Nikon is working on an interchangeable sensor camera. Why not Canon?

[Skulker]

I've seen rumor....

Now, I found really strange that Canon .................... is not working on something similar.
............

so how do you know they are not?

 

[pharp]

Ricoh has the GXR - similar enough idea I guess, but still not sure what the point is. Might be worthwhile if you could get really different sensor modules - B&W, extreme DR, hi ISO etc that could be easily swapped out in the field, they might have something. UMmmmm

 

[Bruce75]

Hi,
still I don't get the precision issue about mounting a sensor. If the the precision is necessary due it's positioning regard to the lens, well... the lens should be an issue already know with a fixed sensor. We are already able to have a lens mount that respects the strict tolerance of a digital sensor, so we can have a sensor mount as well.

For the people that say that they prefer to bring 2 cameras in spite of two sensor because of changing issues. How many cameras are you bringing with you now? One for each lens?
Please, let be serious.

I think it is more the case that canon is selling well this kind of cameras and when you win the last thing you have in mind is to change something. you don't change anything if you win, but changing after a loss is too late

 

[Rienzphotoz]

I don't think Canon needs to copy everything Nikon does ... Canon has its own strengths, no need for them to go the Nikon way.

 

[photonius]

Hi,
still I don't get the precision issue about mounting a sensor. If the the precision is necessary due it's positioning regard to the lens, well... the lens should be an issue already know with a fixed sensor. We are already able to have a lens mount that respects the strict tolerance of a digital sensor, so we can have a sensor mount as well.

For the people that say that they prefer to bring 2 cameras in spite of two sensor because of changing issues. How many cameras are you bringing with you now? One for each lens?
Please, let be serious.

I think it is more the case that canon is selling well this kind of cameras and when you win the last thing you have in mind is to change something. you don't change anything if you win, but changing after a loss is too late

Well, getting the lens properly aligned in all directions is already an issue, or otherwise we wouldn't have all the issues with off axis, soft on one side, front/back focusing etc. Lenses under the mount can have tiny shims to adjust lenses. Now, if you have an exchangeable sensor, you have all these issues there as well,
i.e. you want to avoid any minute tilt - (one-sided softness), front or back displacement (front/back focusing), off center axis (asymmetric vignetting), any rotation (horizon not straight).
Obviously the most sensitive issue is in the distance and perpendicularity to the lens, due to the minute distances that will lead to focus issues, and titled focal planes. Of course you can devise adjustment schemes (screws to adjust, or piezo elements), which would work in a lab with optical bench, but at home?
And each time you change the sensor, you have to freshly calibrate all your lenses for front and back-focusing, since the sensor might be slightly off compared to the last time you used it.
If you have on sensor focus, then you don't have to worry so much about this issue, of course.

 

[Woody]

I've seen rumors...

It's a rumor or at best a patent. Enough said.

 

[Sella174]

I've seen rumors that Nikon is working on cameras that can have an interchangeable sensor. I found it interesting and also clever marketwise.

I bought a few of these Canon cameras with the interchangeable sensors in the 1990's (before then I was using Pentax's version of the same technology). Now using the Olympus and again the Pentax version ... usually with Fuji or Kodak sensors. Never liked Nikon's implementation of the idea.

 

[danski0224]

I've seen rumors that Nikon is working on cameras that can have an interchangeable sensor. I found it interesting and also clever marketwise. At this moment the cameras ar covering pretty well the photographers needs, and it can become interesting to start to sell specific sensor for the diverse kind of shooting (high iso specific sensor, a low clean one and so on). ithink that there is a chance to sell many of them.
Now, I found really strange that Canon, that's producing both Camera and Sensors is not working on something similar.
Canon il the market leader and could set a standard for all the companies, no?

I can't see this being economical, not to mention practical.

I can't install a Sandy Bridge processor into a Pentium socket. I do not get the full benefits of current SATA drives with IDE ports, cables and adapters.

Apple is worse with their OS "upgrades".

The latest versions of Android do not work on older phones.

