Major Canon announcements in February and May of this year [CR2]

Feb 19, 2016
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yes and no
Birders who have rigs setup wont complain about the 1dx and big whites

But most birders don’t like weight
They have to fly to their destination with it and sometimes you don’t have porters and hence have to carry your gear long distances
size is also a negative
I do a lot of scuba photography and that entire field is going mirrorless because the housing for a 1dx is massive because the camera is already large

I think the best word is balance with nature photography. Sony is a bit too small but the 1dx is a bit too large. The 7d was very popular for many reasons

Interesting to hear other perspectives. I suppose as flights get more restricted that makes sense. However it strikes me that if one is talking about a 200-400 or 500/4 the size of the lenses is still going to be an issue.

It certainly makes sense for scuba diving.

I used to use a 7D with various telephoto lenses but couldn't get on with it, perhaps I am just stuck in my ways but I like the size of the 1D bodies, or more particularly the form factor and buttons perhaps, when using the biggest long lenses. The rest of the time I hate it! I suppose if the whole thing could be shrunk maybe 10-20% that would be good. But small light bodies with big big heavy lenses just doesn't feel comfortable to me.

I've seen others using A9s with various adapted Canon whites and I really, really couldn't get on with the ergonomics and balance yet clearly many others, many talented photographers, can. I suppose this sort of thing is the perfect example of there being no right answer for everyone.

The last safari I went on a German photographer there had an A99 II with some of the exotic Sony A-mount long lenses and that did impress me. Despite being a full frame SLR/SLT, it's surprisingly compact, somewhere between a crop and full frame Canon SLR, when gripped it did feel like a sort of mini 1D.

One thing I am confident about is that Canon will pour a huge amount of energy and time into the ergonomics of any future RF mount pro camera. I think there is no chance that it will simply have the same body as the others. In some ways it is cool that Sony did that, eg for sharing grips and batteries. But I expect Canon will produce something like a slimmed down 1DX style body. We will see - probably a long wait yet!
 
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Feb 19, 2016
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I am just scratching my head about what should be our strategy. We've got 5D IV, 24-70/2.8 II and 70-200/2.8 II IS. Soon we are adding 100/2.8 IS macro and in the future I would like to have a complete trinity, hence a 16-35/2.8 III or its RF equivalent. And here comes the trouble - recently, as our backup, there is a 70D, we need to replace it.

Hence we wanted to move to the new future R offering and move 5DIV to become a backup. But then we will have 2 partially incompatible systems. What I mean is - no RF lens for us, as it can't be used on the 5DIV. Should we just buy 16-35/2.8 III as being a good enough and use it on both bodies, or should we sell 5DIV and go full RF way? I mean - no high performance upcoming R body and R or RF as a backup? Then we could buy 15-35/2.8 IS RF instead ....

I've used both the EF 70-200 2.8L II and EF 24-70 2.8L II adapted to my R and found they work very well. So you can always replace your 70D with an R to put one foot in the RF mount, it even will share batteries with your 5DIV and you don't need to rush to change lenses. Indeed the price on the RF 15-35 2.8L IS (and 24-70 and 70-200) will continue to come down I think. Canon brought in almost all RF glass expensive to soak up money from the early adopters. GAS afflicted etc but if you look at the 24-105 L, 35/1.8 IS and 50/1.2L they quite quickly got their prices to a more reasonable level.They won't want their 2.8 L zooms, lenses Canon has always prided themselves on for professional use, to be a lot more expensive than Sonys 2.8 GM zooms for too long.

I know with technology you can always say "wait until next year". But with a new lens in a new system, I suspect a little patience might save you a small fortune. In terms of build quality and certain elements of tracking the 5DIV remains superior to the R so unless you are desperately in a rush for a wide angle I wouldn't rush.

If you want your next purchase to be a wide angle though, then yes, you are in a bit of a conundrum. Perhaps a refurbed 16-35 2.8L III to tide you over for now.
 
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tron

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Nov 8, 2011
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I love my 5D4 but I also got an R system mainly due to 15-35 2.8L IS and 24-70 2.8L IS. Now I am torn between. I guess for excursions (with no car) with one medium bag the solution is to put an R with 24-105 in addition to a medium white tele zoom (100-400 or 400 DOII) with 5DsR. The 2 camera/2 lenses combinations fit in a reasonable portable bag. Now if traveling with car I can put 2 bags so no problem...

