DESIGN /
DIGITAL
June 9, 2015
Feature: Cameras That Bring Joy – Designing Photo Communication
Your photo life, connected by images, becomes more enjoyable.
New Generation Cameras Accelerating Communication (1)
With the widespread adoption of mobile devices like smartphones, opportunities to take, share, and store photos have increased. Photos are now indispensable for communication via mobile devices. Digital cameras, evolving to meet these environmental changes, maintain their pride as shooting devices while also serving as a form of designed communication that promotes 'connection' through photography. The design born from 'connection' transforms photo life into something richer.
Photographs by JAMANDFIXText by TSUCHIYA Motohiro (OPENERS)
Communication at the Heart of Photo Life
For many, photo life is shifting towards a role as an essential dialogue method in modern times, akin to voice and text. The focus is not on preserving 'works' for appreciation, but on vividly capturing photogenic everyday scenes and skillfully using photos as facilitators to enrich photo life.
New App Integrates with a Redesigned 'For Shooting' Experience
Canon EOS M3
Released as the third generation of the 'EOS M series,' the 'EOS M3' has earned high praise as a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera with excellent basic performance. Equipped with a 24.2-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and the 'DIGIC 6' image processor, it supports high-speed, high-precision shooting. The accuracy and speed of the AF (autofocus) function have dramatically improved, and combined with a shutter speed of up to 4.2 frames/sec, it ensures you never miss the shot you want. While maintaining its fashionability, the fundamental performance for 'shooting' has been refined compared to the previous generation.
Along with improved shooting performance, the smartphone and tablet連携, leveraging Wi-Fi functionality, has also been refined. Firstly, the addition of NFC connectivity has made connecting with devices even easier. Simply bring the NFC-compatible smartphone close, and it connects automatically, eliminating the need for troublesome connection settings. Once paired, you can control the camera body from your smartphone at any time.
Furthermore, in February 2015, the dedicated app 'Camera Connect' was released. The app's functions are simple: viewing and importing images taken with the camera, setting connection methods, remote shooting, and adding location information from a mobile device to the shooting data. With the image viewing and import functions, captured images are automatically displayed as a list on the smartphone, allowing you to select and import photos for smooth posting to social media.
Touch a compatible smartphone to the NFC logo to connect.
Canon's dedicated app, 'Camera Connect'.
Connect Station CS100, which wirelessly imports photos taken with the 'EOS M3'.
Additionally, the 'EOS M3,' which supports NFC connection, can be used even more conveniently by linking with the photo storage device 'Connect Station CS100.' The 'CS100' features a large 1TB storage capacity and can connect to various devices such as mobile phones, TVs, and computers for centralized photo management. It can store approximately 150,000 photos, and by simply touching the 'EOS M3' to the 'CS100' upon returning home, you can quickly save your photos.
By installing another 'CS100' in a different location, you can also share photos with people remotely via the cloud. This solution, which allows for easy and anytime sharing of photos centered around the 'EOS M3,' is poised to dramatically transform photo communication.
EOS M3 EF-M18-55 IS STM Lens Kit
Price: Open (Street price around ¥77,000)
Body Dimensions: W110.9×H68×D44.4mm
Weight: Approx. 366g
(Including battery and memory card)
Mount: Canon EF-M
Image Sensor: APS-C size CMOS sensor
Effective Pixels: 24.2 million pixels
ISO Sensitivity: 100–12800 (expandable to 25600)
Kit Lens:
EF-M18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM
Canon Customer Support Center
Tel. 050-555-90002
http://canon.jp/
- New Generation Cameras Accelerating Communication (2) Casio EXILIM EX-ZR1600
- New Generation Cameras Accelerating Communication (3) Panasonic LUMIX CM1
Your photo life, connected by images, becomes more enjoyable.
New Generation Cameras Accelerating Communication (2)
Enhanced Seamless Connectivity with Smartphones
Casio EXILIM EX-ZR1600
With Casio's proprietary 'High-Speed Technology,' the 'High-Speed EXILIM' allows for quick shutter presses, capturing beautiful photos without blur, shake, or lag. The latest model, 'EX-ZR1600,' further enhances shutter speed, startup, continuous shooting, and AF speed. Additionally, features like a tiltable LCD for smooth selfies and a front shutter have been enhanced to make shooting more enjoyable.
With a tiltable LCD that opens up to 180 degrees and a front shutter on the main unit, selfies are easy.
