According to NL 5Diii is a late 2012 camera at the very earliest

[UncleFester]

As noted, Canon also still needs to find a reason to make someone pay $8k for the flagship.

Durability and shutter cycles.

Much (much!!) better AF performance. I bet they'll hobble the 5DIII's AF, just like they did with the 5DII.

Actually, my comment was as to why they charge 8K.

But I would also like to better AF reports on the next gen. I don't know if I could part with the $$ for it though.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

5D3 is unlikely to ship before the end of 2012 at the very earliest.

I think it is too dramatically phrased, I would say it is the latest, not earliest.

What makes timing estimates more complex is competition, even from Canon viewpoint (meaning even they have no precise idea but rather estimates). They most certainly have some sort of answer ready when forced by the competition.

already starting to get their kicked in video, playing a radically foolish game, if this rumor is true

plus a whopping 5D3 now rather than later is what could swing people over from Nikon

not sure I believe the rumor though, I mean they don't have time to finish 5D3 but have time to suddenly switch efforts over to start a 1Ds4 instead??? makes no sense on so many different levels.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Let see, Sony is set to release some very good Cameras according to early tests of their cheapo $600 camera,

http://www.eoshd.com/content/3784/nex-5n-demolishes-ep-3-at-high-isos-even-beats-5d-mk-ii-nikon-d7000

and Nikon is set to release some new full frame DSLRs soon. Canon has to react.

Remember, Canon won't lose the users who are heavily vested in equipment (like myself). What they will lose are all the newbies and future pros. Once you start investing in a system, there will be no going back. And if there is a 1 1/4 year lag time till the next 5D3, that's a lot of newbies going to Sony and Nikon for a lifetime of usage.

I seriously doubt Canon will wait that long. Many people will be pissed off, including myself. The only person that will be happy is Neuromancer.

agreed plus they will give up all the inroads into serious video they made soon

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

But that makes too much logical sense for CEO's and big wigs at Canon (or any other company for that matter) to go by... What they care about is market share/money coming in (profits)/and reputation. The 5d is a better seller and will sell more than the 1d's and will have a higher return on investment hence the profit and market share portions of the formula... The 1d's are all about prestige and reputation... I dont think Canon at all sits back, in this economy and says (this is older so we will replace this first)... it's about what will give us the biggest volume of sales and is more profitable... Hence why rebels are upgraded yearly and pro cameras not..

Agreed - but Canon can point to current sales figures for the 5DII that are still quite high. On Amazon.com, the 5DII is the best selling full frame dSLR, and the 19th best-selling dSLR on their top-100 list (next highest FF is the Nikon D700 at #30). Gene_can_warble frequently begs us to stop buying 5DII's so Canon will release a 5DIII, and while I don't think that Canon has the 5DIII wrapped up with a bow and ready to ship tomorrow, he's right that sales of the 5DII are still strong - perhaps strong enough to deflate the urgency of releasing a 5DIII.

if you wait until it is urgent that means you are already behind and in trouble

jump ahead as soon as you can and you bring more over from the other fold (and don't starting dropping those on the video side)

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Knowing Canon's past history of using AF performance to differentiate among models, I also suspect they'll handicap the 5DIII with a less-than-stellar AF system. While I doubt they'll recycle the 5D's system yet again (God, I hope not, although I wouldn't put it past them!), I speculate it will still have 9 + 6 points, but all the user-selectable ones will be cross-type.

maybe (and sadly I mean maybe for real, knowing the new Canon), but let us hope not, late 2012 and crippled, mini AF system?
so they get blown out by nikon for stills and other players for video and yeah they held onto their precious 5D2 profits by recouping it's design costs over and over but lose the game in the long run

in the past they didn't sit around and wait for others to react to and they also blew Nikon out of the water when DSLRs got going and even when AF got going and then again even a bit with small packagae, low-cost, large sensor video but they seem to have become fatter and fatter and more reactive and more market droid driven by the year

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

I think Canon is forgetting that perception is important in the marketplace, and I can say my current perception is that Nikon makes cameras for photographers, and that Canon "nickel and dimes" their customers.

