What's Next for Canon?

[RGomezPhotos]

Eh. Canon came out with the 70D. I thought that was really cool. How about the SL1? Again, very cool. Dropping the price on the EOS-M? Price drops are good in my opinion... ;D Oh yeah, the t5i... LOL!

Yes, the Sony A7(R) is pretty awesome. But when was the last time they came out with something this great? No, I don't put the RX1 in that league as it comes with a fixed lens. They got halfway to 'awesome'. Same with Fuji. How often?

Plus, it's this hyper-communication/development cycle that we're getting used to. We want to see something developing all the time. After all, we saw the 1DX and 5D MKIII come out last year. A couple of ultra-fine cameras that will suffice for AT LEAST a couple of years... I know full-time working photography pros whose FF Canon cameras are at least 5 years old... They aren't on forums bitching about new gear...

Me, it will be at least a year before I think about upgrading my mighty-fine 5D Mark II. If Canon's big MP camera doesn't wow me enough, I'll be going medium format. And that's a testament to how good Canon FF cameras are...

 

[Blackwood]

Hello all,

I have been a Canon man since 1976 when I purchased my first Canon F-1 with a 50mm 1.2 Aspherical Lens - still have them today. Canon have always been at the fore front of innovation with great camera developments over the decades.
I've owned AE-1s T90s, EOS 1Vs and all the EOS 1Ds models - all superb designs for their times.
I have followed this site for some time now and sadly Canon have fallen way behind. Okay, the 5d series and the 1Dx are superb cameras but unfortunately since then we have only seen a lot of consumer dribble emerge from Canon.
Canon have given us no WOW factor and companies like Fuji, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic and others seem to be leading the way.
The announcement of the new Sony Alpha A7 and A7r cameras amazed me but at the same time angered me.

There may be people out there who do not entirely agree with me but a lot will agree Canon are very lack lustre at the minute.

Come On Canon, Give us some new WOW factor

Regards

Blkackwood

 

[M.ST]

I use Canon cameras since 35 years and I am very happy with Canon gear.

But what the hell is Canon doing in the last years?

Only the 1D X from the actual lineup is worth buying it. But I want to see the real replacement for the 1Ds Mark III, the 7D Mark III with CF card slot, a 12-24 2.8 L or 14-24 2.8 L lens, the 24-70 2.8 IS, a 100-400 IS, a lighter 70-200 2.8 II replacement with better IQ on the market.

There are a lot of new products out for testing, but nothing hit the market.

Wake up Canon or you loose.

 

[Kwanon]

Canon can take the lead easily when they release the real 1Ds III replacement.

That camera together with the 1D X eats the competition in pro bodies.

 

[Woody]

There are a lot of new products out for testing, but nothing hit the market.

I am curious too.

My guess is that the poor camera market conditions (ALL camera sales numbers are down) and rapidly changing camera landscape (invasion of camera phones + mirrorless offerings) probably caught Canon unawares.

Nikon is in a similar situation (except their sensors from Sony are much better).

We should expect some good stuff from both companies next year. This is certainly true for Nikon which is 80% dependent on sales of photography gear. If Nikon does not adapt quickly, they will be wiped off the landscape.

Armed with the new sensor PDAF technology, Canon is ready to plunge into the world of mirrorless cameras. But I think further refinement is needed... sensor PDAF needs to be 100% as good as current DSLR PDAF.

 

[bvukich]

Maybe I'm weird (Ok, I KNOW I'm weird, but that's beside the point), but I just don't have any serious desire for a mirrorless camera. They're ok for what they are, and I don't begrudge anyone that does want one, I just personally don't find the trade off worth it. If the M2 or whatever it's eventually called has all the 70D goodies like everyone hopes, and falls to the sub-$400 level, I'll probably pick one up for times I REALLY don't want to drag a DSLR along, and as an emergency back-up-to-my-back-up body. And that's due to mirrorlesses current, singular, advantage... size. Unless it's for a use case where size is the absolute top priority, I don't see the draw. But hey, to each his own.

What would it take to change my mind?

Full Frame: Currently slim pickings, and very expensive
Good AF: The best mirrorless AF is almost up to yesteryears Rebel, but maybe some day
EVF: No lag, no visible pixels, and galmut as good as the best human eyes (and doesn't need to be calibrated). That one will be a while.
And last but not least...
Antigravity: Because that's the only way you'll be able to handhold all day with a mirrorless, lenses which are quite hand-holdable with a gripped or pro body. Even something relatively dainty like a 100-400 would be unbalanced and awkward on a mirrorless. Unless you think it would be humorous to see people with a 70-200/2.8IS II on a gimbal head shooting a wedding... actually, that probably would be humorous for most of us

 

[Kwanon]

For me personally things are going better than i could ever hope for from Canon and all camera makers.

The 1D X is a true wonder and the perfect camera for me now.
We know that canon will release a true 1Ds III high MP 1D body when the time is right.. We know it will be good. Just look at what time did for the 1D X.. We were waiting for that for a long time and when it actually came out it was perfect.

