I was away from the site for a while and I see my profile, comments, and “karma” (good move CR) are all gone.
I saw the Canon product road map and chuckled a bit. Yes, Canon will put out more of the single reflex systems with hefty prisms, slap-down mirrors that “lock up”….with incremental tweaks to what is essentially last century ideas…to squeeze out profits with what they already have to the very last, wheezing, painful, breath. This is how companies work; this is how Canon will work, as long as they possibly can.
They will tease; introduce smaller mirrorless “systems”, just to keep a Canon-head like myself from jumping ship to a full frame competitor with less-storied lenses. We complain, we moan, write long comments on blogs for other Canon-heads, but at the end, we are like those vacant-eyed calves they put on the conveyer belt… helplessly, meekly, bleating, we go down the “road map” to become yummy veal for Canon
But the future is now… some of what Canon does will depend on what the competitors do and what the market demands. I say “some” as one can never underestimate the sheer optimism (naïveté?) of a diehard fan who will hang on tooth and nail even if the platform is being overtaken, not in steps, but in bounds.
I am happy with my Canon gear for now, as with everything, it is a balance; no one is perfect. I am sure Miss America has one tit smaller than the other if you look hard enough
Only a pedantic fool will expect his Canon SLR to bring his beer in high resolution at 90 fps with a DR of 2 million
. For the size of the sensor, the resolution, the quality of lenses, and the “I am used to it” factor… Canon is good. They are delivering at a slow, steady, dollar-squeezing pace.
But to get back to the product road map, some of this will be dictated by the market forces. Full frame mirrorless in a decent form-factor will have to come at a faster pace than I glean from that road map picture CR posted. And I predict it will … it has to.
Because, as with everything, there is an end to even the mindless optimism and naïveté of the diehard fan. Canon is likely to drag it out for another 4 to 5 years… with “almost there” teases to keep you buying… we will have to wait and see.
But here is a sacred promise I make in the presence of other vacant-eyed calves on the conveyer belt… ID-X is my last miorred SLR… I do not plan on buying anymore “intermediate”…incremental flagships.
Enjoy your veal!
