2023: a look into Canon's flagship body

[cszy67]

I am interested in hearing your ideas regarding the top of the line Canon body a decade from now. We have all been enjoying incremental changes since the flip from film to sensor and I am just wondering if there will be another leap forward in the next decade or not.

Just what will the capabilities be in a decade?

What would we like to see?

How about internet connectivity and it's unlimited storage capacity or ability to communicate?

Or maybe a thought controlled head mounted camera that becomes our eyes and allows us to view the world in a ultra wide angle or telephoto sort of way and capture images just because we though that would look nice. Or it's ability to capture everything we see and store on the net forever!

What role will an artificial neural network play in the future of photography? Will the camera learn your habits and make decisions for you while at the same time communicating with other cameras world wide and sharing these "new" methods collectively increasing the ability for all photographers?

Can you image having the knowledge of every great photographer as a literal extension of your own mind and being able to use that without any effort?

What are your thoughts?

 

[Videoshooter]

Well, obviously there will be the same imcremental upgrades we've seen over the past 2 decades: more resolution, better DR, better high ISO performance, etc.

I'd like to see a camera that shoots 24fps RAW (probably in LV with an electronic shutter) cropped from the centre of the sensor at 2.4:1 aspect ratio (full width of the sensor but only part of the height) - A true cinema hybrid.

I can also imagine wireless becoming a part of the workflow - to sync cameras, flashes, etc, remote control them, and transfer images.

We might also see a high end mirrorless too - I don't think it will be the dominant tecnology by then but perhaps it will be moving more into professional DSLR territory. With the current amalgamation of the 1d and 1ds lines in the 1dx, I could even imagine a split further down the line into 1Dx and 1Dm (mirrorless) series.

 

[Erik S. Klein]

IMO Light Field cameras will likely be ready for prime time between now and then.

Current versions are low-rez toys much like the earliest digital cameras were. In ten years I can see them being at least as capable as today's top DSLRs and the ability to refocus at will should make them the choice for pros and amateurs alike.

And while glass won't change too much, I think the rest of the electronics around these will. Speed, storage, internal processing and more should improve dramatically...

 

[Tcapp]

I am interested in hearing your ideas regarding the top of the line Canon body a decade from now. We have all been enjoying incremental changes since the flip from film to sensor and I am just wondering if there will be another leap forward in the next decade or not.

Just what will the capabilities be in a decade?

What would we like to see?

How about internet connectivity and it's unlimited storage capacity or ability to communicate?

Or maybe a thought controlled head mounted camera that becomes our eyes and allows us to view the world in a ultra wide angle or telephoto sort of way and capture images just because we though that would look nice. Or it's ability to capture everything we see and store on the net forever!

What role will an artificial neural network play in the future of photography? Will the camera learn your habits and make decisions for you while at the same time communicating with other cameras world wide and sharing these "new" methods collectively increasing the ability for all photographers?

Can you image having the knowledge of every great photographer as a literal extension of your own mind and being able to use that without any effort?

What are your thoughts?

We are Borg... photographers.

 

[DB]

The 2023 FF camera body will have the same 22MP sensor as the 5D3, but it will be announced in 2019 as 'pre-order' for delivery in late-2022. The APS-C flagship will have the same 18MP sensor as the T2i/T3i/T4iT5i/T6i/T7i and T8i as well as that in the 7D, 7D2, 7D3 and 7D4.

Oh yeah... as well as a touch screen 'retina' display, it may have a touch sensitive mode dial, plus true to Canon Inc. pricing policy of late, camera bodies (w/o kit lenses) will start from $19,999 or $24,999 with standard L zoom.

Finally, Canon will be re-branded 'YongMeike' and their HQ will be located in Shenzhen, China!

 

[wickidwombat]

The 2023 FF camera body will have the same 22MP sensor as the 5D3, but it will be announced in 2019 as 'pre-order' for delivery in late-2022. The APS-C flagship will have the same 18MP sensor as the T2i/T3i/T4iT5i/T6i/T7i and T8i as well as that in the 7D, 7D2, 7D3 and 7D4.

