Sony looks to haptic shutter buttons for innovative Alpha camera features

Sony is no stranger to innovation in the digital camera world, having introduced the world to what is likely the fastest autofocus currently on the market via its mirrorless Alpha cameras. A new patent application, spotted by Asobinet, indicates that Sony is experimenting with the idea of adding haptic feedback to the shutter button of its future cameras.

The patent application describes a vibration motor directly hooked up to the shutter button to give the user feedback to confirm certain actions. It might seem like an insignificant addition, but anything that gives photographers more information about what's going on with their cameras without having to look at the screen is likely to be a win.

Haptic feedback is also unique in the sense that, since it would be linked to software, it could be highly customisable and provide a range of feedback options. The obvious candidate, since most digital cameras use the two-step shutter button for autofocus, would be to provide feedback when focus is locked, but one wouldn't necessarily need to stop there. For example, Sony could use different vibration patterns to indicate that the camera is seeking focus, confirm that it has locked focus, or inform the photographer that it is not able to find focus.

A vibrating shutter button could also give a photographer an indication of how many snaps were captured in a burst, or it could provide more silent feedback when other settings, like exposure, aperture, or shutter speed, are changed with scroll wheels, dials, or lens rings.

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