Yesterday was one of those days where you clearly see where the camera manufacturers world is moving. After the Mega pixel war, the ISO war, the miniaturization war we now have the Application support battle!
1) Sony announced the NEX-5R (Click here) which is the first mirrorless camera to bring full Application support. More info about how this platform works at Dpreview , Sony and iTunes.
2) Samsung announced the fully Android powered EK-GC100 (Hands-on at Engadget).
3) The upcoming Panasonic GH3 will also have a full third party application support system.
Simple question….what’s going to happen in the long term….will the camera world completely move on Android OS?
27 Responses
will the camera world completely move on Android OS?
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Then , how about the Apple’s iOS? lol
The application thing looks boring from the video. If we wait for Sony to create applications, it would be like waiting for a good Nex lens or waiting for a new firmware. For a start, they would be abit hardworking. After 6 six months, one app or two apps half a year. After two years they may scrap the whole system with Sony Tablet.
Well, you don’t trillions of apps like you do on phones. Even if Sony creates only a dozen very good and essential apps, that will be a success for Nex users.
Well I hope not.
I want a camera to take great pictures and nothing else. In my oppinion my camera does not even need video.
Image quality and usability is what counts for me.
That is why I just love my X-Pro1.
Apple is going to meet its maker Steve Job very soon…
At the first stage it would not necessary to use Android on cameras:
embedded Linux, C/C++ (full access to hardware via API), Java (for possible GUI programming and small cross-platform Apps) would be sufficient. But in the long term Android could be better due to the easiness and mass of the Apps development.
Don’t forget that Nikon recently announced an Android powered phone as well. The Coolpix S800c. I like the Samsung implementation with its 3G/4G availability.
Perhaps to say “most of the companies” is a bit premature, but at least half of the embedded OS does have GNU:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_real-time_operating_systems
and most of all embeds is of course a sort of Unix.
PS I am also working with Linux every day, not in the company though, but I quite well know that now most of the German auto industry uses now some versions of emb-d Linux (or other Unix – less often).
Sergio
1. Once again, GNU kernel does not mean GNU apps (means you always can make money on them). Android model just perfecttly disproves your concerns.
2. I do not know what you call “hall of fame”: GNU is about 50% of all real-time OS (most of the rest is other free or at least open source licenses)
3. Personally, I do not mind if the camera’s kernel is GNU or proprietary: the major requirements it is POSIX-compatible and provides full access to the hardware. In the long term I guess Android will dominate there.
There has been no news (that I know of) about the SDK/dev libraries.
For those that allow 3rd party dev we need to know the free/paid structure and the price split (phone industry has settled on 70dev 30platform).
No need to introduce all the problems of computers and smartphones into cameras.
Even if they somehow miraculously manage to get it work 100% properly without responsivity, stability and security issues battery drain of running complex OS instead of dedicated firmware is bigger.
Esa
1. The opposite is true: running a camera with a stable real-time OS (Unix-based) can be more reliable than running it without operating system. Just one example, having OS on you device will simplify the debugging/maintainance of firmware by orders of magnitude.
2. If you are afraid of putting camera to the network for remote control/tethering, just do not turn of WiFi, what’s the problem? But do not speak on behalf of others needing this functionality (most of high end FF cameras do have this function btw). I myself is dreaming about realization of my ideas with remote controlling from smartphone.
3. Your mistake here is that you compare all embedded operating systems for electronic devices to Android. In fact, a real-time embedded Unix-based system has such a compact kernel that can (and does) work even on microcontrolles and does not consume much, unless one runs GoogleDocs on it :).
can we please have java and flash support.. i would love tpo have malware on my camera.
useless crap…. never missed it on my cameras so why should i bother?
On my memory my camera (G2) hanged several times (hopefully not fatally). I do not say about this whole mess which is called UI of a modern japan-designed camera.
Anyways if you do not want to shoot your camera from smartphone keep your wifi off – that’s all what you need to know.
It could be a great alternative for storage in the future. Especially for those shooting massive videos. But yeah, for the rest of apps it’s pretty much just a selling gimmick.