Why so many different camera bodies?

[ereka]

A wide range of lenses has to be a good thing and is often stated as the reason for sticking with Canon when other manufacturers come up with a cutting edge camera body. However, it's not so obvious to me why Canon needs such a wide range of camera bodies. I'm guessing its purely a marketing thing i.e. keeping sales going by always having something new and 'better' to offer. I also understand having similar bodies, some with crippled features at lower price points to maximise market share. Are these the sole reasons for the bewildering array of Canon camera bodies on the market at any one time or have I missed something?

[Jettatore]

Yeah I find it a bit nutty as well.  On the high end, things seem fairly under control.  There was 1DsIII and the 1DIV (one is full frame the other is ASP-H 1.3x crop, each suiting a particular niche of pro-work) (now both are apparently being merged into the newest 1DX) then there is the 5D full frame line, and then the 7D high end ASP-C 1.6x crop camera.  Now there is a 60D right behind the 7D, and then way too many Rebels...  And while there are differences, there aren't a whole lot of major features differentiating the various cameras between the 7D and the rebels and even the newer rebels that replaced the older rebels, it's a bit wasteful (seemingly) to say the least, but this doesn't come as a surprise as almost everything about our various monetary systems leads to quite wasteful and inefficient means of distribution as profit is always the underlying core value and motive.  I also wish they would start naming the Rebels in the US like they do in Japan and Europe etc., 650D, and so on, instead of Rebel T2i, etc., if I ever bought one, I'd import it just for that (yeah I know, a bit vein but, oh well)

[Hillsilly]

My dad is looking for a camera and asked what he should do. The 1100D is pretty cheap and on special everywhere.  But the 550D is better and only $50 more.  But then the 600D is only $50 more.  And the new 650D is noticeably better and only $50 more.  But if you're going to spend that much, why not just get a 60D?  Then again, the price on the 7D looks very tempting.  Maybe he should just get the 5Dii.  But that's old technology - The 5Diii is so much more camera.  So within 5 minutes we've gone from a $400 camera to a $4k camera.  (I'd like to have suggested the 1DX but I don't know if they really exist yet).

Ultimately, its just marketing (and my dad, like 90% of people finds it far too confusing and will just going to buy the second or third cheapest model).

[paul13walnut5]

I think theres some nice price gaps in there, the 550D is something of a bargain now, almost rendering the parts bin v.old tech 1100D totally obselete in terms of budget and spec (based around sensor from the 450D!!) 

The 600D has became something of a no mans land camera, although the 650D isn't a huge step up either...

What would be more logical to ditch?  the 600, 650 or 60D?

Higher up the scale the 7D and 5D2 are aimed at totally different users.  A lot of folk want full frame for landscape or studio but don't need 1 series style AF, so why not have the 5D2 in there as a good priced compromise?  It's proven it's worth.

Do we need a 5D3 and a 1DX?  Certainly the pricing is very different.  There is nothing like the interface and ergonomics of a 1D series... so ditch the 5D3?

It is cluttered, but I can see a user for every camera... except the 1100D when up against cut price 550Ds (which surely won't be around forever)

[RLPhoto]

XXXD series for moms, pops, and the interested budding photographer.

XXD series for the budding semi-pro who needs better build and features. (exclude the 60D)

7D series for the budding sports photog who can't get a 1D Series yet and Flagship for APS-C

5D Series for Studio, Wedding, and Low-light Photogs who dont need speed.

1D Series for jumping out of planes into a dense wet jungle covering a War. Shooting 12 FPS For the super-bowl.

And

To look awesome with a brick of a camera.  

[Shooter]

That pretty much sums it up Ramon!

[RC]

My dad is looking for a camera and asked what he should do. The 1100D is pretty cheap and on special everywhere.  But the 550D is better and only $50 more.  But then the 600D is only $50 more.  And the new 650D is noticeably better and only $50 more.  But if you're going to spend that much, why not just get a 60D?  Then again, the price on the 7D looks very tempting.  Maybe he should just get the 5Dii.  But that's old technology - The 5Diii is so much more camera.  So within 5 minutes we've gone from a $400 camera to a $4k camera.  (I'd like to have suggested the 1DX but I don't know if they really exist yet).

