Is a 46mp Canon EOS-1 on the Way? [CR1]

[RLPhoto]

In my opinion, if Canon does not launch an cheaper model around 2500-3000€ with 35+MP, they will loose a lot of photographers.

Are they 'losing a lot of photographers' to the D800 now?   

Yes

P
Can you please post a link to the sales figures/reports/ranking that back up that claim?

Why? You post sales figures that they're not. That is the clear implication of your question.

Innocent until proven guilty. 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

The Nikon D800 with it's 36MP sensor produces 75MB RAW files, so a 46MP sensor would result in files sizes of around 100 megabytes per shot, so a 1-2 second burst could fill 1 Gigabyte of your CF card! A longer series of rapid burst could theoretically fill an entire 16Gb memory card. Not to mention increased storage costs/problems.

I'd prefer a 24MP to 27MP cheaper FF body for now (so I could upgrade from a 7D)

I took well over 1000 raw NEF images with my D800 before reselling it, many at very high ISO's like 12800.  The largest file is 52,300 MB, and most of them are in the mid  40mb range.
I wonder why your files are running 75 MB?  You must have a exceptionally noisey sensor.
 
However, when a raw file is uncompressed for editing, it can be three times the size of the raw.  When applying NR or other complex PP edits, it seems to take forever. It is slow and painful.
I really wonder what it would be like to edit 1000+ images from a 46mp camera?  Very painful is my thought.

[mws]

Why are people so hung up on file size on big megapixel cameras? If you really need this sort of thing (think billboards, sides of buildings), you are already using files that big from MF cameras or scanned MF film. Some of Canon's newer glass clearly has the resolving power for this, it will be interested to see where it goes.

Is this a new sensor, or just a higher MP variant of their existing technology? Personally I'd like to see Canon put their R/D into DR and not MP.

[Bob Howland]

Is this a new sensor, or just a higher MP variant of their existing technology? Personally I'd like to see Canon put their R/D into DR and not MP.

So would I. The irony of my postings is that I'm not particularly interested in 46MP. I have a 5D3 (and a 7D) which is giving me excellent images. I'm set for a couple years.

[xps]

Over all, you all are right. There are many factors that work together - resulting in an good or not so good picture.

But in our society, we are used to own always the newest and the best things.
So, when I join my photoclub, then the semi-professionals are claiming the lower resolution of the 5DIII. Many of them do studio-photography or something in the surrounding area of that. The noise is much much. (The funny thing is, that there is an big variation of the picture quality - even using the same lenses and flashlight)

Some of them are more interested in sport-photography. They say, that the Mk3 is good. But the 800 is good too...

So, in my opinion Canon has to react. Not only in the 6000€ area, but in the 2500€ area too.

[simonxu11]

Development annoucement ?? The 200-400 was announced in Feb last year and we haven't seen it on the market.
So good luck to all the people who are waiting for this, I hope you can get it before Nikon release their second-gen high mp dslr.
Be patient 

[unfocused]

Why can't anyone actually read Craig's posts, instead of just skimming the attention grabber headline and jumping to conclusions? Nothing in the post about an EOS-1 style body. Nothing.

...if you were new to the pro market it's a tough choice between the D800 and the 5D3.  I guess one lends itself to the wedding market and the other to the landscape market ...

You hit the nail on the head. Now ask yourself this: what do you think the ratio of professional wedding photographers is to professional landscape photographers – 1,000 to 1? 10,000 to 1? How many professional wedding photographers are there in your city? Now compare that to the number of persons who actually earn a living in landscape photography.

Canon targeted the 5DIII to a very specific professional market. It is about the only large professional photography market remaining. It is a market that is highly competitive and the practitioners cannot afford to let their competitor down the street gain a technological edge. As with almost everything in life, it's not the best technology that wins...it is the best technology that meets a market need that wins.

