Five features we want to see in our dSLR

D igital cameras are pretty common these days and almost everyone who loves taking photos would save up to get their very first dSLR. Besides, the retail prices of these cameras are already very affordable compared to a couple of years ago.

However, we wish they would have additional features that could make them more usable and practical to use on a daily basis. We list down the top fi ve features we think they all should have.

1. USB Charging. We’ve seen this being employed in some point-and-shoot cameras and micro four- thirds but so we know it should be useful for dSLR as well. It is more convenient as USB cables are very common, you can plug and charge the camera thru your PC or laptop, and reduces the over-all cost of the camera kit even by a few thousand pesos ( a typical dSLR camera charger might cost between P2,000 to P3,000).

2. Internal Storage. Having internal storage addresses a couple of issues. First, it solves the problem of buying an SD card separately. It will also come in handy during those times you actually forgot to put an SD card when going on a trip.

Since dSLRs are also used to shoot high-definition videos, a faster internal storage can help with buffering the video recording.

Of course, we understand that this feature will incur additional cost in production but we think it’s well worth it.

3. Built- in WiFi. Being the social media and selfi e capital of the world, having direct access to the internet from your camera would cut down the time to publish of all the photos and videos we record. If we can upload straight to YouTube, Dropbox, Facebook and Instagram, that would change the way we use our dSLR. We’d rather have this feature instead of the built-in GPS that’s starting to become a standard in a number of cameras.

4. Internal Image Stabilization. IS or image stabilization (sometimes called VR or vibration reducer and other names) is responsible for keeping the lenses stable and free from sudden vibrations or shake during shots.

Most IS are found within the lens and not with the camera body. The ones with IS are naturally more expensive. If the camera body has built- in Image Stabilization, then all compatible lenses should be able to benefit from the feature. This means photos are less blurry and videos are smoother and less jerky.

Olympus cameras have had these for quite some time now and we hope other brands would follow in the same direction.

5. Weather-proofing. Waterproof and dust- proofi ng is wishful thinking but why not? An IP68 certified dSLR would be nice, meaning it will be dust- tight and can be immersed in water beyond a meter without any additional casing. Now that is something.

There are a few more features we wish dSLRs would have but for the meantime, these are the top five we really wanted the brands to consider having on their next releases.