Updated Canon 2016 Roadmap

[Khufu]

I believe that the 6D was created primarily to lap up as many would-be used-5D2 sales as possible, with the added benefit of marketing it as a lightweight and smaller alternative...

I can't see Canon dropping the 5D4 before planting the idea in everyone's mind of an upcoming and exciting "mostly-better-than-a-used-5D3" 6D2. It'll probably have the 70D/7D style AF system, another world's smallest & lightest claim and a flippy-floppy screen, just in time for Christmas!

 

[ahsanford]

What's the roadmap for possible 6D replacement? Feels like it's been almost a year since we last heard anything.

That's because the 5D4 gets all the attention for a half year or so window -- announce / buzz / pre-order / ship / first reviews. Once all of that is passed, the 6D2 hype machine will get going.

Makes sense for a lot of reasons:

• It protects the price of premium offerings at launch. The 1DX2 gets launched first while there is no concurrent 5D4 product on offer to steal some of its business at a lower price. Same thing goes for the 6D2 possibly stealing the 5D4 business -- so I don't expect an announcement on it until the 5D4 is fully launched.
  
  
• It lets Canon focus all its marketing resources on one big product at a time.
  
  
• With only 3 major non-cinema lines (4 if you count the 7D line) on a 4-5 year cycle, this leaves gaps in the 'what are we rolling out now?' schedule for Canon to surprise us (SL1), join the fray (EOS-M), or enter new markets (XC10, Cinema lines, etc.). The tricky bit is that the 6D is much more enthusiast focused and would seem to warrant a quicker refresh than the 1D and 5D lines, but what do I know?
  

- A

 

[ahsanford]

interesting .. no surprises.

Question for me. To upgrade the 5D M3 to 5D M4? Need to see how much better it is.

That's a pass for me. My 5D3 is doing just fine and as I don't shoot video, the 4K is wasted on me.

Further, my camera remains far more capable at capturing images than I am. I need to keep shooting and get better, so I'll focus my photo budget on glass for this cycle.

- A

 

[ahsanford]

Overall with this thread:

• It's a fine slate of products. Kudos to CR for mapping all this out so well in advance. Many Bothan spies died to bring us this information.
  
  
• How an EF 50mm f/nooneknows IS USM is not more important than a non-L EF 70-300 lens boggles the mind.
  
  
• Does prosumer EOS-M have a viewfinder built-in? I'm so excited for Canon to deem the interchangeable lens point and shoot market worthy of an integral EVF. Now it'll be a real big boy camera!
  

- A

 

[j-nord]

I think is a very good change to see the 600mm DO released at Photokina. What do you guys think?

I'm going to go with probably not. I don't see Canon in a hurry to release that lens. It's not going to retail for a price that is suddenly 'affordable' when compared to a 600ii. It would probably be north of $8k maybe even north of $9k.

 

[Azathoth]

Strange. I think they would release the 6dmk2 sooner than the 5dmk4. Who will buy a 5Ds when there is a new 5d?? Their prices will probably be very similar.

 

[ahsanford]

Strange. I think they would release the 6dmk2 sooner than the 5dmk4. Who will buy a 5Ds when there is a new 5d?? Their prices will probably be very similar.

Canon really shot themselves in the foot by calling the 5DS what they did b/c many folks will ask the very same question you did.

Answer to your question: they are different products for different people. The 5D4 is the all-arounder for the 'I shoot it all' camp, while the 5DS gives up some things to get all those pixels, namely fps and high ISO performance. Expect the 5D4 to have a higher burst, 4K, and better high ISO performance.

(I'm not saying the 5DS can't do it all, I'm just saying mo pixels / mo problems for file size, throughput affecting fps, noise, etc. Noise is tempered with downsampling of course, but I still expect the 5D4 to beat a downsampled high ISO shot from the 5DS.)

- A

 

[3kramd5]

Canon really shot themselves in the foot by calling the 5DS what they did b/c many folks will ask the very same question you did.

I don't think most people in the market for $3,500+ camera bodies will be swayed by naming conventions. If they want super high res, they aren't going to opt for a mk 4.

 

[TeT]

EF M 28 macro doesnt make the list...

