Canon Says Higher Resolution Sensors Are Coming Soon

[Canon Rumors]

<p>DPReview has posted their interview with Masaya Maeda, the Managing Director and Chief Executive, Image Communication Products Operations at Canon. Mr Maeda touches on a lot of subjects, like the EOS 7D Mark II and why it took so long to hit the market. As well as higher megapixel sensors, mirrorless cameras and the fact that the Canon PowerShot G7 X doesn’t use a Canon sensor (It’s most likely from Sony).</p>
<p>Below is a snippet from the interview.</p>
<p><strong>Currently no Canon camera offers more than 22MP. Do your DSLR customers ask for higher resolution? </strong>

<em>Maeda: Yes. We know that many of our customers need more resolution and this is under consideration. In the very near future you can expect us to show something in terms of mirrorless and also a higher resolution sensor.</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.dpreview.com/articles/7079726133/photokina-2014-canon-interview-mirrorless-in-the-very-near-future" target="_blank">Read the entire interview at DPReview</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>

 

[Lee Jay]

They'll go incremental. They won't go to the 120MP APS-H approach (which would approach 190MP at full-frame size), they'll go 30-50MP.

 

[Woody]

I am mostly excited about the EOS-M3. Hope it comes with DPAF, EVF (even if optional) and connection for wired remote. That's all I need. Throw in the 22 f/2 and that will be my compact camera set-up.

 

[applecider]

They ll go incremental. 23mp 5div, 24mp Dx s...... This is canon we're talking about after all. And really do I want a 120mp body? Seriously I don't want to take any steps backward in high ISO IQ for the sake of MP's.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

They also strongly implied that they don't care about low ISO DR and will wait until after sales tank, if ever, to bother. I think they just don't like the cost of a new fab and are doing everything to avoid it, not caring what anyone in forums says or how DxO scores look and gambling that only a few will leave and sales will keep going on as they have been for years to come even if they don't improve low ISO DR (and in other places, the word about 4k for 5D4 sounds pretty negatory as well) Oh well.

Guess it's time to look Sony/Nikon if you care about low ISO DR. It sounds like it might be a loooong time before Canon responds to Exmor. Quite a shame (again only if DR matters to you, for some it won't much)....

"One thing we know from our own testing is that Canon DSLR sensors can’t quite compete with some modern sensors from Sony in terms of dynamic range. How important to you is developing sensor technology?

We are very focused on getting the best image quality. I’m not sure what measurements you’re looking at but when it comes to dynamic range for example we consider image quality as a whole, from low to high ISO sensitivities and on balance we consider our sensors to be the best.

My ideal camera is one that can take a picture in any environment from complete darkness to the brightest sunshine.

So in your opinion your sensors are currently the best [DSLR sensors] on the market?

Yes. In the EOS 7D Mark II for example the sensor we’ve used is improved compared to the previous generation, especially at high ISO and in shadows. There’s less noise."

The fact that he has to pretend that he's never heard of DxO or any forum talk or that maybe he somehow actually hasn't heard anything in the forums or from any review sites, paints a kind of bleak picture for DR. If they had something remotely close to being ready, you'd surely think he would have responded in a much different fashion. (The only possible hopeful way to read it is that he was just saving face for the current stuff and valuing that more than being afraid of giving the impression that they were not about to move sensors forward soon. ??? )

:'(

I think they may be surprised at 5D4 sales if they skip low ISO DR fixes and 4k and the only thing they give it over the 5D3 is more MP. And if they do that again for 5D5....

If you don't shoot much any low ISO high DR stuff and don't care about rescuing the odd bad shot, I'm sure the 5D4 will be great though for stills.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

And for those who say Canon always knows best, they have teams of experience marketing engineers, none of these fools on the forums have a clue compared to them, etc. how about:



Many have been asking why Canon isn't making something like the recently released RX100 in the forums, after speaking with Mr. Maeda in early 2013 DPR noted that he responded:
"However, he ruled out the idea of a larger sensor camera along the lines of the Sony RX100 to offer more of an image quality distinction between smartphones and compact cameras. 'I think the market does exist but it wouldn't be very large. We think we have a good balancing point in terms of price, image quality and size. Lots of other combinations are possible, but, once you go below APS-C the next logical size is 1/2.3 inch', he says." "We see no need or market desire for a Sony RX100 type camera."


