Phone Cameras: Fix the Orientation
I think we all agree we hate videos shot in portrait/vertical mode.
What I don't understand is why cell phone camera lenses are in the orientation they are in. I think most people can also agree that cell phones are easier to handle upright. So why haven't any phone manufacturers rotated their camera sensors 90 degrees to allow users to shoot landscape/horizontal videos/pictures with the most natural positioning?
Most of vertical videos you see all over has to be contributed to the normal use of the phone in the upright position.
It could be said that the camera sensor is positioned to best match the display of the phone. This is intuitive. But it just doesn't fit many of the use cases of the phone camera: quick pictures on the go. The tendency of default position tends to be horizontal/landscape on cameras (e.g. GoPro, DSLRs) and it makes sense. I'm willing to bet that most users hold their phones vertical during majority of the time.
The odd situations where users use their phones in the horizontal/landscape position? I would think while viewing picture/videos and playing games.
So here is the position I think most people take pictures in:
It is sturdy and easily to transition from normal phone usage.
The horizontal handle most used:
It is a very stable position but you have to rotate the phone and switch the grip on both hands. I'm sure many people have dropped their phones attempting to reposition to this.
The one-handed is popular but the stability is a liability.
So how would I overcome how the display and camera sensor orientation differences? Easy, the "viewfiender" just wouldn't take up the entire display. It would be something like:
This would have some extra benefits: The user will see the entire picture as is seen on the phone and nothing will have to be cropped off. The other benefit is that the the user's thumb won't cover any of the picture being taken. The top portion of the screen can be used for quick settings. On flagship phones, the "viewfinder" will be about the size on a DSLR, which I think is sufficient.
This would probably mean less vertical videos as well. And there will be no sacrifice of quality.