Canon needs to update some of their primes like the 50mm 1.2 and the TS-E45mm but in the meantime i will enjoy the new Zeiss 55mm 1.4 Otus and the other Otus primes that will come out. When the Otus line is out it is the perfect time for the 1Ds III replacement co's we can really get a good use of the resolution with that and the Otus lenses.

Also i like what Leica is doing right now.

The worst thing that can happen is that the focus would come away from the Pro cameras to consumer cameras and we would lose all real progress that benefits all shooters down the line. So i'm glad there are Leicas and Otus lenses and that Canon is waiting and releasing their first megapixel monster in the form of the 1Ds Replacement.

I'm perfectly happy with the situation.

 

[Lawliet]

And that's due to mirrorlesses current, singular, advantage... size.

They have another one, AF accuracy (and precision). With all the buzz about relative sensor performances people seem to forget that the sensor records only what gets projected onto it. DPreview had an article a few days ago comparing the 70D's different PDAF subsystems - anything approaching MF should better not rely on the old style AF(, although that lessen could be learned from the D800 as well).

 

[baldaran]

I think Canon was sleeping for a while now. Canon should get off the ground, otherwise they will possibly end up like nokia, because they miss important new market segments. From Canons side, there was nothing really exciting for the consumer market for a while now

Sigma is getting a major competitor in the lens segment with a brand new and amazing product line. Some of the announcements such as the 18-35 f1.8 where amazing and most of Sigmas new products are really innovative and of high quality. I think there will come a lot more from sigma in the next year. Unfortunatelly, nothing comparable from canons side. Canon is only updating old lens designs and is selling the new ones really expensive.

Same for the bodies. Sure, canon is leading in DSLR bodies. However, from my point of view, mirrorless is getting more and more competitive and attractive for consumers, because they are not as heavy and bulky as DSLR and the image quality is fine now. Therefore, i think in the next years the DSLR sales will be cannibalized by mirrorless. Canon was the last manufactor that got into the mirrorless segment. Other companies have started years before and solidified and expanded there leading market position in this segment. The lens lineup for EOS-M is still poor. And recently, Sony announced a potential game changer with their full format mirrorless. From my point of view, Canon should hurry to get their foot in the door. If they wait one or two more years, the door will potentially be closed.

Even in the compact segment are other companies more innovative. Just have a look to Sonys lineup. Canon has nothing comparable.

I'm not happy with canons product and pricing strategy for a while now. I hope something will change in the near future.

 

[Eldar]

I posted this on another thread, but it is more relevant here.

I don’t believe Canon will lose their sleep over me and if I, as an individual, stay or go. In fact, as individuals none of us scare Canon very much. But if you read more of the posts on this and other threads, you see a growing discontent amongst the CR members, for losing ground to the competition in the areas that are important to us. In general we are happy with the lenses, but we are not happy with the bodies.

I’m not sure we are big enough even as a group, to make much of a difference, but we have impact way beyond the equipment we buy ourselves. Canon should worry about the fact that I, and lots of other CR members, advice lots of people every year, on what to buy. And I would guess that somewhere around 20-30 of those asking me for advice actually buy cameras, lenses and accessories. If I stop recommending Canon and recommend Sony, Nikon or something else instead and a large number of members on this forum are doing the same, it will have an impact they should take very seriously.

So, Canon, I really hope you are paying attention. The road to becoming the Nokia of the photography world is not that long ...

 

[alexanderferdinand]

Canon in my eyes for the last few years:
brought us some excellent lenses (24-70 and 70-200, both 2,8, both v2.0; the range of the superteles)
the radio triggered flashes: nice!!!

Bodies: don`t know 1DX, like to have one.
5DIII: goodygood, espacially the new AF. (and please: make the SD- slot faster!! UHS was there long before!!)1D4: solid, fast, reliable. Love it.

What I don`t like so much: the cuts and cripples to make a camera fit in "their" segment.
Example: buffersize, the lame AF of the 5DII.

 

[xps]

I posted this on another thread, but it is more relevant here.

I don’t believe Canon will lose their sleep over me and if I, as an individual, stay or go. In fact, as individuals none of us scare Canon very much. But if you read more of the posts on this and other threads, you see a growing discontent amongst the CR members, for losing ground to the competition in the areas that are important to us. In general we are happy with the lenses, but we are not happy with the bodies.

I’m not sure we are big enough even as a group, to make much of a difference, but we have impact way beyond the equipment we buy ourselves. Canon should worry about the fact that I, and lots of other CR members, advice lots of people every year, on what to buy. And I would guess that somewhere around 20-30 of those asking me for advice actually buy cameras, lenses and accessories. If I stop recommending Canon and recommend Sony, Nikon or something else instead and a large number of members on this forum are doing the same, it will have an impact they should take very seriously.

So, Canon, I really hope you are paying attention. The road to becoming the Nokia of the photography world is not that long ...

