Canon Rumors

*UPDATE* 5D Mark III [CR1]

First rumor!
I’ve been told today that internally Canon has bumped the 5D Mark III launch deadline ahead about 6 months. With the limitations of the Mark II as far as adding features via firmware (more on that in a second), Canon feels the camera needs an update to utilize the features of current dSLR’s.

The email said we can rest assured that Canon will not be on a 3 year product cycle for the 5D line. The source went on to say the 3D is a myth, there are no plans for it currently. The 5D Mark III would get the full frame and 7D autofocus system and a better featureset for video.

720p & 60fps
A clarification. I’m told that Canon is omitting 720p and 60fps from the 5D Mark II firmware update. The firmware update will have the 24/25p update.

*UPDATE*
Before people start cancelling orders. I still think this is a late 2010/early 2011 camera and the rumor is CR1.

cr

1D Mark IV Update

1D Mark IV Update

I’ve been driving around picking gear up and testing the 1D Mark IV. Everytime I think I have a good first review done, I notice something else. There’s also a swelling group of people wondering why Canon gimped spot AF for the 1D Mark IV. We’ll give full coverage on that soon.

I purchased the Sennheiser MKE-400 flash shoe mic for the 1D Mark IV and I’ve been pretty impressed with its performance so far. It’s the right size and price for a video newbie like myself. I still need to get a “dead cat” for it.

New Codecs and Plugins

Canon E-1 Plugin (From Planet5D)
Canon releases a free EOS E1 video plug-in for Apple’s Final Cut Pro. The plug-in is compatible with Final Cut Pro 6 or higher and currently supports Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS 1D Mark IV cameras.

This new plug-in allows simple and easy transfer of video content from Canon’s EOS DSLR cameras directly into Final Cut Pro. The EOS E1 video plug-in takes advantage of Final Cut Pro’s powerful Log and Transfer feature, which allows users to select and mark the video directly while it is still on the camera, add custom metadata and ingest the clips in the background so the editing can begin immediately.

The EOS E1 video plug-in is a free download and will be available here but so far, they haven’t posted it yet. We’ll let you know when they do.

http://blog.planet5d.com/2010/02/canon-announces-eos-e1-video-plug-in-for-apples-final-cut-pro/

Canon Introduces MPEG-2 Full HD Codec
Canon on Tuesday said it would be releasing an MPEG-2 Full HD (4:2:2) file-based recording codec that would debut in an unannounced but upcoming professional video camera from the company. The MPEG-2 Codec would bring with it twice the color resolution of the HDV profile format and be compatible with industry-standard editing and processing software. The codec would also have 50Mbps data recording speeds.

The new format would let users record 1920×1080 HD videos and include the open-source Material eXchange Format (MXF) used by broadcasters to edit recorded content. To make the system widely and quickly accepted, Canon is working with Adobe, Apple, Avid Technology and Grass Valley.

File-based recording, including the one in Canon’s new codec, is flexible as it can be used across a wide range of editing software and applications.

http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20100202_mpeg2_full_hd.html

cr

Press Event in England February 8, 2010.

Looks like a movie focused digital SLR camera will be announced at the BAFTA event in England.

Canon promises to have their new cameras on hand for folks to play with.

From Pocket-Lint

cr

Canon 60D Specs [CR1]

From Canonista via DPReview
A spanish sites claims to have the specs for the upcoming 60D.

Specifications:
18mp
6.3fps
DIGIC IV
24p & 30p HD (It lists 36fps, I’m assuming typo)
Announced February 4, 2010.

Read More: http://forums.dpreview.com/

Thanks Raz

cr

Some PowerShot Specs [CR2]

Stock information
The stock system at a large retail chain appears to have struck again.

Both cameras have a street date of March 28, 2010

SD1200 “A” (SD1200 Replacement)
12mp
3x Zoom
2.5″ LCD
UPC: 013803119534
Model: 4214B001

SD780 “A” (SD780 Replacement)
12mp
4x Zoom
2.7″ LCD
UPC: 013803119251
Model: 4181B001

There was no mention of any other camera, including the rumored T2i. More info will be sent my way if it’s found.

cr

LP-E8 Battery MSDS

Right from the Source
As reported yesterday, a new DSLR will bring about a new battery, the LP-E8. Canon Asia has an MSDS sheet for the battery on their web site.

Link (.pdf): http://support-ph.canon-asia.com/

Thanks Nathan

cr

Canon Rebel T2i [CR2]

Next week
The new Rebel coming next week is apparently going to be called the “T2i”.

Spec List
New LCD (Even Higher Resolution)
Selectable FPS (Video)
New build quality and shape for a Rebel
No articulating screen
New battery LP-E8
New battery grip

CR Editorial about Articulating Screens
I don’t think Canon will introduce an articulating screen until we have a faster liveview autofocus technology. There are situations that an articulating screen is handy on an SLR with the current liveview performance, however I don’t think it’s an issue for a majority of SLR users.

Canon has probably focus grouped this feature to death.

That’s just my 2 cents.  :)

cr