The lens and LCD panel define a new style

What process led to the groundbreaking design concept for the NEX-5 and NEX-3? Project producer Masahiro Takahashi and art director/project coordinator Takuya Niitsu tell the story.

Takahashi (producer)

These days the term "camera" can apply to anything from mobile phones to single lens reflex cameras, but anyone who has experienced true single lens reflex quality will want nothing less. Photos taken with an SLR camera are not merely “beautiful.” Their quality can’t be expressed in a single word because they have a range of expressive characteristics such as emotion, ambience, and presence that need to be appreciated as well.

Traditional SLR cameras are large and heavy, and complex operation makes them unsuitable for many users. When we began thinking about the criteria for an ideal camera, high image quality in a compact design was the unavoidable conclusion.

Our design group made a proposal for a compact camera that would have SLR image quality, and after thorough consideration and preparation that became the master plan for the NEX-5 and NEX-3.

A design that breaks free from convention

True to its "new fundamental form" concept, the NEX design has powerful visual impact. We asked the designer who actually made the sketches, from concept to final detailed drawings, what challenges he faced.

Takagi (NEX-5 and exclusive lens design)

My mission was to emphasize the lens and LCD panel. But in reality there is a battery and circuit board and other components, and those have to be included somehow. Making just the lens barrel and LCD panel central to the design was quite a problem.

While flipping through some camera magazines I noticed that when many SLR cameras are viewed directly from the front, it appears as though the lens extends past the bottom of the camera body. It’s just a trick of perspective ... the lens doesn't actually extend past the body ... but that's how it appears when photographed.

Looking at the NEX-5 components, the diameter of the lens is larger than the height of the LCD panel. Why not allow the lens to actually extend past the edges of the body? That's where the design of the NEX-5 began, and became one of its most noticeable features. I don't think there's ever been a camera with a lens diameter greater than the body height before.

The problem was that with the lens extending below the camera body, the camera wouldn't sit level on a surface. The solution was to adjust the battery position and produce a "grip" that raised the body so the camera would sit level.

But that's not the only purpose of the protruding grip. It also makes the extremely compact camera body easy to hold. The grip actually feels more like a "handle" than a "grip," and can be held with a full or partial grip as required. The design of the grip was partly inspired by scenes of opera fans using long-handle opera glasses.

Another important feature is the thinness of the body. The mount position of an interchangeable lens camera is pre-defined, and that also defines the minimum thickness of the camera body. After thinking about how to overcome that limitation, the lens mount was designed so that it extends forward from the body. The lens mount is made to have the same appearance as the lens barrel, so seen from the side it looks like part of the lens. The overall effect is that when the lens is mounted its presence is emphasized while the body appears to be extremely thin. To strengthen the effect further the lens has a modern, solid metal feel.

Our customers wouldn't want a camera we wouldn't want

The NEX-5 and NEX-3 define a totally new camera category. What type of users were they designed for?

Niitsu (project leader)

If we were making a standard SLR, most people have a firm image of what they want and it would mostly be a matter of creating a design based on existing user needs. But since this is a totally new category, my approach was to create a camera that I would want myself. My belief that our users would want the same features that I would want, such as portability and sophisticated design, was the starting point.

Takahashi (producer)

Thus far SLR cameras have been used by a relatively limited group of photo enthusiasts, but now we need to make it possible for the average user to enjoy the same high level of image quality. Extensive user tests were carried out and refinements were made on that premise. Of course we designers were also part of the "average user test group."

Niitsu (project leader)

The design we initially pursued was not quite what the product development department had envisioned. They had envisioned a primarily user-friendly design, whereas we were more focused on photographic capabilities. User friendliness is important, but we felt that our users would be expecting more from a product that will become the foundation of a new generation of Sony cameras.

The debate was intense, and the result was the NEX-5 and NEX-3: the former with a design that emphasizes the camera's capabilities as a photographic tool, and the latter with a more casual, friendly appearance.

Both have their own character and advantages, making for a lineup that we believe covers a wide range of user needs.

NEX-5

 

NEX-3

Hibi (NEX-3 design)

I was involved with design proposals for this project even before I officially began working on the NEX-3 design. Among the sketches I had done there was a direction that was close to that of the NEX-3, so I was off to a good start.

I decided that the design of the NEX-3 should be "freer" than that of the NEX-5. I'm not a heavy SLR user myself, and I prefer to use compact digital cameras most of the time, so by default I became part of the target user group.

Unlike the precision grip fit of the NEX-5, the NEX-3 grip is looser and more like that of a compact digital camera. I wanted to create a casual, easy-to-use image that would appeal to the many users who find SLR cameras to be too daunting. Whereas the NEX-5 invites the user to experiment with artistic expression, the NEX-3 offers an enjoyable way to capture daily life.

The camera's shape and form have an identity that I believe will appeal to and be accepted by a wide range of users. The fact that it has fewer visible controls than the NEX-5 also adds to its broad appeal.

As a matter of fact, I wanted a high-quality camera for myself just last month when my child was born. Preferably that camera would be smaller than an SLR and easy to carry around, and allow me to connect with my subject in the easiest, most intimate way possible. Like Mr. Niitsu, the NEX-3 is exactly the camera I want.