Oh yeah... as well as a touch screen 'retina' display, it may have a touch sensitive mode dial, plus true to Canon Inc. pricing policy of late, camera bodies (w/o kit lenses) will start from $19,999 or $24,999 with standard L zoom.

Finally, Canon will be re-branded 'YongMeike' and their HQ will be located in Shenzhen, China!

LOL
and nikonokia will be anouncing their 666MP FF D666 which will cost $1000 and have a 66 pt AF all double cross type with f8 AF

 

[pwp]

They'll continue with the current weight gain program and we'll have a Mega-Function SuperSize FF 1-Series in 2023.

Inspired by Samsungs "bigger is better" credo, plus non planet friendly influence from the car industry which makes each new model bigger, longer, wider... the 2023 1D-XXXX (for extra-large) will double as a portable gym, have a flip out keyboard, an optional refrigeration module, mega widescreen holo display and compact wings and thrusters for simpler aerial photography.

Power will be handled by a revolutionary ultra-compact nuclear fusion reactor. All 1-Series will ship with a wheelbarrow signed by the Minister of the Arts. And I did read in Canon Rumors (CR-8) that the Canon engineers will probably work out a way of integrating a camera module. Truly revolutionary stuff.

PW

 

[RLPhoto]

One thing for sure, Some people will find it not enough to meet there standards and talk about switching to nikon.

 

[Richard8971]

I would have to say that I think it would be pretty cool if Canon invented (regardless of MP) a multi layer translucent cmos that could take a photo in which there was an DOF with no limits. In other words the entire image would be in focus, no background blur. Think of it as instant highly expandable micro adjustment in a way. You would then process the image in Photoshop to produce what-ever DOF you wanted and where-ever you wanted. (I.E. f2.8, 8.0, 13.0...whatever) Auto focus would be extremely acurate and IS would be able to adjust much faster to camera shake.

I would also like to see an interface where the camera would change settings based on your thoughts. (I believe that this techology is already being developed and should have applications 10 years from now)

Just my 2 cents.

D

 

[chito]

I remember a talk by the inventor of CMOS saying something about a sensor that can count individual photons..

I just hope that the next leap forward will eliminate "bayer" type sensors and the need for AA filters

 

[Admin US West]

why are the mods censoring like mad today?

there where two fun replys here.. they made as much sense as a discussion about a future 2023 camera.

most of you could not say what the weather is looking at the sky .. so this is a SILLY thread or not?

the flagship camera will be expensive... and it will have no mirror i guess.
that´s all i wager to predict.

Because the mods on this site are pompous self-important idiots that have no sense of humor. (Not Craig, the owner, just the moderators)

We have the unpleasant task of trying to keep things under control, and posts like this are not helpful. It gives the impression that you want to run the forum.

We've held back on Bans recently and issued warnings, several people have been flaming each other today and received warnings. If it keeps on, those will become bans.

 

[Tcapp]

I remember a talk by the inventor of CMOS saying something about a sensor that can count individual photons..

I just hope that the next leap forward will eliminate "bayer" type sensors and the need for AA filters

+10. I agree.

 

[noisejammer]

Of course it's a joke thread but how about some serious ideas...

1. The viewfinder will stay but it's likely to be electronic, it will out-resolve the eye and and its sensor will get light through a pellicle.

2. There will be an electronic shutter using something like a Pockel's cell.

3. The sensor will be a flip chip which will improve sensitivity by about two stops.. so 102k ISO will be usable.

4. The dynamic range will be slightly better but unless Bayer masks are abandoned it'll probably not be more than 1 stop. If they are abandoned - say for a true 3- or 4-channel system - you can add another 2 stops immediately... this interacts with point 3 so that 102k would have the noise of about current 6400 ISO.