What happened to the M 35 1.8; Next year?

 

[ahsanford]

Canon really shot themselves in the foot by calling the 5DS what they did b/c many folks will ask the very same question you did.

I don't think most people in the market for $3,500+ camera bodies will be swayed by naming conventions. If they want super high res, they aren't going to opt for a mk 4.

I still think it confuses well-funded enthusiasts who may simply want the newest / best thing out there. Most traditional product markets have some sort of a good / better / best trimline setup, and the branding reinforces those positions. So having various different products with different value propositions in the 5D universe can be confusing, that's all.

Consider: Azathoth's original question: "Who will buy a 5Ds when there is a new 5d??" as an example. Also, Tony Northrup himself think the 5D4 is more than a year away while absurdly explaining it away here.

The branding + comments like these give weight to the notion that the 5DS is the followup to the 5D3, and that a new 5D won't be coming out anytime soon as a result.

Most folks here would believe that to be incorrect for a host of reasons, but that belief is still out there nonetheless.

- A

 

[douglaurent]

If the Sony A9 is released with expected specs this year, it might be a camera that beats the whole combination of Canon flagships 5DsR, 1DX2 and 5D4 in one product.

Does Canon really want to start with serious mirrorless offerings in 2017 or 2018, when Sony already has the third or fourth generation of large sensor mirrorless cameras out there?

Even the lens lineup offers only a few lenses that are first choice, like the 11-24/4, 35/1.4 or 100-400 - while the whole obvious trend of stabilized fast primes is not targeted at all yet.

Canon please hurry, nobody wants to wait until 2023 for a complete modern product lineup!

 

[FECHariot]

jesus christ who's leg do we need to hump to get a new freaking decent 50mm around here?

Using the Lord's name in vain won't expedite. [Confirmed]

It's a safe bet he won't be helping.

 

[FECHariot]

What about the updates to the 10-22 and or 17-55 that were mentioned in the last 2016 update?

 

[rpiotr01]

My 5DIII also remains more than capable right now, but as I've really been shooting primarily manual focus lenses a lot of the 5D-line AF enhancements are wasted on me and I'd like to shave a little size and weight off of my gear without sacrificing IQ, so the 6Dii would be appealing to me whenever it comes. So would an EF mount mirrorless camera but that's an altogether different thread...

 

[ahsanford]

If the Sony A9 is released with expected specs this year, it might be a camera that beats the whole combination of Canon flagships 5DsR, 1DX2 and 5D4 in one product.

Does Canon really want to start with serious mirrorless offerings in 2017 or 2018, when Sony already has the third or fourth generation of large sensor mirrorless cameras out there?

Even the lens lineup offers only a few lenses that are first choice, like the 11-24/4, 35/1.4 or 100-400 - while the whole obvious trend of stabilized fast primes is not targeted at all yet.

Canon please hurry, nobody wants to wait until 2023 for a complete modern product lineup!

Sony presently has a few very nice things going for it:

• Wonderful sensors
• A boatload of technology, features, etc.
• A mad lunatic executive flogging his engineers to work faster
• A strategic plan to systematically whack-a-mole away all the reasons why folks don't migrate to mirrorless

But they have yet to roll that into something as sexy as the spec sheet implies it to be. I believe that's because one major element not on my list above is 'decades of photography experience'. Sony would do well to pluck some Canon/Nikon/Pentax user experience / ergonomics / handling / interface people and have them go to town on the A7 platform.

Because the a9 and its (rumored) 20 fps, 6K, integral grip, etc. is not what's missing right now for them -- unless they want to corner the market on internet forum / enthusiasts / technology 'firsters' who post spec sheets on the wall like it's a pinup girl.

Professionals want familiarity, intuitiveness, responsiveness, quality, service, options, etc. -- it's a completely different approach than what Sony is taking today.

- A

 

[scrup]

No FF Mirrorless. Was really hoping to see something this year. Even just an announcement would of been nice to see that have plans.

 

[ahsanford]

No FF Mirrorless. Was really hoping to see something this year. Even just an announcement would of been nice to see that have plans.