In contrast the D800 is a very nice high resolution camera, but there is no large, clearly defined professional audience. Right now the D800 is selling very well to meet pent up demand from Nikon shooters. But once that demand is met, will they be able to sustain the market? Not so sure. On the other hand, eventually almost every wedding photographer in the world will end up buying a 5DIII because they need to edge that its high ISO performance gives them when shooting. (Unless of course they go for the 1D-X, with even better high ISO performance.)

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Is this a new sensor, or just a higher MP variant of their existing technology? Personally I'd like to see Canon put their R/D into DR and not MP.

I suspect it is silicone based just like all other s3nsors.  What new technology is out there that works better?

[cliffwang]

+1
6000€+ for this Camera, when you can get an D800 for 2600€???
In my opinion, if Canon does not launch an cheaper model around 2500-3000€ with 35+MP, they will loose a lot of photographers.

I don't think Canon will have any 35+ MP camera for that price range.  If so, how can Canon adjust the prices for all DSLR lines?  Actually Canon is smart to have 46MP camera, so you don't have to compare EOS-1 with D800 because their MP are very different.  Now Canon can ask 7000+ for this camera, and the price will also not impact other Canon cameras.

[xps]

+1
6000€+ for this Camera, when you can get an D800 for 2600€???
In my opinion, if Canon does not launch an cheaper model around 2500-3000€ with 35+MP, they will loose a lot of photographers.

I don't think Canon will have any 35+ MP camera for that price range.  If so, how can Canon adjust the prices for all DSLR lines?  Actually Canon is smart to have 46MP camera, so you don't have to compare EOS-1 with D800 because their MP are very different.  Now Canon can ask 7000+ for this camera, and the price will also not impact other Canon cameras.

Indeed.
Nikon did an good job, placing this Camera in the 2500-3000€ region.

Maybe the pressure on the market leds Canon build an counterpart to the 800E in the same price area

[bdunbar79]

If there is a high MP camera introduced by Canon, and I'm sure there will be, if you want it priced where the D800 is, it will have just as poor of ISO performance.  It will have to, otherwise it'll be priced way above the 5D3.  You'll get what you pay for; more MP's for much higher noise at higher ISO values.  I absolutely must have high ISO performance so this camera won't be for me.

[cliffwang]

+1
6000€+ for this Camera, when you can get an D800 for 2600€???
In my opinion, if Canon does not launch an cheaper model around 2500-3000€ with 35+MP, they will loose a lot of photographers.

I don't think Canon will have any 35+ MP camera for that price range.  If so, how can Canon adjust the prices for all DSLR lines?  Actually Canon is smart to have 46MP camera, so you don't have to compare EOS-1 with D800 because their MP are very different.  Now Canon can ask 7000+ for this camera, and the price will also not impact other Canon cameras.

Indeed.
Nikon did an good job, placing this Camera in the 2500-3000€ region.

Maybe the pressure on the market leds Canon build an counterpart to the 800E in the same price area

I hope we will see that.  However, I have kind feeling about Canon for recently its pricing of its products.  Canon is not going to do the competition with Nikon directly.  It will try to not have very similar product to avoid the price competition.

[Lawliet]

Need high ISO performance way more than high MP...

Thats what the 1Dx is for - at the time a new Canon will appear on the shelfs I'll have a few Pro-B4 making high ISO a consideration far behind DR/low iso noise.

[unfocused]

Is this a new sensor, or just a higher MP variant of their existing technology? Personally I'd like to see Canon put their R/D into DR and not MP.

I suspect it is silicone based just like all other s3nsors.  What new technology is out there that works better?

Fuji has talked about (not produced) a sensor that merges silicon with organic silver-halide (as in film) technology. Early claims were that APS-C size sensors would outperform full frame sensors. Obviously it is not ready for the marketplace yet, but I suspect that the next breakthrough in sensor technology will be something none of us were expecting.

[lola]

In my opinion, if Canon does not launch an cheaper model around 2500-3000€ with 35+MP, they will loose a lot of photographers.

Are they 'losing a lot of photographers' to the D800 now?   

I'm sure there's a reasonable number of photographers who are able to recognize the image quality of D800.