Consumer Camera Exploration: The interface of contemporary consumer cameras is a direct reflection of their technical configurations. Users can manipulate parameters like shutter speed, aperture, and more. Additionally, various modes – ranging from semi-automatic to fully automatic – are intended to simplify settings while providing flexibility.
The goal of this project was to find out users' actual preferences when capturing an image. This led to the development of a stripped down setup. Only four tactile control rings: brightness, depth of field, focus, and shutter speed.

The animation above showcases a distinct interaction: the user adjusts the depth of field, causing the background blur to diminish. Technically, this manipulation alters the aperture, which in turn should impact the image's brightness due to reduced light intake through the lens. However, recognizing the user's desire to maintain image brightness, the camera automatically recalibrates the brightness. While this recalibration has limitations, it narrows the range of available brightness settings, thereby informing the user about the technical correlations in an intuitive way.
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Within the scope of this project, the camera's form factor was reevaluated. The objective was to house exceptional optics within a compact framework while optimizing the utilization of the viewfinder.