P&S Camera Design V.1, part 1

It was raining badly again this afternoon. That was the ultimate excuse for not doing any proper work. Well, there it was, I spent the whole afternoon on illustrator, first time using this software seriously. I Had to say, it was a lot more difficult than I thought. Eventually, the result was acceptable.

Here it is. A new design of a Point & Shoot Camera.

The idea was pretty simple, a Leica CM sized fixed focus length (lens) digital camera. This machine is purely a fantasy. However the goal was to design an exterior of such a camera and its UI (User Interface).

Main features:

• 1.33x Foveon X3 sensor, 2000 x 3000 in 3 layers
  
• ISO 50(low) to 3200(high), the large pixel size ensures good performance at high ISOs
  
• 30mm lens, giving 40mm equivalent in 135 format
• Aperture F=2.0, allows just enough control over the DOF
  
• Auto Focus with full time manual over write with Focus-by-wire focus ring
  
• Focus from 10cm to infinity
  
• LED ring flash, shadow-less photography
  

The electronics design was not part of this design study. Having the technologies available today, it was a sensible judgment that such design is feasible. The 120x70x35mm form factor provide reasonable space for descent complexity of the integrated electronic system. Considering removal of the range finder mechanism from an M8, it could end up in similar package. The Sigma DP1 is just another example of this kind.