Canon releases their Third Quarter 2020 financials

[David - Sydney]

For all we know, the C70 could've been a knee-jerk reaction to the A7siii; finding what technology was in development, mashing up a product, and figuring out production. I think an article was posted here where Canon talked about how they quickly made the C70. [someone correct me if I'm wrong]

"Pivoting quickly" is a term that I'm hearing more and more in my meetings and with tightened budgets and deadlines becoming the norm, it seems that all companies must adapt to address this new "knee-jerk" economy we're in.

I'm all for pivoting "quickly" but that is relative. Product cycle times are still extensive - not to mention manufacturing leadtimes to build up initial stock. It is one thing to tweak firmware at the last minute but to change formfactor/body to include a new button is quite another thing

 

[David - Sydney]

They started crowdfunding R5 but marketed as great hybrid cinema camera that shoots 8k... then, later, they said: Oh, sorry, this was built with overheating in mind.

Are we still talking about this? Have you bought the camera? Have you bought a different 8k camera?

Clearly the body had to be thermally limited in certain modes. The only limitations are 4k/120, 8K, 4kHQ and 4K/60. Basically unlimited 4k/60 via external recorder and the rest are constrained by the HDMI port specs. HDMI2.1 cables are still not officially certified yet.
Canon has promised lower bit rate options for the other video modes so hopefully they can record externally.
Canon engineers are good but can't defy physics.
Engineers paradigm... size/fan/weather sealing. Pick 2.

 

[David - Sydney]

It actually gets people to plop down money in advance, it also gets them to tell friends and promote the new product so its free advertising that hits the target market directly. If it turns out to be a low interest item, Canon can tool up to produce a few and start work on version II.

Quite a lot of people "plopped" (onomatopoeia at its finest) down money for pre-orders on the R5/6.

Imagine what the Canon numbers would have looked like if they could meet the current R5/6 demand!

 

[AEWest]

5.9million was shipped but were they bought?

What can ILCs do that a 10yo camera cannot do if you just need photos for a budget-constrained client?

Now is a great time to buy a Canon dslr and EF lenses.

 

[RicoB]

Canon.. if you are reading these posts.. drop your L lens prices by $400-500. Sure you had R&D costs but they are very expensive for advanced amateurs and your non-L offering is very limited. Time to try and sell some lenses!

 

[fingerstein]

Are we still talking about this? Have you bought the camera? Have you bought a different 8k camera?

Basically unlimited 4k/60 via external recorder o hopefully they can record externally.

No! I didn't bought the camera. I'm not very careful with my cameras. I forget to shut it down after every shot. That's the main reason. But that external recording is a hoax, as the quality of the image goes lower because the camera is not in recording mode and it's saving power. And the mini hdmi is prone to be broken.

Hybrid stills camera that shoots video. Never was it marketed as a cinema camera. Canon also published the 8k video and other limitations before release.

From canon page: "Revolutionising videography. Again. ", "cinematic 12 bit 8K RAW video using the entire width of the camera’s sensor.", "formidable filmmaking capabilities.",

Ok, not marketed as a cinema camera but a camera for videographers. But videography means weddings too. No one will risk their videography career to shoot with something that's unreliable.
Anyway, here is something to read: https://www.canon-europe.com/pro/stories/eos-c70-vs-eos-r5/

 

[David - Sydney]

No! I didn't bought the camera. I'm not very careful with my cameras. I forget to shut it down after every shot. That's the main reason. But that external recording is a hoax, as the quality of the image goes lower because the camera is not in recording mode and it's saving power. And the mini hdmi is prone to be broken.

You sound quite bitter. Are you okay? I hope that Canon's decisions aren't impacting your life too much.

I don't have an external recorder so I cannot confirm but there are a number of youtube videos/reviewer showing 4KHQ externally recording to Ninja V. This is the full sensor width downsampled to 4k. I believe that there has been no complaints about the quality of the 4KHQ footage but you seem to know more about this
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=canon+r5+external+recording

 

[fingerstein]

You sound quite bitter. Are you okay? I hope that Canon's decisions aren't impacting your life too much.

