I recently wrote an article where I raised some problems of mobile photography, in a personal capacity. One of the topics that attracted the most attention was the topic of ergonomics. Is it easy to hold a mobile phone to take a picture? Is it really comfortable? In the market we find dozens of accessories to improve ergonomics and the grip of smartphones, then it is something that affects more people. Let’s see it.
Mobile photography has changed the direction of photography. Everyone takes photos with their mobile. You just need to go out and look. It is the best way to instantly get a photo.
The other day I was looking at tiles and I immediately sent my choice to my wife. The mechanic of my workshop told me the other day that he has all the cameras stored and that he only sends the photos of the mobile to the insurance. It is one of the most practical tools to communicate.
If we stop at the photography field, many people use it on their vacations and to continue their hobby. And in the professional field, it is gaining more and more followers, to the point of creating groups of staunch defenders pending any opinion that is not to their liking.
It is one more camera that each one will have to decide whether or not it helps them to express themselves and if it gives you the technical quality you need. Not to mention hearsay, it’s all about testing until you find the equipment that suits your needs. It’s that simple.
I’ve been doing it for a long time … I’m very slow due to lack of time … Maybe I should be more drastic and bury my cameras and just keep my cell phone, but I can’t. With time I am sure that I will overcome one of the big problems for me, ergonomics.
It is not comfortable to hold, I do not get good stability and I am always afraid that I will drop it. Also I can’t look through a viewfinder to isolate the scene when I need it … And I see it excessively narrow and light. Yes, I know that sounds like grandfather chives …
Ergonomics in photography
Over time, cameras have changed a lot. We started with huge wood and brass cameras and ended with electronic devices that have, among many other things, a camera obscura inside.
Ergonomics is key in design. We will all agree that the first cameras were not ergonomic at all … Those big and heavy cameras always had to be held with the help of a tripod.
A small (minimal) journey through the history of design in photography
With the passage of time they became smaller and more manageable to be able to carry them by hand. Kodak, in 1888, hit the nail on the head with the Brownie… Already in the 20th century everything changed with the presentation, in 1925, of the famous telemetric Leica that put everything in its place and continues to be the basis of current design.
Until then, bellows cameras with medium format reels and Oscar Barnack was the first to think of a camera that could be held with one hand without fear. Everything was well designed and the only complaints that were heard, from the purists, is that the negative was very small … From that time comes the now famous full format.
In 1929 the Rolleiflex was introduced, the beautiful binocular camera that is not exactly ergonomic. And in 1936 the Kine Exakta, the first SLR in history … Everything was conceived in those years.
Until 1959 there was no change in design, when the Nikon F from the hand of designer Yusaku Kamekura. A spartan and perfect design that stood up to the Canon T90 revolution in 1986, the first truly ergonomic camera with that giant grip that could be wrapped in the right hand.
What we have now comes from those models. Until the first mobiles appeared and everything changed. It looks like the wheel of fortune, everything comes back again and again and the same mistakes are repeated.
The ergonomics of mobile phones
‘To taste the colors’, as the saying goes. My ideal camera, from the point of view of design and ergonomics, has to meet the following points:
- Has to weigh to avoid jitter as much as possible. It seems like a contradiction, but a heavy machine is held more securely and allows lower exposure times. The ideal weight is between 600g for the Sony A7 III and 800g for the Canon T90.
- Few buttons for basic exposure functions and be well located and dimensioned. A perfect example may again be the T90 and the Nikon D850, for example. I don’t see the use of having to always go to the menu to make any essential changes, such as the Exposure compensation.
- From an ergonomic point of view it is essential that it is large and can be held with one hand without fear of losing it. A good grip to hold with the right and a good base to secure it with the left allows you to work without rest. Regarding the grip we can forget if it is as well dimensioned as a Leica M, any of them.
- A optical or electronic viewfinder that serves as a third support for the camera to avoid the dreaded jitter. It is also the best way to isolate yourself and get a good frame.
These points are, of course, a personal opinion after many years with the camera on the shoulder. And they are not fixed points (I can adapt without feeling offended) because one of the cameras that I have enjoyed the most is the Minox 35, which was a perfectly designed miniature.
As you can see, they have nothing to do with a mobile phone, which is a device that does many things, including photography. There is no point in requiring it to be designed with shooting in mind, rather it is an all-in-one. And no one is going to put something that is too bulky in their pockets.
It has to be elongated to have a good screen diagonal to see the internet, movies or series on trips. It must be light because we are going to carry it with us at all times; for the same reason it has to be fine without any protrusion … Nothing to do with what can be required of a camera.
I am not comfortable with the phone as a camera. I know perfectly how to hold it and I don’t laugh, how many do, how others hold it. It’s hard to get it right.
And aware of this problem (for some of us) dozens of accessories have been released to turn the flat body of a mobile into something more like a camera.
They recently introduced the Shiftcam Progrip, for example. That it is nothing more than an accessory with a battery that allows us to give our mobile the appearance of a camera, with its grip, its large battery for the whole day, and even the possibility of changing lenses …
It seems to be the ideal solution for those of us who are allergic to these devices (it can be overcome with a good puncture). But if I’m honest I think there is no point in losing the greatest virtue of telephones, which is precisely the discretion and ease of transport.
The best of all is not to be influenced by anyone (despite what we see on the networks) and buy the camera we really need. In the end, what difference does it make? The important thing is to find a day to take photos with what we have in our hands. And yes, get the best possible photograph, something that only depends on us.