You know how a lot of companies will make their products pink to appeal to women?
Apparently Olympus thinks that's passé, because the slew of cameras they introduced this week include a special feature called "Beauty makeup":
Beauty Make-up allows users to apply the desired makeup effect to three people at the same during shooting or playback, and to register 3 favorite patterns of makeup for ease of use.
This function offers a full range of 19 different makeup effects that will make women happy. Because effects are divided into four different themes such as Makeup, Eye Effects, Performance, and Spa, they are easy to choose from.
The Makeup menu screen is packed with cosmetic choices such as Cheeks, Eye Shadow, and False Eyelashes, so that users can easily choose and apply effects. In the Eye Effect menu, users can not only change eye color, but make eyes appear bigger. In the Spa menu, users can make subjects faces appear smaller, and add effects such as to make faces look even more beautiful, such as Lift-up.
You and your friends can't be bothered to put on makeup before you go out? Want to glam/sex up your photos even more? Or maybe there were not enough hotties at the bar that night?
It's okay, you can just put makeup on everyone!
(Well, not everyone, since it only works on up to three people at a time, and they specifically say "will make women happy." I know men don't wear makeup usually, but they didn't have to be so obvious about it...)
I think what bothers me so much about this isn't only the gender issues, but that it just feels so juvenile. You know what other types of cameras do this? Little girls' cameras. The pink-and-white (or purple) ones that have sparkly stars on the outside and large buttons and an effective megapixel count of 0.3. Also, photo booths. The ones that print out tiny heart-shaped stickers that Japanese girls stick on their phones.
Then again, maybe this isn't so different from putting a sepia filter on your photos, or making it look like an old faded polaroid...
www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/olympus-stylus-tg-625-...
Discussion about
What do women want from their cameras? Apparently, beauty makeup.
How did they know that this is exactly what I wanted!? *sarcasm*
I wonder who came up with this idea. If it was internal or if it was a feature requested enough to make it something they want to do. Olympus does seem more willing to embrace the gimmicky in their products. (no judgement, just observation)
I don't wear makeup. I would never think, "Gee, I'd like my images to look photoshopped by default," but I can see there being people who would want their images to more closely match the unnatural looks we've trained to expect from photography via magazines, etc.
I think if this feature is thrown in with all other features (filters, etc) built into these cameras then it is, like you suggested, a bit more of what is the norm. I just think that it's inherently disturbing to those of us who actually take the time to think about what it means in relation to society.
*posted before coffee*
I wonder who came up with this idea. If it was internal or if it was a feature requested enough to make it something they want to do. Olympus does seem more willing to embrace the gimmicky in their products. (no judgement, just observation)
I don't wear makeup. I would never think, "Gee, I'd like my images to look photoshopped by default," but I can see there being people who would want their images to more closely match the unnatural looks we've trained to expect from photography via magazines, etc.
I think if this feature is thrown in with all other features (filters, etc) built into these cameras then it is, like you suggested, a bit more of what is the norm. I just think that it's inherently disturbing to those of us who actually take the time to think about what it means in relation to society.
*posted before coffee*
Kris, you are awesome.
If there is one thing I love to discuss nearly as much as tech, it is gender roles and issues (particularly with respect to tech, portrayal in advertisements and media, and so on). I have no problem getting down and dirty.
So first from a tech standpoint, can this actually work well? Like every built in camera "effect" i have seen so far has never turned out realistic. Cheesy hats, animal masks, that sort of thing are all 2D and cartoonish. Can this camera actually make "improvements" (picture me air quoting that) that look somewhat genuine? Perhaps I haven't looked into camera technology recently I guess.
Now, generally in tech there are two flavours of devices. Unisex, and the targeted at women pink stuff. You are absolutely right that generally they are not top of the line devices (or are sometimes insulting). Makeup filters are different from putting other filters on pictures, besides the commonality that it probably destroys the original image. Putting makeup on may be seen as a fun feature for the kids and such, but I mean it sort of contributes to low self esteem and how people think they should look. What's next, a camera with an auto plastic-surgery effect? This is being overly dramatic I know, but its just something that bugs me a bit.
Do these particular cameras offer guys anything particular? Make my abs a bit more defined perhaps? Nope. Guess I need to keep on hitting the gym :)
If there is one thing I love to discuss nearly as much as tech, it is gender roles and issues (particularly with respect to tech, portrayal in advertisements and media, and so on). I have no problem getting down and dirty.
So first from a tech standpoint, can this actually work well? Like every built in camera "effect" i have seen so far has never turned out realistic. Cheesy hats, animal masks, that sort of thing are all 2D and cartoonish. Can this camera actually make "improvements" (picture me air quoting that) that look somewhat genuine? Perhaps I haven't looked into camera technology recently I guess.
Now, generally in tech there are two flavours of devices. Unisex, and the targeted at women pink stuff. You are absolutely right that generally they are not top of the line devices (or are sometimes insulting). Makeup filters are different from putting other filters on pictures, besides the commonality that it probably destroys the original image. Putting makeup on may be seen as a fun feature for the kids and such, but I mean it sort of contributes to low self esteem and how people think they should look. What's next, a camera with an auto plastic-surgery effect? This is being overly dramatic I know, but its just something that bugs me a bit.
Do these particular cameras offer guys anything particular? Make my abs a bit more defined perhaps? Nope. Guess I need to keep on hitting the gym :)
Do you watch Louie? There a scene from last week's episode where he's watching himself on security camera footage, and he's like, "that's not me," but the security guards say, "yes it is." And it is him, except for humorous effect the show got a different actor to play him in the footage. Somehow I imagine that someday, we will look at photos and it will be the exact same effect.
I do not, but that sounds hilarious.
Pictures are going the way of music though. In the case of music it used to be bands just playing songs, and now everything is processed digitally and put through effects and transformations to make something new and sometimes more exciting. Pictures are now going through similar transformations to make a new product. Its the generation we live in.
Pictures are going the way of music though. In the case of music it used to be bands just playing songs, and now everything is processed digitally and put through effects and transformations to make something new and sometimes more exciting. Pictures are now going through similar transformations to make a new product. Its the generation we live in.
I don't mind transformation, as long as the original exists somewhere. The problem with a lot of these effects programs is that they're altering the original picture directly, so we have no record of what it actually looked like. It's one of the arguments I've heard against Instagram.
I find the onslaught of filtered images annoying. It flattens the images and makes them boring. Whatever it was that made the person want to take the image in the first place (unless they see the world in sepia, etc) has been altered. I don't click on Instagram links anymore.
Pretty much every feature that current cameras have built in were once things you had to do off the camera with alternate tools.
There's really no benefit to Olympus or any other camera company to partner with a site when they can build the features in themselves. For the consumer, less (work) is more.
There's really no benefit to Olympus or any other camera company to partner with a site when they can build the features in themselves. For the consumer, less (work) is more.
Of course you're right in theory, but selling a new camera with (gasp) an INSTAGRAM MODE will send tweeners to Best Buy and Wal Mart in droves. I really don't know why somebody hasn't done this yet.
People care more about name brands than anything. Popular names sell, period.
People care more about name brands than anything. Popular names sell, period.
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