Sony, Fujifilm patents are half-camera, half-origami
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/W44WCdPV8V..2GiF0fvx5g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM0OQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/EtGQoJ5dnyxIEY78NwKEpQ--~B/aD0yMTY7dz01OTU7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/02/2-1-11-sonygrippatent.jpg)
Point and shoot cameras are tricky to hold still, but the powers that be thought up a crazy fix -- build bending, sliding, transforming grips right into the body of the camera. Sony's patented the idea you see immediately above, which turns the sliding lens cover into a handle using tiny hinges (or perhaps electrorheological fluid, we're not sure). Amazingly enough, the basic concept actually isn't new: Sony itself references a Fujifilm patent whose cover-turned-grip protects the rear LCD instead. Neither look terribly comfortable, but which would you rather choose: a pocketable camera that snaps stable single-handed shots, or one that monopolizes your fingertips? Take a gander at one of Fujifilm's proposed designs after the break.