In the spirit of the recent Canon roadmap that was posted I thought I would also post my own roadmap for upgrades.
I'm probably one of the most obsessive photographers about image quality. The reason being that I do photoshop retouching for many of the top photographers in the world. When it comes to editing an image, having the most sharpness, the lowest noise and the highest resolution is absolutaly critical. You can do a lot more with extremely high image quality than you can with low image quality.
For my own purposes I've found that I need at least a minimum of 16 megapixels for cropping, and the lowest noise possible. I also need all 16 of those megapixels to be tack sharp.
With that said here is my roadmap:
Body: I expect Canon to release something with 5D body size with at least 18 MP and much better noise handling than the current 5D II. My number one complaint with the 5D II is the banding noise, and the low dynamic range due to low iso noise, which impacts my style of shooting. It seems likely that Canon will do a 18 MP (1DX sensor)-22 MP body with amazing noise and dynamic range performance (and amazing video) and a 36-45 MP body for the landscape guys.
I will be going for the lower noise body. Noise to me is a significantly more pressing issue than megapixels so I prioritize that as long as I have enough room to crop. I love high MP medium format files but you have to prioritize.
Lenses:
Wide Angle Zoom:
(current) Canon 16-35mm F/2.8 II L - It's the best that's offered with autofocus. I tried an adapted 14-24mm Nikon F/2.8 AF-S and did not like the lack of autofocus. It's nearly as good, though not as wide.
Normal Zoom:
Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 II L - I was dissapointed that this lens lacked a lot of features, it had no IS was not a reverse zoom design like the I version and that it extended when it zoomed. However the image quality that's being reported is nothing short of stunning. So that won me over.
Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8 VC - I'm going to use this lens for low light situations, in effect replacing my 24-105mm with two lenses instead of one. It was An amazing suprise from an unlikley source. This lens means that photographers can get a full stop more light when shooting hand held. It's the equivalent of a F/0.7 lens. Sharpness will be a concern but this is less of a priority in low light.
Telephoto Zooms:
(current) Canon 70-200mm F/4.0 IS L - I chose this lens because while the 70-200mm F/2.8 II IS L is fantastic, I found that the DOF is not usable at those focal lengths and I was always shooting at F/4.0. F/2.8 is better suited to a wider angle lens, so the advantage was in weight.
Macro:
(current) Leica 100mm APO Macro - Self Explanitory, it's an incredible lens.
Primes:
(current) Canon 24mm F/1.4 L II - Amazingly Sharp Lens
(current) Canon 85mm F/1.2 L II - Amazingly Sharp Lens
(current) Canon 50mm F/1.4 - My impression of the Canon 50mm F/1.2 L was that it was too soft so I went with this. I really think Canon needs to release several new 50mm lenses. There have been rumors circulating about this for several years.
Canon 50mm F/1.8 IS - If they release this lens, it will be the king of low light, and hopefully tack sharp. If so that will be my 50mm prime.
I look forwards to reading any reactions you guys may have to my roadmap. I've thought this through very carefully so I'm looking forward to any comments or criticisms.
Thanks.
I'm probably one of the most obsessive photographers about image quality. The reason being that I do photoshop retouching for many of the top photographers in the world. When it comes to editing an image, having the most sharpness, the lowest noise and the highest resolution is absolutaly critical. You can do a lot more with extremely high image quality than you can with low image quality.
For my own purposes I've found that I need at least a minimum of 16 megapixels for cropping, and the lowest noise possible. I also need all 16 of those megapixels to be tack sharp.
With that said here is my roadmap:
Body: I expect Canon to release something with 5D body size with at least 18 MP and much better noise handling than the current 5D II. My number one complaint with the 5D II is the banding noise, and the low dynamic range due to low iso noise, which impacts my style of shooting. It seems likely that Canon will do a 18 MP (1DX sensor)-22 MP body with amazing noise and dynamic range performance (and amazing video) and a 36-45 MP body for the landscape guys.
I will be going for the lower noise body. Noise to me is a significantly more pressing issue than megapixels so I prioritize that as long as I have enough room to crop. I love high MP medium format files but you have to prioritize.
Lenses:
Wide Angle Zoom:
(current) Canon 16-35mm F/2.8 II L - It's the best that's offered with autofocus. I tried an adapted 14-24mm Nikon F/2.8 AF-S and did not like the lack of autofocus. It's nearly as good, though not as wide.
Normal Zoom:
Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 II L - I was dissapointed that this lens lacked a lot of features, it had no IS was not a reverse zoom design like the I version and that it extended when it zoomed. However the image quality that's being reported is nothing short of stunning. So that won me over.
Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8 VC - I'm going to use this lens for low light situations, in effect replacing my 24-105mm with two lenses instead of one. It was An amazing suprise from an unlikley source. This lens means that photographers can get a full stop more light when shooting hand held. It's the equivalent of a F/0.7 lens. Sharpness will be a concern but this is less of a priority in low light.
Telephoto Zooms:
(current) Canon 70-200mm F/4.0 IS L - I chose this lens because while the 70-200mm F/2.8 II IS L is fantastic, I found that the DOF is not usable at those focal lengths and I was always shooting at F/4.0. F/2.8 is better suited to a wider angle lens, so the advantage was in weight.
Macro:
(current) Leica 100mm APO Macro - Self Explanitory, it's an incredible lens.
Primes:
(current) Canon 24mm F/1.4 L II - Amazingly Sharp Lens
(current) Canon 85mm F/1.2 L II - Amazingly Sharp Lens
(current) Canon 50mm F/1.4 - My impression of the Canon 50mm F/1.2 L was that it was too soft so I went with this. I really think Canon needs to release several new 50mm lenses. There have been rumors circulating about this for several years.
Canon 50mm F/1.8 IS - If they release this lens, it will be the king of low light, and hopefully tack sharp. If so that will be my 50mm prime.
I look forwards to reading any reactions you guys may have to my roadmap. I've thought this through very carefully so I'm looking forward to any comments or criticisms.
Thanks.