And now almost two years later, after RX100s of all marks fly off the shelves and it being one the great sellers for Sony:
Canon is proud to announce the G7X with the RX100 sensor. The market clearly demands a small pocketable camera with a large, top quality sensor.
;D


On the plus, if they get totally burned, it does show they try to correct quickly. So maybe if the 5D4 with old sensor burns them they'll be back quickly with a 5D5 even if they have to go to Sony for help.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

They'll go incremental. They won't go to the 120MP APS-H approach (which would approach 190MP at full-frame size), they'll go 30-50MP.

I wouldn't really call 40-50MP incremental. Even 36MP wouldn't be bad if it had top video and a lot of fps.

190MP is quite a lot and the fps would be terrible and the video likely too

 

[Woody]

On the plus, if they get totally burned, it does show they try to correct quickly. So maybe if the 5D4 with old sensor burns them they'll be back quickly with a 5D5 even if they have to go to Sony for help.

I doubt the 7D2 is going to sell well, especially when compared to its predecessor. If the Amazon best seller chart is any indication, the 7D2 sales is going to be a flop. That happened to the G1X and G1X MkII (especially when compared to the RX100 Mk 1/2/3).

Hopefully, this is their wake-up call.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

On the plus, if they get totally burned, it does show they try to correct quickly. So maybe if the 5D4 with old sensor burns them they'll be back quickly with a 5D5 even if they have to go to Sony for help.

I doubt the 7D2 is going to sell well, especially when compared to its predecessor. If the Amazon best seller chart is any indication, the 7D2 sales is going to be a flop. That happened to the G1X and G1X MkII (especially when compared to the RX100 Mk 1/2/3).

Hopefully, this is their wake-up call.

We'll see. I'm still thinking that the 7D2 might sell well since it's more driven by AF/fps/reach than low ISO DR (or 4k). But maybe you are correct. Maybe even for 7 series, people want a new sensor a ton and maybe there are not enough speed/af/reach specialists around and many want that plus a truly top in ever way all around improvement. I still think it will do OK though. I'm far more suspect about a 5D4 with a 2007 sensor though, especially if it also lacks 4k.
(if the 7D2 had 4k and exmor-like sensor, I bet it'd have sold insane amounts, but I still think it could really do pretty well, I didn't look at Amazon, but maybe you are correct and it's not)

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

They'll go incremental. They won't go to the 120MP APS-H approach (which would approach 190MP at full-frame size), they'll go 30-50MP.

Brilliant Deduction

 

[docsmith]

We are told canon will show us a new mirrorless and high MP sensor camera in the "very near future" and people can take this as a negative?!?!? :

I like options. This excites me. I am currently happy with my gear, but new options are always welcome.

 

[9VIII]

Wow, they literally do not have a schedule for future releases. At least not with the 7D.

Not an entirely terrible idea, releasing things prematurely can kill a lot of products, and it ensures the high level of polish we all expect from Canon.
It can also lead to entirely failed projects continuing on for years though. That's not the case here, but now I have to wonder how long it will take to get the 7DmkIII out?

I'm sure the 7D2 will sell well, it is undoubtedly king of the crop world.
Five years from now it will probably be a different story though. The competition isn't going away, and the competition is getting better at a rapid pace. Can Canon's design people anticipate what will be competitive five years from now?


Also: Yay! More Megapixels! That's all I really wanted to hear from them regarding future bodies.

 

[risc32]

They ll go incremental. 23mp 5div, 24mp Dx s...... This is canon we're talking about after all. And really do I want a 120mp body? Seriously I don't want to take any steps backward in high ISO IQ for the sake of MP's.

there was a time when it was the norm for Canon to have 50-100% more megapickles than the competition.