5. Resolution will be matched to lens performance... so perhaps about 8 microns resolution in the image (equivalent to 54 mp today.)

6. Pixels will not be square... I'm thinking hexagons or maybe the interlaced octagon / square arrangement that Fuji had years ago.

7. Battery life will be 30% better.

8. Lenses will focus in an blink of the eye and autofocus will still get it wrong.

9. f/1.2 lenses might actually offer some benefit.

10. I will still ditch 99% of my images.

 

[cszy67]

I do appreciate the responses so far - some pretty interesting ideas.

And sorry if I am disappointing anyone but this thread is no joke. My most recent work was at NASA Langley where I worked with the man who developed the Retinex Image Processing system.

http://dragon.larc.nasa.gov/

I am just curious as to what other people see as future products.

 

[Jotho]

why are the mods censoring like mad today?

there where two fun replys here.. they made as much sense as a discussion about a future 2023 camera.

most of you could not say what the weather is looking at the sky .. so this is a SILLY thread or not?

the flagship camera will be expensive... and it will have no mirror i guess.
that´s all i wager to predict.

Because the mods on this site are pompous self-important idiots that have no sense of humor. (Not Craig, the owner, just the moderators)

We have the unpleasant task of trying to keep things under control, and posts like this are not helpful. It gives the impression that you want to run the forum.

We've held back on Bans recently and issued warnings, several people have been flaming each other today and received warnings. If it keeps on, those will become bans.

I hope you will be able to keep this place clean. I take great pleasure checking out this forum more or less every day and I constantly learn. I like the tone in general here, I can post questions that might seem stupid to some of the accomplished pros here, but I tend to get very insightful answers that leads me further. Also posting pics that are obviously not up to pro standard will generate polite and valuable critique on how I need to move forward to improve as a photographer. I'm all in on Canon and will likely be for many years, being a bit of a gear nerd this is a great place to be. There are enough forums where language is rude and most posts are only aimed at stepping on other people. Thanks for a great forum and keep up the good work.

 

[NotABunny]

Canon will announce that they will consider to start planning how to develop an auto-exposure mechanism which properly exposes photos of scenes other than those that look like 18% gray (that is, expose to the right and pull back in post to the desired exposure) :

 

[birdman]

I actually think glass will make leaps and bounds in improvements in 10 years. As tech improves, glass has gotten better anti-reflective, anti-CA, etc. There will actually be zoom lenses with ZERO (less than 0.01%) distortion and extremely high (or mathematically perfect) sharpness wide open, corner-to-corner. As in, optimal sharpness wide open. Only depth of field changes as you stop down.

Video past 4k will be standard, memory will be cheap as chips, and FPS on both video and stills shooting will be absurd. The 3D/4D realm will be utilized to create holographic images, but only in the flagship models. It's hard for me to believe the SLR as we know it will be largely unchanged. Of course, EVFs will be standard. But, will there still be a mirror? Will the shutter become replaced (or start getting fazed out) in lieu of a different technology.

Finally, AF will be more concentrated on eye movement as opposed to what the camera WANTS to focus on. The Canon flagship model, whatever the name or technology, will sell for $10-15k. You'll always have budget lines, of course. Resolution will be around 60-65 MP, but the sensor technology will be completely different. They are working on the successor to CMOS as we speak. It will be tested in a few years, implemented in commercial products, and flow down to us. Some cameras will be multimedia devices as tablets are now. the future brings much promise, but also holds many uncertainties...you are now entering the TWILIGHT ZONE. Nun na nun na nun na

 

[spinworkxroy]

In 2023, Mobile phones will have cameras so good that we won't need DSLRs anymore...

 

[Hillsilly]

I doubt there will be dramatic differences.

After thinking long and hard about Canon's decision not to incorporate new technologies and connectivity into their higher end cameras (eg bluetooth, wifi...), it recently occurred to me why. As best as possible, they build their cameras to be future proof. They don't want their cameras stuck with old technology. And who knows what the computing and networking landscape will be like in 20 or 30 years time.