For travelling abroad it is EOS R with RF15-35 and RF24-70 (I like museum and church interiors)

By the way I found 2 Canon DSLRs with the same Battery pack: 5DMkIII and 5DsR. So I got a cheap MEIKE battery pack (which I haven't used yet) for my 5DsR. In general I am not very fond of battery packs due to the size. Also I put (Arca Swiss compatible) camera plates on my cameras which is no go for battery packs.
 
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The rumor of a "Pro" EOS RS and a lower megapixel more video-focused EOS R with a lower mp count but with better lowlight- and videoperformance, sounds more realistic than the rumors abut a EOS R Mark II. I hope that Canon are going this way like Sony have the A7R (EOS RS), A7S (EOS R with lower mp count and more focus on video) and A7 (EOS R).
 
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Canon always (I believe) bring out a new grip for each body, it is a sure fire money maker for them so why would they change that?
5Diii/5Ds/5DsR all shared the BG-E11, so with this talk of an Astro model and a high res model I thought they would perhaps share the body to keep production cost down and hence share the grip
 
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Really hoping the latter part of this rumor is wrong and the body announced in May is indeed the R mark 2.
Same here. I think marketing would suggest that the R mark II has to be close to the original R or Canon wouldn't have dropped the price so dramatically as they did in December. Unless of course the original R just wasn't selling. But still cutting that deep reminds me more of a replacement price cut then that of just trying to promote sales.
 
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The Sony A7 S rival model sounds pretty interesting. I've been hoping Canon would give us a video-centric camera for a while now. There's a lot of potential market share to be gained here among the filmmaker and content creator crowd. Canon has a leg up on there competitors when it comes to RF glass and the peerless dual pixel AF system their cameras use.

Things I would expect and like to see for such a camera are: unlimited record times, dual UHS-II card slots, headphone & mic jack, dual gain sensor, fully articulating touchscreen, uncropped full-frame recording with DPAF functionality, C-Log profiles, on par recording modes/options of the Panasonic S1H, and IBIS (of course).
Who knows for sure at this point but I'd be really surprised if Canon did that. After all most of the crippling video features to date on Canon's cameras are all based upon Canon protecting their Cinema line of cameras. That still hasn't changed.
 
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I am really excited
I’ve got an artic trip, Kilimanjaro trip and safari trip this year. my current bodies have taken a beating and I really need/want a new toy.

I refuse to buy the R. It’s not for me. The A9ii almost got me but I hate learning new menus and such. I think the af is terrific but it’s hard to transition to a new system

Hoping the Rii comes soon. I don’t really need the high megapixel R but would consider it if it has enough speed and improved Af.

Interesting to hear other perspectives. I suppose as flights get more restricted that makes sense. However it strikes me that if one is talking about a 200-400 or 500/4 the size of the lenses is still going to be an issue.

It certainly makes sense for scuba diving.

I used to use a 7D with various telephoto lenses but couldn't get on with it, perhaps I am just stuck in my ways but I like the size of the 1D bodies, or more particularly the form factor and buttons perhaps, when using the biggest long lenses. The rest of the time I hate it! I suppose if the whole thing could be shrunk maybe 10-20% that would be good. But small light bodies with big big heavy lenses just doesn't feel comfortable to me.

I've seen others using A9s with various adapted Canon whites and I really, really couldn't get on with the ergonomics and balance yet clearly many others, many talented photographers, can. I suppose this sort of thing is the perfect example of there being no right answer for everyone.

The last safari I went on a German photographer there had an A99 II with some of the exotic Sony A-mount long lenses and that did impress me. Despite being a full frame SLR/SLT, it's surprisingly compact, somewhere between a crop and full frame Canon SLR, when gripped it did feel like a sort of mini 1D.

One thing I am confident about is that Canon will pour a huge amount of energy and time into the ergonomics of any future RF mount pro camera. I think there is no chance that it will simply have the same body as the others. In some ways it is cool that Sony did that, eg for sharing grips and batteries. But I expect Canon will produce something like a slimmed down 1DX style body. We will see - probably a long wait yet!
 
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Jun 24, 2019
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There was a migration from Canon to Sony for those who thought Sony was the best. While their sensors are excellent, I never liked the feel of their camera bodies I am a stayer as far as Canon goes for many reasons and probably why many pros stay with them.

Now, in 2020, many of the Sony people will likely move back to Canon with these true high end pro R mirrorless bodies with likely IBIS and new sensors on top of their already stellar and growing RF lenses.