Control, GUI, and sound built from the ground up

The control systems of the NEX-5 and NEX-3 have been designed from scratch. The first thing you notice is the fact that there are very few buttons, but the usual array of buttons has not been replaced by a touch screen. SLR-like control via a minimum number of buttons has been achieved by implementing "soft keys" and a refined user interface.

Takahashi (producer)

Normally when designing a camera, great importance is given to the opinions of professional photographers who know the equipment inside out. But in this case we had the chance to create a totally new type of camera, so we began by questioning conventions and concepts that were considered to be "common sense."

For the control system guidelines, we debated whether to follow the a digital SLR approach or the Cyber-shot compact digital camera approach, but eventually decided to create a new system from the ground up.

For example, users are already performing complex operations on mobile phones using only a cursor key and just a few function keys. The same type of approach should be applicable to cameras as well. Once the approach had been established we were able to create a camera control system with a bare minimum of buttons that is extremely easy to operate.

Okumura (GUI design)

As for the GUI (Graphical User Interface), it was completely redesigned and rebuilt to satisfy users who might want to move up to a SLR camera for the first time, as well as current SLR users.

The user interface

Help Guide displays appropriate to the current scene

The NEX-5 and NEX-3 use context-sensitive soft keys for control. This strategy is often used in mobile phones to allow a single button to control a variety of functions. From an interface designer’s point of view it’s not a new idea, but is still rarely seen in camera applications. The soft keys are located to the immediate right of the LCD panel, and their current functions are shown on the display.

The control wheel used on the NEX-5 and NEX-3 is another noteworthy feature. Precise adjustments to defocusing or EV values can be made via the wheel with feedback from the GUI, so operation is natural and intuitive.

Button and control wheel functions are shown on the display

Another point we insisted on was the Help Guide display that provides useful information and shooting tips. Since many customers will be using an SLR type camera for the first time, we wanted to offer shooting advice matched to the subject that could be called to the display with a single action.

For example, when shooting a night scene you can quickly access pertinent advice for shooting that type of scene. It's like having a handy shooting manual with you at all times.

The final GUI has been completely revised with icons and design that are appropriate for an optical instrument of this class.

Nagahara (UI sound design)

Sound has a surprisingly large influence on operating feel. Everyone involved with the NEX-5 and NEX-3 project was very particular about quality and feel, so I received detailed instructions while working on the sound design.

Electronically synthesized shutter sounds are used in many digital cameras, but the NEX-5 and NEX-3 have solid mechanical shutter sounds of their own so no added sound was necessary.

The user interface sounds, on the other hand, were quite a challenge. The GUI is new and unlike anything used on the a series digital SLRs or Cyber-shot compact digital cameras, so appropriate new UI sounds had to be created. After considering a wide variety of sounds, we decided to base the UI sound set on mechanical sounds in order to emphasize the camera's precise, functional feel.

The sounds themselves are actually composites of sampled sounds, and the challenge is to create "virtual" mechanical sounds that are a natural fit for the device. For example, when opening a menu the second part of the click sound is emphasized, but the second part of the click that occurs when a selection is made is more subdued. Although these are mechanical type sounds, the way they are applied is the same as for Cyber-shot and other Sony digital cameras. The wheel operation sound is also a virtual composite that was tested extensively by our staff and revised numerous times to represent the vibration and mechanical drag felt while operating the wheel. The wheel is a crucial element of the camera's design, and its UI sound required the most time to perfect.

NEX-5 and NEX-3: the new α cameras

Sony has put a lot of "new thought" into every aspect of the game-changing NEX-5 and NEX-3. For our last interview, we asked the staff in charge of packaging and branding – the first connections between product and customer – for their views.

Hata (package design)

Since the NEX-5 and NEX-3 are compact products, the packaging must be compact as well. The packages are actually considerably smaller than those of previous a series products. One of the distinguishing features of the NEX packages is that the camera is packaged with the lens already mounted. This was done so that the customer can start shooting right away.

The photo on the package, however, shows the lens and body separately. Some of our staff were against that idea, but we thought it was important to emphasize that fact that it is an interchangeable lens camera.

The first thing customers hold in their hands is not the product, but the package. We wanted to convey the fact that it contains a high-performance, easy-to-use camera as directly as possible. In the same way that the camera is easy to use, we chose a "normal" package design that is easy to open and stress free.

Fukuhara (communication design)

Since this is neither a normal a series SLR nor a Cyber-shot camera, I think quite a few members of the project team were uncertain about how it should be positioned. We were dealing with something totally new, and our lack of experience led to a certain amount of anxiety. My job was to organize and clarify our direction, and that involved reaching a consensus among our staff and customers around the world.

From the beginning it was basically decided that the a brand would be used for this product because it signifies high image quality, creativity, and satisfaction. But unlike previous a series products that inherit traditional SLR form and operation, the new product is freer and based on a newer concept. Both the product and customers would be new. To express that in the brand image, some flexibility has been allowed in using the logo and brand color. Looking at the body, for example, the logo is the same shape but the color is silver.

It's the same "α" brand, but it's different from a products we've seen thus far, as implied by the product naming. The NEX-5 and NEX-3 are a series products with a new identity that we're confident will become widely recognized.