Lucian Marin
Sony Z Camera
I always dreamed of having the perfect camera. But the perfect camera was never made. The iPhone 4S had the build quality I want from a camera, yet it lacked picture quality — it was just a phone after all.
So I sat down and thought about what I really want from a digital camera today. Do I want something designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson and made by Leica? Or something designed by me and made by Sony? Obviously, I’ll go with the second choice on any given day.
The core features of the Sony Z Camera:
- One block of aluminum.
- Inside-the-body lens.
- Lens covered with sapphire.
- 35mm Zeiss lens.
- Sony DSLR sensor.
The Top
The top plate features a single button. That simplicity is probably the only reason I would want to buy a camera these days.
Make sure the settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and so on) are fine, focus, reframe, take the shot. That’s it!
The Front
The lens cover is a dark painted circle surrounding the sapphire glass, with a perfectly positioned round flash right in the middle. The Sony logo is scaled to fit the black painted margins of the lens cover.
The Sony Z Camera is influenced by the popular Sony Xperia Z series phones, where minimalist design is the key differentiator over the competition.
The Back
On the back there is a 5:3 touchscreen framed in a healthy amount of black, which helps people focus when taking pictures — hence no need for a viewfinder.
On the right there are three pre-configured buttons: record, up, down. Their function can be changed in software.
The Sony Z Camera needs Wi-Fi for Internet publishing, Bluetooth for audio playback, and a mobile operating system. Perhaps Android will handle everything just fine. The camera should come equipped with a 32GB (or larger) flash drive and a high-quality, non-removable battery. A perfectly sealed device helps in rough environments, too.
The cost of the device should be $500, just like an iPad.