Wouldn’t it be neat if we could print out short video clips in Polaroid-esque “prints”? That’s the idea behind Kim Hyun Joong’s Movie Polaroid Camera, a concept camera that uses a flexible display material rather than ink to “print” out ultra-portable video clips rather than traditional Polaroid pictures.

With the direction displays are going (and technology in general), I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw something this crazy sometime soon. Get ready for Harry Potter style photographs!

(via Photojojo)

What if you could have a rubber stamp that had a built in camera, allowing it to instantly change the stamp design to “print” a photograph? Would it be a stamp camera or a camera stamp? Either way, we think it’s a nifty idea!
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What if you could keep your camera charged all day while shooting outdoors using the power of the sun? That’s the idea behind this conceptual camera strap designed by Weng Jie. The solar panels built into the strap harvest energy from the sun beating down on your neck as you’re shooting away.

Many cameras would need to specifically allow for this strap, but do you think this idea is feasible?

(via Yanko Design)

Two weeks ago we shared a futuristic concept Sony DSLR designed by Tecnofotografia, and now they’ve done it again, with a concept design for a compact Samsung camera.

One of the main selling points of this concept is the fact that the external electronic viewfinder has a hot shoe of its own, allowing an external flash unit to be stacked on top:

What do you think of this idea? Should accessories that use the hot shoe have hot shoes of their own to allow stacking?

Prototipo de compacta con óptica fija desplazable (via Photo Rumors)

Here’s a new Sony Alpha concept DSLR camera that features a slanted LCD to keep your face away from the screen, similar to the Sony a352 concept camera that we featured last month. Unlike that one, which had a solar and rounded design, this one has a lot of edges and sharp angles, like what you might see in futuristic concept cars.

There’s also a concept flash unit that uses metal arms to make the flash extendable, allowing you to not only adjust direction but height as well.

What do you think of this design? Should camera makers design cameras to keep it away from the face, or do eyecup extenders suffice?

Prototipo reflex con nueva ergonomía (via Gizmodo)

Here’s a concept design of the “Nikon D4x” by San Francisco-based industrial designer Marc Levinson. Levinson tells us,

This was a student project at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. During my research on DSLRs I ran across some interviews of Giorgetto Giugiaro, the designer of the current top of the line flagship model for Nikon. He claimed that his product “has value as a sculptural work” and his objective was “to create a product with a value that everyone can understand at a glance.” Although I greatly respect his objective and the way he executed it, I wanted to try my own rendition making it even clearer, even to the untrained eye, that this was an object of great value and significance.

I broke away from an overly common form that was derived from film cameras and was dictated by the way that the film fit inside. I went through several physical foam renditions to get to a shape that had more to do with ergonomics, comfort and style than tradition. Although this concept is very different from its predecessors, I made sure to still maintain the overall design language Nikon maintains across its brand using color, detailing and surfacing.

The design is unlike anything we’ve seen here before, especially the placement of the mode dial on the bottom of the camera.

Do you see anything in this design that you think is an improvement on existing DSLR designs? What do you like or not like about it?

Nikon D4x Digital SLR (via Nikon Rumors)

3D photography hasn’t arrived in the consumer DSLR world yet, and existing setups require combining two DSLR cameras. What would a 3D-capable DSLR system look like?

Photographer Dean Francis has created a conceptual mockup of the Canon EOS 3D, a DSLR that can either be used as a traditional DSLR, or can be used for 3D photography by attaching an additional module containing a lens and sensor. Another grip module can also be added to the end to make two handed shooting easier.

Here’s what the system looks like when each piece is separate:

To see the mockup in full screen as a flash animation, check out Francis’ website.

With the recent craze in 3D imaging and display technologies, do you think a 3D DSLR system like this might be announced sometime in the near future?

(via Canon Rumors)

Forget complicated kite photography kits that actually require skill. UK-based industrial designer Matthew Clark has a fun solution for taking photographs from high up: the Aeriel Capture camera.

This concept camera has a 3 foot balloon built into the back of the camera itself, and has a 20 meter chord that doubles as the shutter release. Photographs are taken by simply flipping a switch in the hand reel.

The idea is great in that it would allow anyone to easily take some aerial shots of an event without wind or fancy aerial vehicles. The downside to the idea is that you need to have helium on hand to get it floating.

If this was on the market for a low enough price (i.e. $20), do you think it’d be a useful camera to have around?

Aerial Capture (via Wired)

P.S. For those of you technically inclined, here’s a tutorial for how to actually build a balloon cam.

Richard Renaldi has an interesting approach to street photography: he asks complete strangers to touch one another. The resulting interactions are documented in his project Touching Strangers.

Renaldi tells us,

I am a New York city based photographer who began a life long relationship with photography back in high school in 1984. I few years ago I became interested in the dynamics of group portraiture and this led me to the project you see here. The premise of this work is simple: I meet two or more people on the street who are strangers to each other, and to me. I ask them if they will pose for a photograph together with the stipulation that they must touch each other in some manner. Frequently, I instruct or coach the subjects how to touch. Just as often, I let their tentative physical exploration play out before my camera with no interference. Though these situations involve orchestrated collaborations between subject and photographer, the emotions captured are both genuine and honest. Touching Strangers encourages viewers to think about how we relate physically to one another, and to entertain the possibility that there is unlimited potential for new relationships with almost everybody passing by.

To see more of Renaldi’s work, check out his website.

(via Photojojo)

Image credits: Photographs by Richard Renaldi and used with permission

Here’s a fun concept design imagining the classic Kodak Brownie reintroduced to for the 2012 London Olympic games as a simple digital camera. Designer James Coleman says,

After researching the history of the Brownie I realised that Kodak often made special edition Brownies for major events such as World Fairs or anniversaries. Being from London, I chose to design a Brownie for the upcoming 2012 Olympic games.

The only control on the camera is the shutter button, and it has three lenses — two for the viewfinders and one for the actual exposure. Rather than looking at an LCD screen or pressing a viewfinder to your face, you gaze into one of the two viewfinders from above depending on whether you’re shooting a landscape or portrait image.

What do you think of this design? Would you enjoy it as a novel “toy” digital camera?

(via Wired)