Ultimately, its just marketing (and my dad, like 90% of people finds it far too confusing and will just going to buy the second or third cheapest model).

Well stated 

...I also wish they would start naming the Rebels in the US like they do in Japan and Europe etc., 650D, and so on, instead of Rebel T2i, etc....

Yip, don't expect to ever buy a rebel, but the rebel naming is enough to make your head hurt. 

[paul13walnut5]

Rebel name is pretty lame, in the uk I can have a 600D, but a rebel as a grey import is a third cheaper, so I have a rebel.

think yourself lucky though, before my rebel I had another grey import, this time from Japan, it was a...

Kiss!!!!

Rebel or Kiss?   I'll take either so long as I'm not paying rip off uk prices.

[EOBeav]

Here's my take: Canon, like most other companies, try to answer a couple of questions. What do our customers want, and what are they willing to pay for it? Sometimes they hit the mark, and sometimes they don't. As a result, the price point/feature lines between a few models can be a little blurry.

[caruser]

However, it's not so obvious to me why Canon needs such a wide range of camera bodies.

I really think the Canon DSLR body line-up is small and simple; have you ever looked at the list of notebooks that the likes of Asus or Acer offer at any given time? Now that's what I call overwhelming, not 10 cameras of which 5 are just previous models that are not discontinued yet.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Something for Everyone!  Its the same reason automobile dealers make so many models, even computer printers have a ton of different models.  Its marketing, having features and prices over a broad range.

[stevenrrmanir]

XXXD series for moms, pops, and the interested budding photographer.

XXD series for the budding semi-pro who needs better build and features. (exclude the 60D)

7D series for the budding sports photog who can't get a 1D Series yet and Flagship for APS-C

5D Series for Studio, Wedding, and Low-light Photogs who dont need speed.

1D Series for jumping out of planes into a dense wet jungle covering a War. Shooting 12 FPS For the super-bowl.

And

To look awesome with a brick of a camera.

Forgot the XXXXD series for the really, really newbies...

[DB]

A wide range of lenses has to be a good thing and is often stated as the reason for sticking with Canon when other manufacturers come up with a cutting edge camera body. However, it's not so obvious to me why Canon needs such a wide range of camera bodies. I'm guessing its purely a marketing thing i.e. keeping sales going by always having something new and 'better' to offer. I also understand having similar bodies, some with crippled features at lower price points to maximise market share. Are these the sole reasons for the bewildering array of Canon camera bodies on the market at any one time or have I missed something?

What you haven't mentioned is the 'trade-up' factor. With many incremental products in the DSLR lineup, it encourages consumers to think about exchanging or trading up more often. Last year, I went from a T2i to a 7D, but cannot afford to go FF yet, however, if there was a 7D2 in 2013 that was APS-H for <$2000, then that would be my next logical move. Car manufacturers do the same thing - for similar reasons (price) - this week I saw a BMW X1 for the first time, now I thought the X3 was dumb as a mini-4x4 (SUV in the US), but now a micro version (well it caters for those who cannot really afford the bigger models - similar thing in the DSLR world).

[crasher8]

C L P

[unfocused]

You all have just answered why there will be no merging of the 70D and 7D lines.

Techies may not get it (they get caught up in debates over why some cameras "deserve" a single digit and others don't). But anyone with any experience in sales or marketing sees it. The product line has to be sufficiently diverse to attract a broad range of customers, but sufficiently targeted to appeal to the individual.

Lots of Rebels with just incremental price differences for exactly the reasons Hillsilly outlined. (Rebel? Really? Andre Agassi is past 40 and retired from tennis and Canon's still calling their camera's Rebels?...oops. Got distracted by a squirrel!)

60D/70D for those who want to step up. 7D for those who want the best possible in the small sensor format. Note that the biggest price difference is between the 60D and 7D. As you go up the line, the customers get less price sensitive, so you can have a larger gap.

If the rumors about a cheap full frame prove true, that will just add one more option to the lineup. You can get a basic model with a big sensor or a fully-tricked out version with a smaller sensor, both probably about the same price.

The deciding factor is manufacturing costs. How many bodies does Canon or Nikon need to sell of a certain variation to make it cost effective to have different models? I'm guessing that with modern manufacturing processes, it's a lot fewer than we imagine.