Canon EOS 3D [CR1]

Canon Rumors
1 Min Read

The Return of a Classic
I received the following email today.

“I’ve been told, that the EOS 3D is coming. My source sad to me it will be announced after the replacement from the Nikon D300. It is going to be something between the 1D MarkIII and the 50D/60D. The Body is similar to the 5D MarkII. He won´t me to tell something about the specs but said that the D300/D400 will be blown away.”

Every 6 months or so we see this. There has always been a desire for another EOS body.

On the other hand, this could be the 2nd APS-H camera we’ve talked about before.

cr

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.

Share This Article
43 Comments
  • Most people that own a xxD and want to upgrade don’t want to loose the speed advantage, so they need to buy a 1d-series, which is very expensive.

    A camera in the price-class of the 5dmarkII with less resolution and higher speed can be highly attractive by many users (including me).

  • Cannon have a whole in their line in terms of alignment with Nikon as both the D300 and D90 rivals the 50d. This makes the 50d a compromise to rival both cameras. Adding an extra camera will mean that cannon can compete directly with Nikon on that area. The following is my wish list “sine I’m looking for a secondary camera”:

    – 8FPS

    – 16MP 1.3 cropped sensor.

    – 13 focus points.

    – Body quality same as the current 5d.

    Having said that, the name does not make any sense since. 3D would indicate that it’s a higher camera model than the 5d which is not the case. I would believe this rumor more if it was called “7D”.

  • I would certainly like to see something like the Nikon D700 in a canon format. FX and low(er) MP count for very clean images at a reasonable price.

  • Well, the D300 has 51 AF points, to “blow” that away Canon is going to have to put in their PRO AF system.

    The Nikon D300 has serious weather seals, Canon 50D and 5D2 is limited at best. Canon will have to put in pro weather Seals.

    I’m all for this new camera if Canon will actually “blow away” Nikon. But I’m not sure Canon has the guts to do it, which is sad as I would be in the market for it.

    Dave

  • I just bought my father a second-hand D300, while he paid for the 70-200 f/2.8G lens. We spend yesterday shooting photos of chamois in the Alps… The AF was a ****ing pure pleasure : fast and sharp. No AF hunting.

    … this body is so much above my 40D. The only (small) thing I missed was the coding wheel.

  • Well, a Camera in APS-H format (to use the EF-S Lenses) would make lots of sense for people who want to upgrade from a xxD. It should have the 1D AF and waterproof, and I don’t mind a price tag of around the 5D Mk2. Speed around 8 PpS, and, please! not more than 15 MP (actually I would rather hope for 12, and higher quality, especially in high ISO mode.

    I can see quite a market for a camera with these specs.

  • If Canon is going to wait for Nikon to update the D300, then it could be a long time. Nikon has been dragging their feet for months on updating the D300.

  • How much does it cost to put weather sealing on a body? A little rubber here, some more over there… Let’s say they really splurge and throw in twenty bucks (their cost) worth of rubber and coatings onto a body. Who wouldn’t pay another $100 for it? I really don’t understand the hesitation to properly world proof these cameras (and I mean real world shooting, here). You don’t need to make everything magnesium alloy, but common, I can buy a $300 fully water proff PS, why can’t Canon make a semi-pro / amature body that can withstand a little rain and some sand from the beach?
    I’m not asking rhetorically, either. If you know than please enliten me.

  • I would be happy with a 1.3 sized sensor in the exact body as the 5D MKII. Perhaps with the money Canon saves on a smaller chip they can give this camera a better AF system. I would also suspect that this camera will fall around the 16 MB pixel range so using the same 5D engine hopefully we could see a frame rate of around 6-7. I don’t think we will see any improvements to weather sealing or other PRO goodies. This camera is going to be a baby 1D just as the 5D MKII is a baby 1Ds.

  • great, now this camera can be 1.3x for the birders and who ever else believes that telephoto ‘reach’ a) exists in a form other than pixel density b) believe that ‘reach’ is more important than bokeh and c) don’t like wide-angle lenses,
    can buy this excellent addition to the EOS line-up and I can get a FF 1D mkIV, everyone’s happy!

  • Oh! What a great idea! I’d take that FF 1D4 and let that massive market of birders and wide angle haters have a new APS-H 3D! Love that idea!

  • Oh! What a great idea! I’d take that FF 1D4 and let that massive market of birders and wide angle haters have a new APS-H 3D! Love that idea!

  • The 5d MK II falls beween the 1Ds MK III and the 50D / 60D. There is quite a gap between the 50D and the 5D, $1300 and $2800, so a $2000 camera to compete with the nikon D300s might be interesting. Right now, it has no direct competition from Canon in the $2000 price range. People try to compare D300’s with the XXD Series, but they aren’t really competitors.

    However, a 5D MK II type body still does not match the construction quality of the D300.

    Nikon has already stated that they try to avoid head to head competition with Canon, because they are a smaller company and can’t match the price if Canon wants to have a price war.