It does seem that way. And leaving tripod collars out of $1599 variable aperture tele-zooms doesn't make exactly lead one away from that perception either.

Removing MFA from the 60D was a crime too. More nickel and dime BS from the marketing droids.

It was stunning that they didn't even understand basic concepts such as manual audio gain or manual exposure control for video would be desired, that AutoISO makes the most sense used in M mode, that the histogram needs an outline around it so you can see where it ends when shooting outside of a dark lab, etc. I mean a group of hackers have put more thought and accomplished more for video not even having any instructions than Canon has. And then you feel that all of their body releases are not even close to what they have the skills to make while with Nikon you feel they tend to give it their best possible effort. Now maybe Canon has been a bit ahead and have managed to slide by because of that but it does slowly build up a lowering of full respect for the brand name and certainly doesn't lure over as many customers as they might otherwise.

 

[YoukY63]

I think Canon is forgetting that perception is important in the marketplace, and I can say my current perception is that Nikon makes cameras for photographers, and that Canon "nickel and dimes" their customers.

It does seem that way. And leaving tripod collars out of $1599 variable aperture tele-zooms doesn't make exactly lead one away from that perception either.

Removing MFA from the 60D was a crime too. More nickel and dime BS from the marketing droids.

It was stunning that they didn't even understand basic concepts such as manual audio gain or manual exposure control for video would be desired, that AutoISO makes the most sense used in M mode, that the histogram needs an outline around it so you can see where it ends when shooting outside of a dark lab, etc. I mean a group of hackers have put more thought and accomplished more for video not even having any instructions than Canon has. And then you feel that all of their body releases are not even close to what they have the skills to make while with Nikon you feel they tend to give it their best possible effort. Now maybe Canon has been a bit ahead and have managed to slide by because of that but it does slowly build up a lowering of full respect for the brand name and certainly doesn't lure over as many customers as they might otherwise.

Thanks for your (multi) comments.
Now let me tell you that all your rants make me tired. :-\
You don't like Canon, they are losers? So leave to a brand that understand you better than Canon.
Canon is not making the camera that you want? All Canon camera sucks? What are you still doing here?

The fact and final truth is that only Canon bring you what you need today. That's why you are still using Canon I guess and that's why professional movie makers are sometime using Canon bodies (instead of selecting Panasonic or Sony bodies). You want more, OK, that's fair. But it looks like nobody gives you that much enough because I would not understand that you stick to Canon it that case.

Actual EOS body lines are still camera and they will remain focused on still abilities. Video will never be there major feature. You can only hope than Canon release a 3D or whatever with focus on video ability for people like you, but do not expect the 5D to be a camera for video shooting.

Now, about the 5D/1Ds thing.
Jjust like Neuro, I think Canon should and will release the 1Ds before 5D. First, because 1Ds is much more overdue than 5D (4 years old vs 3 years old). Then, because professional had enough time to collect money to change their (old) cameras (1Ds I, II or III).
And finally, probably because it is just smarter in a marketing way. Why so many people was raving about the 5DmII, making it a best seller even with its high price? Because people were buying a kind of "mini-1DsIII", with the same sensor than this 8k$ camera and even a better image processor inside!
Canon don't care to not sell anymore 1Ds, since they sell 10 times more 5D than before (and 1000 times more 5DII than any 1Ds before!) just by giving it "pro features".
That's why I also believe that 5DIII should and will use again the same sensor than the new 1Ds. So people dreaming of the new 1Ds will be able to buy a part of their dream. And the story will repeat again.

My hypothesis:
End of 2011: new 1Ds mark IV
February (?) 2012: new iD mark V with APS-H sensor
August 2012: 5D mark III with 1Ds IV sensor (presented for the next Photokina)

And if I were Canon I would also replace the 7D within a few months (december?), opponents are getting stronger recently on high end APS-C!