5D Mark II Replacement

[Canon Rumors]

Time to address the questions

I am getting a ton of questions regarding the 5D Mark II and how much longer it’s going to be a current camera. While I obviously have nothing definitive, there are been a few pieces of information come my way in regards to a Canon roadmap.

5D Mark III

• A Q2/Q3 announcement in 2011, this is not yet decided within Canon.


• Big megapixel boost, 28mp +


• Continue to build on EOSHD and supreme image quality.


• A variant of the 7D AF system.


• I can’t see them not calling it 5D Mark III, the 5D name carries a lot of weight.


• Expect it to be in the same $2699 range the 5D Mark II was at launch.


• Obvious ergonomic upgrades.

I get asked a lot if people are safe to buy a 5D Mark II now. The answer is “yes”, it’s a great camera today and it’ll still be a great camera in a year.

There is not a lot of urgency for Canon & Nikon to launch new higher end cameras in the current economic climate. Things look to improve in 2011. The 5D Mark II also still sells extremely well.

Forum Moderator

I need a couple of forum moderators, just send “Canon Rumors Guy” a message from within the forum.

cr

[MadButcher]

Can the centre-point AF of a 5D2 keep up with the AF in a 70-200 f/2.8 IS?

I wish such a 5D3 would been introduced last Photokina.
Especially now my 40D has gone.

I do sometimes action-photography in low-light.
Is it better to switch to a D700 in that case?
On the other hand I would like filming.

I have been thinking of a 7D/ 5D2 or a 1D4.
The last one is expensive and only APS-H.
Better to buy glass for it.

So I'm also thinking of a D700.

b.t.w.
When will there be pixel-binning for video (anti-aliasing).

about anti-aliasing.
I hope that the anti-aliasing filter on the 5D3 won't be to strong.

[c.d.embrey]

My guess on the 5D III. Upgrade to 40D focusing, downgrade to 60D body, video stays about the same, upgraded sound.

The big sales points will be the excess megapixels and the tilting screen from the 60D.

[Cornell]

RE: "I can’t see them not calling it 5D Mark III, the 5D name carries a lot of weight."

Giving the name 4D to the successor would imply a more significantly sophisticated, that is more professional, camera line. With Canon, the lower the number, the more sophisticated the camera is.

Canon is boxed in the other way by the 7D. After, 6D, there's no farther to go.

[Flake]

Upgrade to 40D focussing?  I think that's a downgrade!  hopefully it'll be an upgrade to 7D focussing.  As for the body the shutter assembly will not fit in a smaller body, so it's about as small as it's going to get.  This is a pro grade body so I don't foresee a move away from the current alloy shell type.

Can the centre spot keep up with the 70 - 200mm f/2.8?  I'm not sure I understand this, I think it's putting the cart before the horse, the camera drives the lens at the speed it can (the 1D series drive them faster) but there autofocus components in the lens as well as the camera body.

One night a friend with a D700 and I with a 5D MkII both with 70 -200mm f/2.8 lenses on tried out the autofocus, the D700 stopped quite a way before the 5D MkII did.  Although this is only a test of the light sensitivity of the autofocus it does show that the Nikon is not all that it's cracked up to be.

There's about one stop of usable sensitivity between the 5D MkII and the D700, I wouldn't expect that to be enough to justify a change.


The 5D MkII is not a sports / action camera, the 1D MkIV would be a fantastic choice and with its 16MP will give a decent resolution.

I think Nikon dropped the ball with the D3 & the D700, it's 12MP sensor is not really comparable with Canons, and the Expeed image processor is not in the same ball park, the only reason they have remained a viable player in the market has been the support of older reviewers who have been Nikon fans since they were top of the roost in the days of film, and have a soft spot for them.

Friend wants to sell the D700 and move to Canon so if you're interested ...................

[dilbert]

I hope we can get 100% magnification of the image when reviewing on the screen at the back.

It's annoying to not know you've blurred an image until you upload.

[dilbert]

Can the centre spot keep up with the 70 - 200mm f/2.8?  I'm not sure I understand this, I think it's putting the cart before the horse, the camera drives the lens at the speed it can (the 1D series drive them faster) but there autofocus components in the lens as well as the camera body.

What I'd like to see is an AF sensor with 5 to 9 point cross-type for AF with the inner sensitive to f/8 and the outer ones to f/5.6.

That would mean you can use the 2x teleconverter on the 70-200/f4 making it a 140-400/f8 and the 1.4x with the 100-400/f4-5.6 making it a 140-560/f5.6-8 with no loss of autofocus.

Also throw in a mode where we get both 1./3 and 1/2 stop positions for Tv and Av at the same time rather than one or the other.

[tzalmagor]

I find the extra MPs abhorrent, nothing but a resource hog from the point of pushing the bits to the memory card to image processing on the computer. Between two identical (in price & features) 5DmkIII bodies, I'd rather have one with 21MP (and even 18MP) sensor than 28MP sensor.

[neuroanatomist]

Upgrade to 40D focussing?  I think that's a downgrade!  hopefully it'll be an upgrade to 7D focussing. 