  • My 3D

    no built in grip form factor
    6FPS (boosted with optional battery grip)
    21 mp ff
    19 AF points
    better weather sealing than 5DII
    13 mp dynamic crop (1.6x)
    100% VF
    100-3200 iso clean; 6400 very good; 12800 good and usable
    1080p 30 and 24p video

    And yes, in my mind this is a better camera than the 5DMKII and would warrant the 3D designation. I would pay $2999 for it today.

  • yeah but its just a faster 5dII with better AF and body in the same price range. so that won’t happen. these specs honestly seem more like a 5D mkII N to be released in 18 months than an entirely different camer. my bet is more like 15 MP APS-H 6.5 fps

  • Next you’re going to tell me a 24-70 f2.8 IS is coming…

    The two endless rumoured items which Canon never release.

  • No, this is definately a fake rumor.
    3D is supposed to be the BETTER camera and shouls come between 1D en 5D series, NOT between 5D and 50D series. If it would come it would be the 7D first.

    Its not that hard to understand how the Canon line is build up in the past and all looks it will be the same for the future.
    So I would call this definately a fake rumour.

    3D and 7D will definately see the daylite in the future, but only if the 5D MKII is EOL. Which is not yet the case.

  • Pentax did it – and by doing that they have opened a new chapter. N and C will follow at some point dont worry.

  • I can’t see a 3D every happening for one simple reason–the name. There would be endless consumer confusion and frustration when they discover their new 3D camera only takes 2 dimensional pictures…

  • I would like to see a camera with the following:

    8 FPS (more would be OK)
    12 – 15 mp
    pro weather sealing
    pro AF system
    great high iso performance – min as good as 5d2

    Don’t care about efs support, but I am OK with a 1.6 sensor.

    These specs are very similar to a 1d2 without a grip built in. This would be great for sports, both in and outdoors. I would buy this in a similar price range to the 5d2…around $2500-3000.

  • Will Canon ever put in a Multiple Exposure or Image Overlay like the Nikon D300 and above? I have been a failthful Canon user from film to digital for over 30 years. But, I am considering changing because of the Multiple Exposure feature in the Nikons. You cannot do the same thing in post processing with a 10 image multiple. And even if you could, it would take much too long and I would not bother. It is also helpful to see how much to defocus for a 2 image multiple for the glowing effect like Tony Sweet and others use. If you can’t see it in the camera and you’ve defocused teh second image too much, you cannot fix that in the post processing and you’ve lost the shot.

    Canon are you listening, I know there are many of us that want multiple exposure features “in camera” not in post processing. I hope to be able to get it in a Canon rather than switching all my major glass over to Nikon…

  • I’m not ready to switch over it, but I agree that it is ridiculous that Canon haven’t gotten this worked out yet, it was such a basic function on a film camera, and now its impossible with Canon digital? stupid…

  • I just bought a 5d mkII, so I’m a little bummed about a 3d rumour (or 7d, whatever). Alas, I’ll have to live with a ton of megapixels and a good enough AF (I dont shoot too much action anyways). Oh well…;-)

    here are my specs for what I WAS looking for, and what the 3D could/should be, in a realistic manner

    -15-16mp, with >5dmkII noise performance
    -New AF system, lies between the 1 series and 5 series, trickle down to xxD
    -7-8 fps
    -5d type weather seal
    -no movies
    -no built in grip
    -1.3/1.6 crop
    -$3.5-3.7K

    of course the 1d would have to become…
    20 mp
    upgraded AF
    11 fps
    sealed
    movies
    built in grip

    3d does make sense as a name; the only thing it has “less” than a 5d is the megapixels. Everything else is almost pro level…one would basically be paying above 5dmkII for better noise performance, FPS, and AF at the cost of 7 megapixels.

    Canon would thus have the following pro lineup: 1D for top of the line everything, 3D for birders and sports, 5D for landscapes and studios.

    The only reason not to make/release it would be the cannibalization of 1d sales from crazy amateurs or budget conscious photogs. Of course, the 3d I described is also the 5d everyone wanted…so a 3d could also steal from the 5d mkII (IMO)…but at a higher price point, to Canons advantage.

  • A 1.3 cam with decent specs and good IQ is precisely what Canon needs to bring out sap !! to counter the huge gap that Nikon fills all too much with 300D etc.

  • Ya.. a good friend has the D300, and it just wipes the floor with the 40D/50D. If canon doesn’t shape up, I will be looking to jump ship. For those who haven’t tried out a d300, I strongly suggest you do so. The AF system is such a huge step up from the canon a/f system on the aps-c cameras. I was blown away how “mickey mouse” the 9(?) a/f points are on the d50.

  • I hope that canon read this.
    A 3D will be all what I need. It ist “the missing link” between 5D an 1D!

  • you realise this source is exactly spot on…

    7D = similar body to 5D2

    7D = somewhere in between 1D3 and 50D

    7D = announced after D300s

    ok he called it a 3D but the camera’s concept was correct.

  • 3D should be an either a full frame with a decent MP or a APS-H sensor. but most likely its an APS-H. for speed like maybe around 7-8 FPS, 7D had hit the jackpot.

Leave a Reply