 

[bvukich]

Not that anyone asked, but what I would consider the ideal sensor resolution, would be 15360x11520 (177MP).

That's 16k resolution, with the AR brought back to 4:3. Add on die 4:1 & 16:1 binning, and you've got 8k and 4k for video, or super clean 44MP or 11MP RAWs.

 

[waving_odd]

We are told canon will show us a new mirrorless and high MP sensor camera in the "very near future" and people can take this as a negative?!?!? :

I like options. This excites me. I am currently happy with my gear, but new options are always welcome.

Maeda only said, "In the very near future you can expect us to show something in terms of mirrorless and also a higher resolution sensor." Anything higher than their current max 22MP is still higher... I hope they won't be as conservative on this "something"...

Also it sounds like this Canon Looking into a New Mount makes more sense now...

 

[sagittariansrock]

Take whatever he says with a lump of salt.
"We select the best sensor, whoever the manufacturer is. That’s our policy."- right. If that was true, using the Exmor in their dSLRs would have reduced R&D expenses and helped boost sales (with other long term trade-offs, of course).

"when it comes to dynamic range for example we consider image quality as a whole, from low to high ISO sensitivities and on balance we consider our sensors to be the best." Even if you consider the difference between Sony and Canon sensors very small, that is BS.

"We considered adding this feature to the EOS 7D II but the body material presented challenges. But we have a solution with the optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7A." Yeah, the challenge was losing a source of money. Plus, the external wireless transmitters are much better than the internal one in 6D I hear, so probably more appropriate for professionals.

"I will ask our engineers! But basically we reviewed the entire design and architecture of the camera, and we improved every part of the autofocus system. This all takes time."
Sure, the question has just occurred to him. This is exactly the kind of hollow but substantial sounding phrases that mean nothing. The first part (reviewing) results to no action being taken or mentioned. The second part (AF) is a work in process. It could be the reason for the delay, or so could be a million things, such as early adopter rush for the 70D.

Anyway, these interviews are rarely informative. When they want to say something, they make announcements. They don't wait for interviews to impart information. It doesn't require an interview to gather Canon will make efforts in high megapixel and mirrorless markets some time or the other, unless they completely want to cede the market. The rate limiting step must be R&D and/or making the product commercially viable.

 

[sagittariansrock]

Not that anyone asked, but what I would consider the ideal sensor resolution, would be 15360x11520 (177MP).

That's 16k resolution, with the AR brought back to 4:3. Add on die 4:1 & 16:1 binning, and you've got 8k and 4k for video, or super clean 44MP or 11MP RAWs.

That would kick ass! Especially if it was paired with 20 stops of DR. I could use that all day long.

And probably spend all night transferring to your hard drives.

 

[Dylan777]

FF mirrorless about same size as a7 series with pop-up EVF(like rx100 III), battery life 500 to 700shots with pancake lenses - I smell trouble. Even better, about x100s body style......I'm drooling

 

[Orangutan]

Well, from that question and the response to it...I can only conclude that Canon is delusional about their sensor's dynamic range. They have been beat, handily, at both low and high ISO now.

I wouldn't bet on that. If they interviewed 5,000 7D owners / prospective owners you can believe they have a good idea of how important IQ is to customers. This was not testimony under oath, nor a confidential therapy session -- it was a marketing interview. If Canon has any weaknesses, and particularly if they're working on solutions to those weaknesses, Maeda san would not tip his hand. His job is to talk up the cameras, while using generalities to assure customers and shareholders that great new stuff is on the way.

 

[Orangutan]

I'm hoping that the "our sensors are the best" is just a case of chest beating where they don't want to be seen by outsiders to admitting that they equipment is second best. Inside, I'm pretty sure that the engineers would know the real deal but whether management listens to them or prioritises that kind of work is another thing.

Yup.