At some point, the ability to upgrade a sensor while retaining the supporting electronics would become impossible. I know someone that bought an "upgradeable" high end audio/video preamp and within three years, the only upgrade was all of the stuff inside the chassis.

I have no idea what the cost is for the sensor in a quality digital camera. I do think it would be very cool to be able to buy specialized sensors, maybe one just for IR or one just for B&W, but if those are $1k+ USD apiece for a swappable module, the number of people actually willing to pay for the option just got smaller.

 

[Lichtgestalt]

Now, I found really strange that Canon, that's producing both Camera and Sensors is not working on something similar.

why? what are the benefits for canon?
ricoh has it.... not a big success.

MF backs are something different.
maybe canon will do it when they enter MF.

 

[Steb]

I like the idea... interchangeable sensor means removable sensor. Now you can clean it in the dishwasher.

 

[tolusina]

Pentax LX, Nikon F3 and Canon F-1 all had replaceable backs. Options typically were dial data backs or large film magazines that held 250 exposure rolls.
They also had changeable finders and screens, a marvelous era for 35mm film cameras.

Anyway, in my daydreams, a digital back for that type camera would need sensor, processor, iso control, display for review and batteries.
The camera body would retain the shutter, metering functions, aperture controls.
I cannot imagine live view or video, that may be a limitation of my imagination.
Linking iso settings between the camera body and the digital back also eludes my imagination though manually synching the two could be pretty easy.

 

[photonius]

Pentax LX, Nikon F3 and Canon F-1 all had replaceable backs. Options typically were dial data backs or large film magazines that held 250 exposure rolls.
They also had changeable finders and screens, a marvelous era for 35mm film cameras.

Anyway, in my daydreams, a digital back for that type camera would need sensor, processor, iso control, display for review and batteries.
The camera body would retain the shutter, metering functions, aperture controls.
I cannot imagine live view or video, that may be a limitation of my imagination.
Linking iso settings between the camera body and the digital back also eludes my imagination though manually synching the two could be pretty easy.

the replaceable backs in film days did not change the film plane itself. It was only what went behind the film. But effectively, changing each role of film was of course an exchange of the sensor. Of course nobody pixel peeped in those days.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

I like the idea... interchangeable sensor means removable sensor. Now you can clean it in the dishwasher.

They should have had it in the D600 ... it would have helped to wash off all the oily smudges from the sensor and would have saved them from having to produce D610

 

[Sporgon]

I would have beenvery annoyed if I had bought a D600, had a continual dirty sensor issue and then Nikon replaces it with an otherwise identical camera other than the shutter mechanism.

To answer the OP's question: Canon don't need this kind if gimmick to sell cameras.

 

[pedro]

Instead of this I rather see Canon investing in improved sensor tech to get us 12800k-ish (5D3 today) ISO 51k in the overnext 5D body (5DV sometime in 2018). Hope they get as close as possible. 8)

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

it requires to change the processor too because IMO sensor + processor = film replacement - but that doesn't drive the price too much.

Ugh, why's that? Surely a processor can be designed to work with different sensors?

Ok, imagine that the Canon 5D had a replaceable sensor.

Now put the 5D Mark III sensor in the 5D and keep the 5D processor. How many fps are you going to get?

But there is nothing to say that Canon couldn't supply a new DIGIC chip with the same piece of hardware that supplies the new sensor.

The digic chip in the camera works with several other microprocessors, and the sensor has a increased number of readout channels requiring more pins on it and on the motherboard. That's needed to get faster readout Its not something easy to try to shoehorn updated technology into a old design. Even the motherboard would not fit into a 5D. And, who would want to spend $XXXXX upgrading a 5D I with custom motherboards and customized microprocessors when only a few hundred might sell?. Its a losing situation.

Its like trying to put a modern computer controlled car engine that interfaces with several computers in order to work into a older car that either did not use computers at all, or had much simpler ones that had fewer wires and simple but incompatible functions. It can be done, but the cost is more than a new car.

 

[dickgrafixstop]

Probably because it wouldn't sell.
Ricoh has had a wonderful camera on the market for the last several years where you buy the "body"
and a "lens/sensor" combination that is interchangeable. Ever seen one? That's why!