*kinda need

Actually my side-swipe at Sony there is I think part of the problem. Sony cameras don’t sit in the hand well—you kind need to hold them by your fingertips, which makes operating the controls difficult. That awkwardness is baked in to the smartphone form factor.

The shape of regular cameras allows a lot of interface elements positioned in a way that is convenient for human hands (except Sony). That’s not so easy on a smart phone.

Part of the problem (and why I suggested they should have started with something similar) is that they’re trying to funnel a complex array of controls through a single UI element. Part of this is a form factor thing. You just can’t arrange controls around a thin slab the way you can around a brick.

I think it’s both. Haptics give you feedback on the half-press and you get an honest-to-god click on a full-press.

Yeah. The slight press doesn’t work as well as regular camera shutter buttons. I think it can be adjusted in settings, but who has the time?

It’s less awkward than trying to use the button on the screen or the volume buttons, but not hugely so. I hear it’s getting some hate, which I think is undeserved, but it needs work. Maybe they should have started with something simpler.

I think it’s telling that the notoriously minimalist Apple put a whole new, super-high tech button on their phones and all the reviewers are calling the iPhone 16 an “incremental update.” Ouch!

Maybe they’ll figure it out, but it definitely needs work.

Specifically, it’s placed in such a way that if you’ve used it to adjust the settings, then you’re likely to disturb those settings when you go to take the shot because you will need to move your finger slightly to get sufficient leverage to fully depress the button.