Therefore, my guesses: -

1. The 1DX4 will be a DSLR;
2. Incremental sensor developments. Probably under 36mp;
3. It will work faster. More fps and faster autofocus;
4. It will have a touch screen;
5. Memory cards will be cheaper with more capacity;
6. Minor battery improvements;
7. It will offer focus bracketing. This is where the camera makes incremental focus adjustments for macro focus stacking;
8. The autofocus will see improvements to tracking. It will be better able to identify moving subjects and lock on them;
9. Buffers and write times will be concepts from the past. It will keep taking pictures for as long as you can hold down the shutter buttons.
10. By popular demand, the sensor size will change to 27x32.
11. Canon will have a mobile app for the Android and Windows market for full remote control of the camera. (They will briefly have an Apple app in 2015, but this will be pulled in retaliation after Canon loses a patent infringement case against Apple. This is after Apple releases the iCam which takes the world by storm to become the number one selling camera. Who'd have thought taking photos could be so easy? It only has one button! You just press it and the photo is there. And it automatically uploads it to cloud storage, facebook, myspace, your blog etc. And it will be white. It will be so cool. The sensor size will be in the same ratio as the iPad - Canon mirrorless people with an old school 24x36 sensor will be very jealous about the sensor size).


The 1DX4 will be marketing at sports and nature photographers who will welcome its rugged nature and responsiveness.

However, most people will be using the cheaper 5D6, with its high MP count. The 5D6 will still use the 24x36 amateur sensor format. It will be a bit slower, with less weather sealing. But essentially the same camera as the 1DX4.

Below that, it is mirrorless models marketed to the masses. (or at least those who don't want an iCam).

 

[K-amps]

I think we will not see any radical departures in form from the current body.
1Dx mk. IV will:
1. Have a mirrorless mode where a translucent mirror can be latched in for faster FPS’s or keep it in the Mirror mode. Either this or it becomes completely Mirrorless with EVF.
2. 40-60mp seems a lot, but if there is a higher MP version of the 1D, then this would be the target range. They will try and kill the MF format if they can with better sensors.
3. Touch screen functionality will be mature and you will be able to tether your iphone 12 / Galaxy S14 for tethered shooting. The apps will allow for Focus bracketing and other timelapse fun. Canon will actually have SDK for it
4. New Sensor tech will allow for 2-3 stops of ISO improvements in RAW and 8-10 stops in jpeg
5. Even Canon will have +14 DR
6. Multiple crop modes will be available for a given sensor/ this will include the ability to choose what binning ratios to use in case of simple down sampling of non-crop modes.
7. Bye Bye Bayer, Bye Bye MOIRE,
8. As mentioned Lens modeling and sensor diffraction/ resolution bottlenecks will be aligned.
9. I do not think the manufacturing of glass will be so good that we will see zero sharpness gained by stopping it down, I think that will not happen in 10 years… maybe 20-25.
10. Focussing by eye should become standard unless everyone used the Lytro style Field vision sensors.
11. RGB metering will be available in cell phones… so DSLR’s will get much better exposure meters.
12. Lenses and apertures will have reflective coatings to increase photon concentration on the sensor for high ISO requirements at the cost of some IQ offsets.
13. Polycarbonate elements will be good enough to be used in lenses drastically lowering the prices of EF lenses. This I see happening in more than 10 yrs. The lenses might require a mandatory UV filter to protect against scrapes etc.
14. Via Geo Tagging, the camera will be able to remember the last time you were in a certain place and suggest starter settings based on the last time you shot there e.g. Sports arena vs. Studio shoot.
15. By pointing on an object (skater/insect/wildlife/child/model) on the touchscreen on the Camera, it will recognize what it is your are trying to shoot and once confirmed, the AF will constantly track the subject even faster than your eyeballs can lock on to it.