Don Haines said:
BeenThere said:
unfocused said:
I know nothing about Canon's development cycles, but just common sense makes me think that if they are just now testing three different sensors in the middle of 2018, it's highly unlikely that a full-frame body is going to come to market anytime this year.
There was no mention of when the testing started. Could have been going on for awhile?
Also, just exactly what kind of testing is it? Is it an engineering proof of concept test? Is it testing the software? Is it thermal testing? Is it beta testing before the production run? Testing could mean that we are anywhere between the start of the project and an official announcement later today....
Not trying to debate a topic I know nothing about, but just asking some questions:
Three sensors. Doesn't that mean they are trying to decide which one to proceed with?
Testing period. How long -- One month, two months, six months, one year? Canon being on the conservative side and wanting to make sure their first full-frame mirrorless is a competition-killer would argue against a short testing period. True, we don't know how long they have been testing, but presumably, as soon as you start testing there is a risk that the information gets leaked.
Review results -- Canon is conservative and wants to make sure they get it right. Would they review the results for one month? two months? six months? two days?
Final decision to proceed. The results must be kicked upstairs for a committee to make a final decision, right? What's a reasonable time period for a big organization to make that decision?
Manufacturing ramp up. How long does it take to modify the sensor fabrication lines to produce the new sensor?
Other manufacturing processes. Is it just a matter of plugging the sensor into a pre-existing body design, or does each different sensor require slightly different electronics, etc., within the camera body itself?
Actual manufacturing and stocking? How long does it take to start the manufacturing line, print the manuals, boxes, shoot the promotional videos, build up the needed stock, etc. etc.
Some of this can take place once a decision has been made, but it still takes time before the product can hit the shelves.
Of course, this is a CR1 rumor, so it's pretty doubtful anyway.