Particularly groundbreaking is the smartphone connectivity feature. It is equipped with an interface that allows constant connection via 'Bluetooth Smart,' automatically transferring captured photos to the connected smartphone. By installing the dedicated app 'EXILIM Connect' on your smartphone and performing the initial setup, constant connection becomes possible. Simply pressing the shutter automatically connects the camera and smartphone via Bluetooth, and captured images are sent automatically.
This feature, named 'EXILIM Auto Transfer,' automatically sends photos taken with the 'EX-ZR1600' to your smartphone. Even if your smartphone is in sleep mode or in your bag, it can receive images. Carrying the 'EX-ZR1600' and its connected smartphone allows for smart and seamless photo browsing.
Press the wireless button on the back of the 'EX-ZR1600' to access wireless settings. Install 'EXILIM Connect' on your smartphone and select pairing for an easy connection.
Images saved on the smartphone can be accessed, organized, and shared directly from the 'EXILIM Connect' app's top screen or after image transmission via the 'Scene' app.
EXILIM EX-ZR1600
Price: Open (Street price around ¥32,060)
Body Dimensions: W108.3×H61.5×D33.6mm
Weight: Approx. 242g (Including battery and memory card)
Image Sensor: 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor
Lens: F-stop: F3.5–5.9,
Zoom: 18x optical, Minimum shooting distance 4cm (standard)
Effective Pixels: 16.1 million pixels
ISO Sensitivity: 80–3200 (expandable to 25600)
Casio Computer Customer Relations
Tel. 03-5334-4611
http://casio.jp/
- New Generation Cameras Accelerating Communication (1) Canon EOS M3
- New Generation Cameras Accelerating Communication (3) Panasonic LUMIX CM1
Your photo life, connected by images, becomes more enjoyable.
New Generation Cameras Accelerating Communication (3)
Enhanced Seamless Connectivity with Smartphones
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-CM1
The 'LUMIX DMC-CM1' (LUMIX CM1), with its smartphone-like appearance, is a digital camera that can be used much like a smartphone. Its most significant difference from conventional digital cameras is its ability to utilize high-speed LTE communication by inserting a compatible communication SIM card. It has gained popularity due to its convenience for quickly uploading everyday moments to social media on the go, and its limited production run of 2,000 units.
The Panasonic 'LUMIX CM1' runs on Android 4.4. By inserting a compatible SIM card into the built-in card slot, communication is possible. In a Wi-Fi environment, it can be used almost identically without a SIM card.
It runs on the Android 4.4 OS, allowing you to download various Android apps and utilize social media and numerous camera/photo applications. Furthermore, a switch on the side of the unit allows for quick toggling between Android and camera modes, enabling it to function not only as a camera but also fully as a communication tool like a smartphone.
On the other hand, its shooting capabilities significantly differ from typical smartphones. It is equipped with a 20.1-megapixel 1.0-inch high-sensitivity MOS sensor and a 'LEICA DC ELMARIT' lens with an F-stop of 2.8, producing bokeh effects comparable to digital single-lens reflex cameras.
The high-quality lens and image processing engine allow for beautiful photos with reduced noise, offering a picture quality unlike any smartphone to date.
However, what truly defines the 'LUMIX CM1' as a digital camera, rather than just a smartphone, is not solely its sensor size or pixel count. The operability that expands the joy of shooting and its design as a shooting device are more crucial points. It is engineered to help users broaden their photographic possibilities and enhance their skills, offering full manual control.
Using the control ring surrounding the large-aperture lens, you can control key shooting settings such as shutter speed, aperture, and sensitivity, allowing you to experience both the enjoyment and the challenges of shooting, much like with a digital SLR camera.
By rotating the area around the lens, you can adjust shutter speed, aperture, ISO sensitivity, and more.
LUMIX CM1
Price: Open (Street price around ¥120,000)
Limited Quantity: 2,000 units
Body Dimensions: W135.4×H68.0×D21.1mm
Weight: Approx. 204g
(Including memory card and SIM card)
Image Sensor: 1-inch MOS sensor
Lens: F-stop: F2.8–11,
Zoom: 1x optical, Minimum shooting distance 10cm
Effective Pixels: 20.1 million pixels
ISO Sensitivity: 125–12800
(Expandable to ISO 100, ISO 25600)
Panasonic LUMIX Consultation Service
Tel. 0120-878-638
http://panasonic.jp/