OLYMPUS TECHNOZONE Vol.52 2001-12
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INDEX
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Future Digital Cameras with a Precision-Instrument Feel
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----What about digital cameras, as the market competition
is intensifying?
When we introduced them, we were thinking of
replicating the image of the![[mju:]](/en/magazine/techzone/vol52_e/img/myu.gif) [mju:]
series or the L series. This is because users are basically not
looking for digital qualities. They want to be able to use a digital
camera with the same ease as a conventional camera. From the start,
other companies launched products that were digital-looking. Right
now, Olympus has come to the point where it is considering whether
or not to make products that look more like digital cameras.
In the digital camera market, there is also
demand for a design different from the[mju:].
Some home electrical appliances are meant to be used for a while and then thrown away; they're treated
much like supplies. But a camera is not disposable. It is something that people use for life. Certainly, [mju:]
has a beautiful design that might appeal more to women, but as
a recent trend, digital cameras are becoming more like tools and
are given a rather masculine form. The message is that they are
good tools and not disposable products. Digital cameras are moving
in that direction. Both men and women carry the same cell phones.
And, it is not necessarily true that a product will appeal to women
because it has a feminine design. In the digital camera market,
there is a strong demand for a shift to mechatronics aspects and
a more mechanical design.
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Voice Trek DS-1
(2001, designby Satoshi Tanio) |
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| 8-15x25 WIDE PC ZOOM (2001, design by Yuki Wani) |
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In short, the question is what to do about
the stroke when pressing the shutter, the feel, the weight, etc.
Our OM series, a single reflex camera, had a great shutter feel.
That feeling of precision and the perfectly
fitting sound of clicking the shutter on the camera is just irresistible.
It will be important for digital cameras to
incorporate this kind of feel. That's why we should not simply
assume that designers of consumer products should just move on
to handle digital cameras. People with design experience in non-consumer
product fields should also be involved. |