+1
To milk the cow until there is no milk anymore (until nearly no one buys the product anymore) is dangerous. Dangerous, because there are a lot of other manufacturers that reasess their products and have an turn over time half of the time Canon has.
Just see the new Fuji X-E2, Nikon 610,5300,... (A lot of new announcements but no one from the brand leader)

 

[hendrik-sg]

Whats next: maybe a price increase. A more expensive product is better and more desirable, isnt it?

 

[Ricku]

Of course SLRs are selling better than mirrorless, that's precisely my point. They are selling much worse now, which is why Canon doesn't care. But if they keep not caring until the mirrorless cameras overtake SLRs' marketshare, it will be too late: their competitors will have taken over the mirrorless market and they'll struggle to keep their leadership position.

I personally don't believe mirrorless are the future.

From Luminous-Landscape.com:

The world-wide trend is toward smaller cameras. Maybe it's the aging population, or maybe just a Japanese trend that is slowing spreading around the world. (Apparently more than 50% of new DSLR style camera sales in Japan are now Compact System Cameras rather than larger cameras with optical finders).

And it's not just Japan. 4 of my photographer friends has dumped their Canikon DSLRs and bought mirrorless systems. Honestly, I might follow suit with the A7R.

I think that everyone who isn't a sports photographer will sooner or later switch over to mirrorless.

 

[Canon 14-24]

Medium format is the future!

 

[Eldar]

Medium format is the future!

yes, for a tiny, tiny, tiny and very exclusive part of the photography community ...

 

[Lichtgestalt]

And it's not just Japan. 4 of my photographer friends has dumped their Canikon DSLRs and bought mirrorless systems. Honestly, I might follow suit with the A7R.

I think that everyone who isn't a sports photographer will sooner or later switch over to mirrorless.

i had an olympus E-PL1... with the kit lens.. and only the kit lens.
then i bought a panasonic GF3 with the kit lens.. and only the kit lens.
now i have a E-PL3 with the kit lens.. and you guess it.. only the kit lens.
and im thinking about selling the E-PL3 and buying a fuji as carry around camera.

from my own experience and observation of my surrounding i have to say.. with mirrorless there is no brand loyalty.

most mirrorless user i know are not invested in a system.
they have a camera and only one lens. just like me.

looking at the canon or nikon owner i know.. they are heavily invested in the systems.

another point is... this forum and others like this are not a mirror of the outside world.

and who cares if all the other manufacturer push a few percent market share from left to right?
the day nikon and canon come up with a real mirrorless solution, nobody will care about m43, nex, and co. anymore.
because canikon already have a huge userbase and the best systems.

all that talk about switching is sooooo boring... you can´t read a single thread here without someone thinking loud about switching. i wonder why the forum still has so many canon user.

it´s like a spoiled child that makes empty threats.
switch or switch not... but don´t be so naive to think you can influence canons decisions.

 

[Ivan Muller]

As a loyal Canon user since the very beginning and not one that gets overly excited about new products from anyone including Canon I have been patiently waiting for Canon to play catchup with the likes of the nikon D800 sans low pass filter, quite sure that it must come at some stage ...but the latest release from sony has really got me excited..36mp in a compact body with Zess lenses...all at fairly reasonable prices. Makes me wonder when we are going to hear about Canons megapixel offering... I am starting to wonder if they dont have a sensor manufacturing problem...can they actually make a megapixel sensor or have they fallen too far behind, or what? Just wondering...

with an adapter I can surely use my Canon lenses and with software l can get rid of colour casts and vignetting...why should I wait anymore from Canon to eventually bring out something to compete?

 

[Ruined]

I think mirrorless is a transitional technology between the current high end cameraphone (i.e. Lumia 1020) and the cameraphone of the future.

I see three groups of people here: those who take snapshots with little care for quality (cameraphones), those who care about quality but don't want to pay too much for it or have too big a camera (mirrorless), and those who put image quality above everything else (SLR).

And what I am saying, is given the shrinking camera market and growing cameraphone market, I don't think there will be room for three in time. So the middleman (Mirrorless) will eventually be (or rather, already is, hence the stunted sales) eclipsed by the highend cameraphones and SLRs. Pros aren't going to give up the best of the best quality, and consumers who want utmost convenience are not going to truck lenses around with them when the cameraphone offers spectacular quality - heck even asking to truck around two devices instead of one device is asking a lot from many people. Either mirrorless will remain a niche or simply have some of its tech integrated into DSLRs.

 

[Ricku]

I see three groups of people here: those who take snapshots with little care for quality (cameraphones), those who care about quality but don't want to pay too much for it or have too big a camera (mirrorless), and those who put image quality above everything else (SLR).

Not really true any longer.

Many of the mirrorless cameras outperforms anything that Canon offers at the moment. Especially the new A7R from Sony, since it will offer a whole lot more DR and resolution than the 5D3/6D/1DX.

DSLRs still have the upper hand when it comes to lenses, but for how much longer? And besides, the DSLR lenses can be used on mirrorless cameras.