Industrial Designer Marc Levinson created a Nikon D4x concept (click on image for larger view):
See more Nikon concepts here.
More pictures after the break:
Note that this concept was created by a designer who is not affiliated to Nikon.
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206 Comments
What is ergonomic on that piece of thing???? I would like to see the faces on Nikon’s operatives when they see the pop-up flash on a D4 nikon
:):)
Two points:
- angled viewfinder does not facilitate portrait shots
- tilt-shift lenses would not fit on this design
The D4x concept camera has been comprehensively slated (no complaints there – it is ugly with poor ergonomics), but I am a little surprised that no comments have highlighted problems with vertical shots, doesn’t anyone use a camera that way up? Not only would the grip be even worse, but you would have to turn your neck to shoot straight ahead!
But let’s not forget that this is a student project and also that many concept designs from large companies (cars, cameras, electrical goods, etc.) are just that – design concepts that often come to nothing (and these are professionally produced). Also, established camera designers have come up with some designs with severe limitations – try using a Pentax 6×7 or even a Nikon F2 or F3 with a waist level finder for vertical shots of a moving target!!
Designer Luigi Colani was widely praised for his input to the successful Canon T90 years ago, but he also came up with several weird and impractical concept cameras, some for Canon – remember the one sometimes referred to as “the frog”?
A good practical example to keep designers humble and with feet firmly grounded in reality is Colani’s involvement in Formula One. In the early 70s the Eiffelland March (it was a production March F1 with much modified bodywork) was revealed with much fanfare over its futuristic bodywork. As the season progressed and the car was developed, much of the new bodywork disappeared section by section to be replaced with the original production parts, which obviously worked better!
there is a reason that the design of the camera body has not changed over the years….it works
sucks! why don’t they make it invisible instead?
Not a patch on my D40
UGLY body
It is an intersting concept, the handling position could be quite natural and confortable, although it is big and ugly. Maybe more for medium format camera (6×6 or something else square and big)?
I don’t think there was a lot of thoughts for people shooting in vertical orientation anway.
Also, why not move some buttons under the fingers that are on top of the camera? the dial mode wheel seems strangely low as well.