Inside Story
So that users could reflect their intentions
"Rather than let the camera take the picture,
users can inject their intentions into it."
(Masahiro Mitekura)
A big feature of the R8 is the way a "compact digital camera reflects the users intentions in the photograph." There are features for locking the minimum aperture, AF tracking and post-production editing. "At first, I was wondering whether it needed all of these functions," tells Masahito Mitekura, leader of the software design team. "We caved in when the planning staff said the R8 was a tool for people who are adamant about the pictures they want to take."
Mitekura first searched for a process that would make these functions easy to use. Earlier cameras had a cross button and ADJ (adjustment) button whose uses needed to be differentiated, but operability was improved with the R8 by integrating their functions into one button. Working with design staff, Mitekura investigated the roles of buttons and operation flows in order to develop software to control this. Prototype programs were created to test the ease of use.
A large LCD for displaying details
Easy to use owing to a large LCD and function-integrated ADJ button
"With a 2.7" 460,000 high definition LCD, the possibilities were greatly amplified," pointed out Mitekura. He said, "The amount of information that could be displayed increased, so we made it possible to set post-production correction features in detail from the LCD." The R8 pursues ways to reproduce the sharp images captured with the 10M CCD exactly the way they are.
"Because mechanical, electrical, software and design teams pursued durability, tranquility and operability, we were able to offer users a highly functional and easy-to-use camera." Looking back on developed cameras of the past, Mitekura said, "The R8 is an epoch model that draws from the series of past achievements of staff."
No sooner had the R8 been launched than were "works" being posted on internet blogs. Often can be seen comments like "It is the fun camera I have been waiting for," and "You get edge-to-edge description without any peripheral distortion." Others have even applauded it as a "new trend in a compact camera." The results pursued by design teams are echoed in these comments.