I don't have an external recorder so I cannot confirm but there are a number of youtube videos/reviewer showing 4KHQ externally recording to Ninja V. This is the full sensor width downsampled to 4k. I believe that there has been no complaints about the quality of the 4KHQ footage but you seem to know more about this
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=canon+r5+external+recording

Right! The only problem is the ninja v doesn't come for free. It's a least 1k more with all the accessories and I will end up with two screens and a viewfinder, a way bigger camera. I will have to charge two types of batteries, I will have to carry two chargers and still no recording trigger if there's no CFast in the camera. A cage is a must,and my pockets are already empty only if I think about it.

 

[justaCanonuser]

I'm not sure how I feel about these lines (emphasis added by me):

"We started crowdfunding this camera on a Japanese site in September. This gave us access to a new user base that was able to make advance purchase reservations for a limited number of cameras which was reached soon after we started taking orders.

We will deploy this kind of product strategy and focus on improving profitability by streamlining product development, production, and market in preparation for decreasing sales."

I don't think anyone can predict how deep they'll go into reliance on a crowdfunding/pre-order model for development, but I could see that being a slippery slope.

I don't think it is a slippery slope, I think crowdfunding is a smart testbed for unusually designed cameras. Canon always in its history tried radically new ideas for camera designs, some of which looking quite funny today, like the Dial 35 from 1968:

 

[docsmith]

All I know is that they got ~$4,400 of my money (R5 and two adapters) to help their financials.....

 

[CanonFanBoy]

Right! The only problem is the ninja v doesn't come for free. It's a least 1k more with all the accessories and I will end up with two screens and a viewfinder, a way bigger camera. I will have to charge two types of batteries, I will have to carry two chargers and still no recording trigger if there's no CFast in the camera. A cage is a must,and my pockets are already empty only if I think about it.

Sniff, sniff, sniffle. *blows nose*. Sorry. I'm having sympathy cramps and they really hurt. Gonna go lie down, watch General Hospital, and eat my Bon Bons.

 

[fingerstein]

Sniff, sniff, sniffle. *blows nose*. Sorry. I'm having sympathy cramps and they really hurt. Gonna go lie down, watch General Hospital, and eat my Bon Bons.

Ok, no problem! Enjoy!

 

[Dragon]

All I know is that they got ~$4,400 of my money (R5 and two adapters) to help their financials.....

And as the smorgasbord of RF glass grows, they will get considerably more of your money . The RF lenses definitely focus faster.

 

[docsmith]

And as the smorgasbord of RF glass grows, they will get considerably more of your money . The RF lenses definitely focus faster.

Their plan is devious, but brilliant as I am somehow very happy giving them my money.

 

[lexptr]

I would be happy to help Canon with financial figures, investing several grand in R5 and few RF lenses. But, sadly, there is no R5 on our market for months Still hope it will happen this year.

 

[David - Sydney]

Right! The only problem is the ninja v doesn't come for free. It's a least 1k more with all the accessories and I will end up with two screens and a viewfinder, a way bigger camera. I will have to charge two types of batteries, I will have to carry two chargers and still no recording trigger if there's no CFast in the camera. A cage is a must,and my pockets are already empty only if I think about it.

So what exists in the market that meets your needs?
Note that the R5 uses CFe card slot not CFast. My pockets are already empty and my camera gear insurance is due in a couple of days :-(

 

[Aregal]

I'm all for pivoting "quickly" but that is relative. Product cycle times are still extensive - not to mention manufacturing leadtimes to build up initial stock. It is one thing to tweak firmware at the last minute but to change formfactor/body to include a new button is quite another thing

Sorry, I didn’t mean they created the C70 in 1 month. Haha. I DO know what you mean though.

 

[dolina]

Now is a great time to buy a Canon dslr and EF lenses.

So 5-10 years from now Canon USA cannot service it anymore for lack of parts. ^_^

 

[fingerstein]

So what exists in the market that meets your needs?
Note that the R5 uses CFe card slot not CFast. My pockets are already empty and my camera gear insurance is due in a couple of days :-(

A7III/A7IV or A7sIII with a RF mount would be excellent. A C70 with viewfinder, Wi-Fi.... would be awesome.

 

[AEWest]

So 5-10 years from now Canon USA cannot service it anymore for lack of parts. ^_^

You can still get excellent photos from DSLRs and lenses that will last for many years. For those that don't need video or IBIS, or are budget conscious, it is a good option.