When I was traveling around New Zealand last year, I was treated to a daily visual feast. Everywhere I looked, I felt like I was in a scene from Lord of the Rings. Capturing images and videos on my smartphone camera didn’t do it justice. I was wishing I invested in a good DSLR camera, although taking photos and videos on my mobile device was pretty convenient already. But a higher quality camera would probably have captured these panoramic views better than my “measly” phone camera.
Designers: Álvaro Arregui Falcón, Mireia Gordi i Vila, Lucas Seidenfaden
Having something like the Keirin concept camera would also have captured the scenery beter since its focus is panorama photography. The name itself actually comes from the Japanese motor-paced cycle racing which happens in an oval track. The prototype shows that it has a curved OLED touchscreen where all the controls are located and actually wraps around the back panel. The touchscreen idea for the controls should make it easier to learn how to use than the usual manual controls on cameras. It is also pretty compact and almost the same size as a mobile phone.
The prototype tries to show that the design can actually work with the UI that they’re looking to create for the camera. It has a wide rear-mounted screen that you can use as a panoramic viewfinder and swiping through it will bring you the different manual exposure controls. It assumes of course that those who want to use this kind of camera are not the point and shoot kind of photographers but those that want to control things like aspect ratios and exposure in order to better capture panoramic photos.
The plan is for the Keirin to have a 60MP full-frame sensor with a 35mm lens and it needs to have SSD storage and mobile connectivity so your images can be backed up to the cloud automatically. It can also attach other peripherals like a panoramic optical viewfinder and a wireless flash unit. It’s highly unlikely this camera will be a commercially viable product though but it’s a nice idea to have.
