Camera design: Request for less buttons: Hide them like Leica R8 / R9 / S (Typ 007)

[MarcBoomCom]

Dear Canon,

What anoys me with all the Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, ectc cameras: The number of too much buttons. And the place of the button is changing with every next model.

• Why is the trashbasket button at the Eos 5D Mark III at the bottom-left; At the 6D at the middle-right; And at 60D at the top-left…?
• And it’s happening with more buttons. Click google images. 

What’s the vision behind this?

Too much buttons is too much information. And I don’t want to be distracted by too much buttons!

I want to focus on Composition; Clicking the button at the right moment. Practice the essence of photography.

Take a look at the Leica R8 / R9 / S (Typ 006 / 007) design (*); See how beautifull the minimum of buttons is hidden; what a clean body it is. It makes me so jealous with Leica-users…

Why don’t put functions together in a shared toggle button? And put seldom used buttons in a gully (or behind a valve) at the left-side.

See the advantage of making the difference here, with Nikon, Sony, Pentax, ectc.

Thorsten Overgaard about the Leica S (Typ 007): ‘When I say the Leica S is boring, this is what I mean: It is very simple to use.’

I'm curious to see improvement. I'll welcome it.

Kind regards,

Marc

Netherlands

Semi-professional photographer

(*) Btw: The Leica R8 and R9 are out of date, and the Leica S (Typ 007) is medium format.

Leica S (Typ 007) body:

[ScottyP]

Leica is a different animal. In DSLR world, both Nikon and Canon charge more for cameras with more buttons because the buttons all do things a serious shooter needs and it is not convenient to have to hunt through menus to do all those things. 

If you really do want to just point and shoot you can buy a simpler point and shoot camera.  If you just dislike buttons you can ignore the buttons and work through the menus but that is slow and more work .

[RobertTheFat]

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@ScottyP wrote:

Leica is a different animal. In DSLR world, both Nikon and Canon charge more for cameras with more buttons because the buttons all do things a serious shooter needs and it is not convenient to have to hunt through menus to do all those things. 

If you really do want to just point and shoot you can buy a simpler point and shoot camera.  If you just dislike buttons you can ignore the buttons and work through the menus but that is slow and more work .

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I'm with Scott on this one.

And what Scott was too polite to say directly is that the Leica is intended to be used by showoffs, not by serious shooters. As was pointed out in the "Tank McNamara" comic strip a few years ago, there are certain objects for which "The price is the product."

[MarcBoomCom]

Hai Scott and Robert,

Thanks for the answers.

Good eyeopeners! 

[TCampbell]

It's sort of like asking for a musical instrument... only with less keys.  But what if the muscian needs those keys?

The entry level bodies have fewer buttons then the more technical models.  

My 5D II had a very simple focus system.  My 5D III has a very advanced focus system.  But those who shoot action photographry want that advanced focus system (the 5D II was regarded as being inappropriate for action photography because it was too simple.)

The main controls for things like aperture setting, shutter speed, focus, and shooting, are consistent.  On the more technical mid-range and up bodies, even things like the ISO adjustment and drive options are laid out in consistent locations.  Other controls that don't need to be used while actively shooting may change from model to model.  

Canon (and Nikon) build prototype bodies (often several varions on what "might" be the next model) and these go out into the field for use by professional photographers -- who then provide feedback on what they like & don't like... and what they'd like to see or what they think should be changed.  And this heavily influences the design.  But these guys are technical shooters and they use their gear heavily -- so usually they want quick access to things they need to change without digging through menus.