Pentax Si is a Concept Camera Based Around a Single Dial Button

The camera market is currently divided into three segments, the professionals SLRs, the new mirrorless form factor and the compact cameras. The mirrorless cameras are in the Goldilocks zone, where image quality and size are nicely balanced. They however lack ease of use, as use the same convoluted UI paradigm as SLR cameras.

For this project, I wanted to do something new. I decided to borrow philosophies from another designer, in this case, Naoto Fukasawa. This is a validation of the commonly accepted idea, “everything is a remix”.

The first idea taken from Fukasawa is memory. Things we remember can add an emotional and contextual value to a product. During my search for the ideal interface for the camera, I realized a universally understood control mechanism that could be used: the wheel, or dial.

Si features a simple dial responsible for adjusting the exposure of the camera. It is a natural interaction that is immediately understood by any user. Capturing the photo is done by pressing down on the same dial. The touch display of the camera displays the current exposure level.

Andrew Kim