In some ways, the 40D is an upgrade to the 5D's AF system (and I say 5D, not 5DII, since Canon did not update the 5D's AF system when they put it in the 5DII).  The 5DII has 9 selectable AF points, but only one of them is a cross-type sensor.  With the 40D, all 9 points are cross-type.  The 5DII has AFMA, which the 40D lacks - Canon gave to the 50D, and then foolishly (IMO) took it away from the 60D.   True, the 5DII has 6 more 'invisible' AF points and that can help with AI Servo AF, but the 5DII isn't really intended to shoot things that require AI Servo.  So, on the whole I agree with the statement that the 40D AF is better than the 5DII's AF. 

I hope they make it 7d-like, too!  That's what CRguy suggests as any rate, although what the 'variant' is remains to be seem.  I'd guess it will have a smaller number of selectable points, but 15 cross-type points (even if 6 are not selectable), along with faster AF, would be fine.  While it would be nice to have an f/8-sensitive center point, it's not going to happen - the ability to AF with f/8 for TC use is something they'll keep as a differentiator from the 1-series bodies.

I get asked a lot if people are safe to buy a 5D Mark II now. The answer is “yes”, it’s a great camera today and it’ll still be a great camera in a year.

Bingo.  If you need it now, buy it now.  That's why one is currently on it's way to my door!   

[Macadameane]

I know its going to happen anyway, but I would also rather have the MP in the 18-21 range.  I don't need my files to be that large.  Also would like the better light sensitivity, unless there has been some leaps and bounds in CMOS technology.

[c.d.embrey]

Upgrade to 40D focussing?  I think that's a downgrade!

 

5D II:
9 AF Points (1 Cross Type) + 6 AF Assist Points

40D:
9 (Cross-type)

9 cross type vs 1 cross type. Going to 9 from 1 sounds like an upgrade to me.

This is a pro grade body so I don't foresee a move away from the current alloy shell type.

Everybody thought that the 60D body would have stayed magnesium, but it didn't! I think that Canon will turn the 5D III into a full frame Rebel to increase 1Ds sales.

I think Nikon dropped the ball with the D3 & the D700, it's 12MP sensor is not really comparable with Canons, ...

Lots of magazine covers being shot with the D300/D300s/D3/D3s, advertising too. Lots of black lenses at the Olympics, World Cup, etc. Many pros don't agree with you.

...the only reason they have remained a viable player in the market has been the support of older reviewers who have been Nikon fans since they were top of the roost in the days of film, and have a soft spot for them.

Pros don't make equipment choices based on reviews in consumers magazines or web site reviews.

[traveller]

Sorry, but I think you're all being way too conservative...

The specifications that people are suggesting for the 5D Mk3 are typically Canon, so I can see your points... But, Canon have allowed themselves to get into a position where Nikon have regained large amounts of market share by being far too tight with their feature set. 

9 AF points? A plastic body? Come on, what price point could this possibly sell at and not look pathetic compared to a furture D800? Canon have already made a massive error with the 60D and when the D7000 hits the stores, only Canon converts will buy it at anything like its current price. 

Do you think that the D800 will come with Nikon's old 11pt multi-CAM 1000 focusing system and a plastic body?  Canon seriously needs to up-spec their cameras or risk losing the mid end of the market, so how about these specifications:

45 AF points: 19 cross type
5 fps
100% viewfinder
dual memory card slots
improved weather sealing
HD video - I'm sure some care about the details, most don't or won't as soon as proper full-frame video cameras appear.

[neuroanatomist]

so how about these specifications:

45 AF points: 19 cross type
5 fps
100% viewfinder
dual memory card slots
improved weather sealing
HD video - I'm sure some care about the details, most don't or won't as soon as proper full-frame video cameras appear.

Seriously?  If you add in a battery grip, you've pretty much just described the 1DsIII.  The 5DIII will not equal the previous 1Ds model, any more than the 5DII was equal to the old 1DsII. 

[richy]

Interesting points, but what would they put in the 1ds4 to make it worth 3-4x the price? It would need to come with e a wine cellar and an Aston Martin Vanquish.
If they go 28mp for the 5d3 (which sounds plausible) and upgrade the AF, weather sealing and add dual card slots, about all thats left to do is put in a higher res sensor which brings up potential quality issues and heading off towards 7d pixel size. Not saying you are wrong, but if they do that to a 5d3 I cannot wait to see the 1ds4! The d800 vs d3s is more analogous to the 5d3 and the 1d4 based on price positioning, the d700 doesn't look so great next to the d3x (apart from high iso). Its just how they chose to position their products relative to each other.

[traveller]

O.K. I am trying to be controversial here!

But Canon does need to stop thinking solely in terms of protecting the 1D/1Ds line.  Keep the 21MP sensor if you want product differentiation, most people won't notice the difference between 21Mp and 30MP anyway. 

Ask yourselves what you would prefer, a 20MP class camera with the specifications that I gave, or a 30MP sensor in a 5D body? If it is the former (which I suspect would be preferred by the majority), then bear in mind that this is most likely what the D800 will be. 

Nobody thought that Nikon would produce a D700, because that would have killed D3 sales.  This year, I was doubtful of the rumoured D7000 specifications, because they would be too close to the D300s.  Nikon have shown that they don't quite work like this (perhaps D700x excepted). 

Canon need a great 'all-rounder' camera in a small body package, or Nikon will attract ever more followers.  They haven't had the full-frame market to themselve for a camera-generation.  Nikon entered this market with a strong hand and I don't see them letting up any time soon.  Canon need to respond to the criticism levelled against the weak points of their current range, not myopically keep churning out the same old package with a new sensor.