Hacking X-Pro2 with Sugru

[bjorke]

I wrote a blog post.

 

It's about improving the feel of camera controls by tweaking their shape and texture -- a little bit like the famous story, cited by Donald Norman, about the nuclear-plant operators who replaced a row of identical and easily-confused levers with beer-tap handles (sadly, they were fired for making the plant safer, because it affronted the executives' sense of decorum).

 

[Guest thiswayup]

I wrote a blog post.

 

It's about improving the feel of camera controls by tweaking their shape and texture -- a little bit like the famous story, cited by Donald Norman, about the nuclear-plant operators who replaced a row of identical and easily-confused levers with beer-tap handles (sadly, they were fired for making the plant safer, because it affronted the executives' sense of decorum).

 

I don't know that story. Which of his books is it in? 

 

Anyway, I'm thinking of sugruing the XE2's EV dial.

[Wing0949]

I don't know that story. Which of his books is it in? 

 

Anyway, I'm thinking of sugruing the XE2's EV dial.

curious.. why the EV dial? and how were you thinking of Sugru-ing it? Like in the post above about Sugru-ing the X-Pro2?

Edited September 14, 2016 by Wing0949

[Wing0949]

I was debating whether to do something like this for my own Fuji X-Pro2 for a while.. didn't fancy the idea sticking on anything, but I eventually succumb to the need to have better pronounced AF-L button. It's just too flushed with the thumb grip area, Fuji should have made them stick out even a little bit so you could more easily feel where the buttons actually are, but they didn't.

 

I was trying to rely on muscle memory, and it sort of works, but there's always that bit of distraction when reaching for the AF-L button on whether I will actually hit the button, or the Q button (which is directly below it) or was just off to the side a bit enough where I wasn't able to press down on the button fully. It can sometimes take a tiny extra bit of time to seek that button out without certainty, but almost always is a distraction making me think about the action of successfully locating and pressing the AF-L button and taking my thoughts away from composing, setting exposure and making the shot. It's just that extra effort both mechanically and mentally that's been a peeve I've been meaning to remedy for quite some time.

 

For these reasons, I had to finally purchase a 3 pack of black Sugru and add a bit of Sugru to the AF-L button to make it more pronounced to eliminate the tactile and mental/psychological issues I was having. I just did it last night and shaped and formed with some dentist tools. I think I did a pretty good job at keeping it clean and subtle and looking almost as if the camera was designed like this. In addition, I added a tiny bit to the end of the new AF joystick on the back of the camera. It's small and not exactly the most grippiest joystick so I figure some Sugru at the end could help manipulate it with more confidence. I would have added it to the AE-L button which is located more to the upper left or upper center of the camera back, but it's already in an inconvenient location, a bit too up and left for my particular hand and thumb movement, and I don't really use AE-L much anyways as I leave it to the half-press of the shutter release to do that.

 

Perhaps, if and when Fuji makes another firmware update to make both AF-L & AE-L more customizable with other function features and not simply swapping AF-E & AE-L functions only, I may consider utilizing the AE-L button for more useful function and add some Sugru at that point.

 

Anyways the hardest part is waiting that 24 hours for it to cure and be ready to use.

 

It's too bad I didn't have any other projects to use the greater remaining material of Sugru on instead of letting it probably go to waste. Any idea if I keep it as tightly zip locked as possible would it hold for use in the near future? At least I have the 2 remaining unopened packs, but it's a shame to waste the larger unused portion from the 1st pack.

I wrote a blog post.

 

It's about improving the feel of camera controls by tweaking their shape and texture -- a little bit like the famous story, cited by Donald Norman, about the nuclear-plant operators who replaced a row of identical and easily-confused levers with beer-tap handles (sadly, they were fired for making the plant safer, because it affronted the executives' sense of decorum).

[MSW]

I was debating whether to do something like this for my own Fuji X-Pro2 for a while.. didn't fancy the idea sticking on anything, but I eventually succumb to the need to have better pronounced AF-L button. It's just too flushed with the thumb grip area, Fuji should have made them stick out even a little bit so you could more easily feel where the buttons actually are, but they didn't.

 

I was trying to rely on muscle memory, and it sort of works, but there's always that bit of distraction when reaching for the AF-L button on whether I will actually hit the button, or the Q button (which is directly below it) or was just off to the side a bit enough where I wasn't able to press down on the button fully. It can sometimes take a tiny extra bit of time to seek that button out without certainty, but almost always is a distraction making me think about the action of successfully locating and pressing the AF-L button and taking my thoughts away from composing, setting exposure and making the shot. It's just that extra effort both mechanically and mentally that's been a peeve I've been meaning to remedy for quite some time.

 

For these reasons, I had to finally purchase a 3 pack of black Sugru and add a bit of Sugru to the AF-L button to make it more pronounced to eliminate the tactile and mental/psychological issues I was having. I just did it last night and shaped and formed with some dentist tools. I think I did a pretty good job at keeping it clean and subtle and looking almost as if the camera was designed like this. In addition, I added a tiny bit to the end of the new AF joystick on the back of the camera. It's small and not exactly the most grippiest joystick so I figure some Sugru at the end could help manipulate it with more confidence. I would have added it to the AE-L button which is located more to the upper left or upper center of the camera back, but it's already in an inconvenient location, a bit too up and left for my particular hand and thumb movement, and I don't really use AE-L much anyways as I leave it to the half-press of the shutter release to do that.

 

Perhaps, if and when Fuji makes another firmware update to make both AF-L & AE-L more customizable with other function features and not simply swapping AF-E & AE-L functions only, I may consider utilizing the AE-L button for more useful function and add some Sugru at that point.

 

Anyways the hardest part is waiting that 24 hours for it to cure and be ready to use.

 

It's too bad I didn't have any other projects to use the greater remaining material of Sugru on instead of letting it probably go to waste. Any idea if I keep it as tightly zip locked as possible would it hold for use in the near future? At least I have the 2 remaining unopened packs, but it's a shame to waste the larger unused portion from the 1st pack.

I use AE-L a lot.  In manual focus mode it is basically used as BBF.  Yes it is an awkward location.  My solution so far is to use a narrow stip of gaffer tape nest to the AE-L but to help locate it it.  I worry about cleanly removing Sugru (gaffer tape almost always peels off cleanly.