Canon may replace shutter button with touchpad in future cameras

You hold up any camera and the first thing you touch is the shutter button. I mean, that is the only button you first recognise on a camera which also has a similar placement on each one of them. As a camera user, you can't think of the future of a shutter button. But in order to bring something new, there will be changes in the physical interface of the device by the makers. But again, what can be done to a simple shutter button?

Canon will make a history in the future. The company has patented a design where a shutter button on a camera has been replaced with a shutter touchpad. In a simpler language, users will have to touch the shutter touchpad on the future Canon cameras to capture an image. The touchpad, perhaps, will have inbuilt sensors to detect whether a user is performing a "press" or "swipe" action.

According to a latest report by Canon News, it is noted that "Canon is looking at exchanging the shutter button with a more context-sensitive touch area that will allow for multiple actions depending on where you are in the camera or menu."

This means, a shutter touchpad will perform more tasks than just clicking a picture. Undeniably, the concept of having a shutter touchpad is innovative but as a camera nerd, it can be equally disappointing. You would ask why? It's the shutter sound. You get the khchk-khchk sound even with a smartphone camera. Thus, camera nerds can be infuriated by the missing shutter sound in the future cameras if that happens due to the shutter touchpad.

Canon News writes, "We're all VERY particular about how our shutter button feels, this would have zero feeling, and just be an area you press on. It would take a long time to get used to after decades with a physical shutter button."

But the same publication also pointed out at one of the advantages of replacing the traditional shutter button with a touchpad. It is the improved waterproofing. "One benefit not mentioned is waterproofing, as this would be highly waterproof, and one of the major ingress points on a camera is the shutter button."

Well, Canon has just filed a patent as of now. There is no guarantee if the shutter touchpad feature will come into existence. Even if it does, it will be interesting to see how camera users would react to it and also, if replacing a shutter button will do any good to a camera.