in ten years.

There was a time when a camera had just 8 million pixels, and a screen on the back of the camera that was quite small. Now the tiny LCD screens in the viewfinder of a mirrorless camera have almost as many pixels as an entire photograph did back then, and we can easily reach 50 megapixels on a sensor.

Sensors have gained a dynamic range that we could only dream of back then, and autofocus systems are faster than the eye can follow. We use touchscreens, and the buttons on a camera can be programmed as you wish.

In fact, apart from the camera's rough appearance, nothing is even comparable anymore to what we started with.

Modern mirrorless cameras are wonderful pieces of technology. Yet they are not perfect. Perhaps they would be if you could put all their strengths into one camera.
But we are not easily satisfied. Every new camera model, regardless of the brand, always gets criticised in one way or another.

Things are not good enough, fast enough, or accurate enough. The shape does not look right to us, and the menu does not meet our standards. Options are missing, or there are options we consider pointless. In short, there is always something to complain about.

We are all guilty of this to a greater or lesser extent. So much so that we forget what fantastic machines our modern cameras have become, and how much more they can do than ten years ago.

But if we could put together our own camera from what is available on the market, what would your camera look like?

For my photography, and my photography alone

I have one disadvantage, which is that I practise many different disciplines of photography. Landscapes, portraits, weddings, and real estate. For each type of photography, I could put together an ideal camera, with requirements that make it suitable for that discipline alone.

It is therefore also a very personal choice, which may change over time. This is what I would choose now, from the cameras I know.

Sensor from the Hasselblad X1D-50C

Strangely enough, it is the images I took with the Hasselblad X1D-50c that give me an indescribable feeling of quality, which I have not seen with any other camera. Perhaps it is nonsense, but in this case the feeling is important too.

Perhaps not the best camera, but certainly one with the sensor I would want in my perfect camera.
What is more, the larger sensor with its 50 million pixels provides a nice resolution and a very pleasing result. If I could choose a sensor for my camera, this would be it.

Autofocus from the Sony A7R III

Autofocus should be fast and accurate, with features that make it stand out from the rest. The eye AF, face AF and body autofocus capabilities of the Sony A7R III are very good in this respect.

What impresses me about Sony is the AF system. But there are rivals on the horizon, and Sony is no longer the only one.

Still, I suspect this is no longer the best. The new Canon R5 must work at least as well, if not better. But based on my experience, the Sony A7R III is the best I have had in my hands in this respect.

Electronic viewfinder from the Leica SL

The first thing that struck me about the Leica SL was the image in the electronic viewfinder. I had never seen such a clear and pleasant image, which comes remarkably close to an optical viewfinder. If I had to choose an EVF, this would be it.

The Leica SL was a surprising camera. I was particularly impressed by its electronic viewfinder.
Fortunately, more and more new mirrorless cameras come with a very good EVF, such as the Canon EOS R and its successors, and the Nikon Z 7. The new Sony A7S III should also be particularly good, although I have not been able to use it yet. For now, I will stick with the Leica SL.

Optical viewfinder from the Fujifilm X-Pro 2

What is better than a good optical viewfinder? No EVF can match it. Wouldn't it be great if you could combine an EVF with an optical viewfinder? The Fujifilm X-Pro 2 does this.

The optical and electronic viewfinder system in the Fujifilm X-Pro 2 was very pleasant. More cameras should have this.
You can easily switch this viewfinder between optical and electronic by moving a lever. I would like more modern mirrorless cameras to have this. It does not even have to be difficult, I would think.

Tilting LCD screen and touchscreen from the Canon EOS R

A tilting screen is useful, and the one on the Canon EOS R is still the most pleasant screen I have used. That is partly because of its good touchscreen capabilities.

The possibilities offered by a fully articulated LCD screen are very useful. The one on the left is the Canon EOS R, which offers far more possibilities than just a tilting screen

A standard tilting screen is not always equally functional, but one that can rotate fully is. The simple touchscreen operation makes navigating the menu and setting up the camera a very pleasant experience.

Programmable buttons and ease of use from the Panasonic DC-S1

Most Sony cameras are known for the options they offer to personalise the camera. But in my view, the Panasonic DC-S1 goes a step further.

The Panasonic DC-S1 came closest to being a perfect camera for me. But particularly the extent to which you can programme everything to suit your own preferences is something you find on almost no other camera.
The options for setting up the entire camera in detail according to your own preferences go very far with the Panasonic DC-S1, without making it a major challenge to set up. I would want that on my perfect camera too.

Control dials from the Fujifilm GFX-50s

Perhaps it is because I like those nostalgic dials, but I find them very pleasant and quick to use. The physical dials for shutter speed and ISO, and the aperture ring on the lens. The Fujifilm GFX-50S offers them.

I love all those physical dials. But I realise that not everyone is fond of them. That is why the perfect camera is also very personal.
More cameras should have them, as they can offer so many more possibilities. What is more, you can see how your camera is set up straight away, without switching the camera on. I want this for my perfect camera too.

Menu system from the Canon EOS 5D mark IV

Of all the menus I have come across, I think Canon's is the best designed and thought out. Almost everything is arranged logically and presented clearly.

Nothing matches the menu on Canon EOS cameras, although some cameras come fairly close.
The best thing is that it is also very easy to use with the touchscreen. You can scroll quickly, find things easily, and use a convenient My Menu in which you can even create multiple pages.

Shape, weight and size of the Hasselblad X1D-50C

There is that Hasselblad again, the X1D-50c. No camera fits in the hand more comfortably than this medium-format camera.

Once I held the Hasselblad X1D, I did not want to put the camera down again... ever.

The camera looks large, but it is not. The shape is very well thought out, and holding the camera for hours is no problem at all. If I had to choose a shape, it would be one formed perfectly to my hand, and this Hasselblad is that.

If it were a problem to fit all the other functions into the camera without compromising its shape, I would choose the solid Canon EOS 1Dx mark III body without hesitation. Large? Absolutely. Heavy? Absolutely. But shaped so well for the hand that it is a perfect alternative to the Hasselblad.

Other useful options

There is of course much more than these points. Particularly when it comes to built-in options, there are several I would certainly not want to miss. I cannot list them all, but there are certainly a number I would definitely want built into my camera.

The same applies here, it depends on your photography, but these are certainly the options I would want built into my perfect camera.

• Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Shutter speeds of up to an hour instead of 30 seconds before I have to use Bulb: Bulb timer
• Time-lapse function
• Self-timer for 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30-second delays and for a series of 1, 2, 3, or 5 images
• Quick menu that can be fully customised
• Completely silent shooting at up to at least 10 frames per second with fully functioning autofocus
• Auto ISO that takes the focal length into account
• Battery that lasts for up to 1000 shots with live view
• Two card slots, intended for the same cards and with the same writing speed
• AF assist light that uses a laser pattern
• Built-in 3-stop neutral density filter



My advantage that is also a disadvantage


I have the advantage that I have used many different cameras intensively for my reviews, so I have a good idea of what I consider the strong points of each camera.

That may not be possible for everyone. At the same time, it is a disadvantage, because when you know how something else can be done, you quickly become less satisfied. Because that other camera...

Found on the internet... the ideal camera when CDs and DVDs were still modern. Now I would want to put a 20-terabyte SSD drive in it (I could not find the maker of this mock-up, but all credit goes to him/her)
What your perfect camera would look like is therefore very personal and not open to discussion. Only to improvement, perhaps. It also depends on the type of photography you do.

Let us know in a comment below this article what your ideal camera looks like at the moment. Or tell us which camera you have and what you would like to be different. I look forward to your comments.

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