That said though, even the best camera and sensor will only go so far in getting that great shot. That still lies in the mind and capabilities of the photographer.
Sony are just not professional cameras, they cause too many problems and are too fussy in use and handling, the sensors are great and can produce great pictures it just does not flow, they rely on the hype of influencers who look at pixels so they are popular
 
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Feb 19, 2016
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I am really excited
I’ve got an artic trip, Kilimanjaro trip and safari trip this year. my current bodies have taken a beating and I really need/want a new toy.

I refuse to buy the R. It’s not for me. The A9ii almost got me but I hate learning new menus and such. I think the af is terrific but it’s hard to transition to a new system

Hoping the Rii comes soon. I don’t really need the high megapixel R but would consider it if it has enough speed and improved Af.

Sounds a lot of fun :) How lucky we are these days where the problem faced is choosing between so many great cameras!
 
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Feb 19, 2016
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5Diii/5Ds/5DsR all shared the BG-E11, so with this talk of an Astro model and a high res model I thought they would perhaps share the body to keep production cost down and hence share the grip

It would fit with Canon’s recent history and is sensible in terms of manufacturing costs. As you said the 5DS was essentially in a 5D3 body (with I believe beefed up mirror damping and tripod plate and a few improved materials like the mode dial).

However that was the third generation of 5D that had been constantly refined.

The R isn’t quite like that being 1st gen. I bought it, it’s actually very nice, the ergonomics are much better than they look. It’s much nicer to handle than any of the Sony’s for example. But certain things like the af-on button position slightly too far to the side and lack of joystick and the mode dial’s situation aren’t ideal. The controversial touch pad is something I’ve come to like - I think in time such ultra customisable buttons will become quite common, allowing clicks and swipes and perhaps other gestures so I hope canon keeps going with it. You can see similar tech in the af-on button of the 1dxiii.

Of course canon could improve those things and keep the base the same shape so the grips could be swapped.

It’s exiting to think what is coming really. Given the amazing lenses we have so far in RF mount it’s a fair bet we will get some great cameras.
 
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Canon, specialist in release of cameras I don't want. Well, it's going to be a long wait then :-( I want a 5DIV successor, not more than 40 mpx, not less than what we've got with the 5DIV. I expect both speculated cameras to not fill the bill for us, wedding photogs.
Well I agree with you in some aspects. I know quite a few Canon shooters went over to Sony when the a7rIII was released, (me included). Better specs, (IQ and DR) than the 5DIV and a couple hundred dollars less to boot. Plus the performance,, speed, was manageable. I never needed the 10 fps, but it was nice knowing I had it especially with a 42 megapixel sensor. So even with that being said after 1 1/2 years I still hate shooting with this camera. It's just not a enjoyable experience. Plus because of their 8-bladed apertures two of my favorite lenses I use are the old EF 70-200 f/2.8 USM mark I and EF 70-200 f/4 USM IS for nite cityscape photography. I use those with an MC 11 adapter and it surprisingly works quite well especially considering the age of those lenses but it's nowhere quick enough to use as a walk around AF solution. My personal experience with shooting Sony is that I have to own more lenses, (2-Canon, 2-Sony and 2-Zeiss) to cover the same bases that three Canon lenses would cover. Sony has some nice glass but it's just not the lenses I'm interested in. I found the same thing with Nikon. I myself my not be interested in the EOS R mark II at, (rumored) 32 megapixels for it would be a drop from what I have but that would soundl like a nice alternative for a wedding photographer. Basically a mirrorless 5DIV.
 
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Feb 19, 2016
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Resonably priced modern 50mm, f/2, included IS, tag under 450€ would be so nice.

I believe such lenses are where mirrorless will really shine.

A lens many overlook because it isn’t an L lens is the RF 35/1.8 IS - now my most used lens on my R. It isn’t as nice to hold or use as the EF 35 L II of course but it has really impressed me. Sharp wide open, very effective IS, 1.8 aperture, very close focusing, very small and light. A range of such glass from 20 through 100mm would be excellent, perhaps a 20/2.8, 28/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8 and 100/2.

If one looks at Sony comparing say the 50/1.4 and 55/1.8 it really seems that the 1.4 glass always end up big yet just dropping to 1.8 offers big advantages to the designer. Canon has always had a great strength in producing a system with a great range of lenses and I hope they will do the same for RF mount.
 
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