Canon Files Patent for Touchscreen DSLR Camera

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The fact that most gadgets around us will get touch-friendly displays and even more intuitive user interfaces is not a secret anymore. That’s the natural evolution of things and in a few years we’ll probably be surrounded by gadgets with digital LCD displays that can deal with our greasy fingers.

Such is the case for the camera and camcorder business. While there aren’t that many cameras coming with touch support right now, things are about to change in the near future. And Canon, an important name in the business, is getting ready for that future.

The company has filed a patent for touchscreen DSLR cameras this April and it looks like the United States Patent and Trademark Office published it at the end of October. So in theory Canon could easily start making touchscreen DSLR cameras in the near future.

But do professional photographers really want that? Touchscreen displays are helpful but they can also be very annoying sometimes. Furthermore, the implementation of such technology could prove to be expensive for end users. DSLR cameras are expensive as it is. The first models coming with a touchscreen panel might be even pricier than what we already have out there.

And what happens when photographers will touch the screen when looking through the viewfinder? Can we already envision some problems caused by such DSLR cameras or will Canon find an elegant way to deal with any unwanted display touching?

Well it certainly seems that Canon is expecting such problems. Therefore the patent explains how the camera will deal with the issue. Either the camera will detect your eye and thus it will disable parts of the touchscreen or it will remember your dominant eye and disable the screen every time you look through the viewfinder.

From a different point of view, the touchscreen can also be pretty useful as it should let you easily modify the properties of your picture taking. Features like focus detection area, exposure correction value, flash adjustment, drive mode, ISO value, auto focus mode, exposure, aperture values, shutter speed and more will be easily modified by simply touching the panel.

So what do you say DSLR users? Are you ready for a Canon DSLR that’s coming with touchscreen support? Will we see one next year?