Agree, and that product could really be introduced without care vs. the FF SLR timelines. It wouldn't threaten 5D4 price/sales in any large numbers like a closely following 6D2 announcement might. It would be a side offering for the early adopters to fight through and have fun with like the first EOS-M.

I still think they need an 80D in EOS-M first -- a fully thought out APS-C setup with a great integral EVF, DPAF, etc. before they risk having a first FF mirrorless not work well.

I also still think a fixed lens FF mirrorless a la the Leica Q or Sony RX1R platform makes sense to gain EVF / handling / battery / interface experience before going big with a modular lens offering.

- A

 

[j-nord]

EF M 28 macro doesnt make the list...

What happened to the M 35 1.8; Next year?

I'd guess this year, if, they don't do a M 50 1.8, or they may do both.

CR says this...

http://www.canonrumors.com/two-ef-m-primes-coming-in-q1-2016-cr2/

Not sure that was a valid rumor, no offense. Time will tell though.

Guess you guys missed the boat... the EF-M 28mm macro was already announced by Canon. Go pre-order it on B&H

 

[jeffa4444]

Canon really shot themselves in the foot by calling the 5DS what they did b/c many folks will ask the very same question you did.

I don't think most people in the market for $3,500+ camera bodies will be swayed by naming conventions. If they want super high res, they aren't going to opt for a mk 4.

I still think it confuses well-funded enthusiasts who may simply want the newest / best thing out there. Most traditional product markets have some sort of a good / better / best trimline setup, and the branding reinforces those positions. So having various different products with different value propositions in the 5D universe can be confusing, that's all.

Consider: Azathoth's original question: "Who will buy a 5Ds when there is a new 5d??" as an example. Also, Tony Northrup himself think the 5D4 is more than a year away while absurdly explaining it away here.

The branding + comments like these give weight to the notion that the 5DS is the followup to the 5D3, and that a new 5D won't be coming out anytime soon as a result.

Most folks here would believe that to be incorrect for a host of reasons, but that belief is still out there nonetheless.

- A

As an owner of the 5DS and a 6D and access to work 5D MKIII I see differences in all three. The 6D has been a great travel camera with its wi-fi and GPS, but it has crappy AF for anything thats not static. The 5D MKIII really is an all round camera able to cover anything but its IQ is no better than the 6D. The 5DS has unbelievable resolution & detail whilst retaining the key elements of the 5D MKIII AF system and improving the metering. It also adds better mirror lock-up options. The DR is however its undoing compared to Sony or Nikon.

The new 5D MKIV and the 6D MKII will likely be extensions of the present cameras and the 5DS / r will retain their resolution advantage. I will likely wait to see what both the 5D MKIV and the 6D MKII bring before deciding on the replacement for my 6D but it will not be a replacement for the 5DS.

 

[ahsanford]

The new 5D MKIV and the 6D MKII will likely be extensions of the present cameras and the 5DS / r will retain their resolution advantage. I will likely wait to see what both the 5D MKIV and the 6D MKII bring before deciding on the replacement for my 6D but it will not be a replacement for the 5DS.

Yep, and Canon firmly wants you to pull the trigger on the 5D4 at full value and *not* wait for the 6D2.

How they do that will be tricky, because spec-sheet-wise, I think we know what we'll get with the 5D4 over the 5D3:

• 1DX2 AF or some close variant of it
• Slight bump to resolution, fps, buffer, etc.
• Anti-flicker + DPAF
• Possibly Wi-fi
• Possibly the 5DS mirror lockup options (not as critical in the 24 MP neighborhood, but still, it's easy to implement)
• DPAF might very well mean a touchscreen is coming
• The promise of a better sensor...

Which is a lovely list, but let's face it, the biggest reason for 5D3 stills-only folks to get a 5D4 is likely the hardest one to prove on a spec sheet -- the sensor performance. Whereas 50 MP got people pulling out the credit cards on day one, the 5D4's biggest selling feature (besides 4K under $6,000) is the new sensor's IQ, which we can't discern on a spec sheet like black and white specs such as resolution / fps / etc.

Canon might have to wait for the deluge of orders until thorough reviews demonstrate a base ISO DR improvement or better high ISO performance... That may, in turn, delay the timing of the 6D2 announcement.

- A