I think it's safe to say there hasn't been a lot of the normal hype around Canon since late last year with the release of the EOS R6 Mark II. We have seen some cool products since, but not really the things that have historically driven Canonites into a frenzy.
It seems Nikon has had the momentum over the last 6 months, which has been great, they definitely needed it. They were a company in financial stress only a few short years ago.
Sony has been relatively quiet as well, though I must admit I really don't pay attention to the brand until it's shoved in my face.
Leica has had their Q series bump, a camera series that I love. I really wish other brands would enter the space of a full-frame sensor body with a high-end lens fixed to it. I wish for lots of things that never transpire (RF 28mm f/1.4L USM?!?!), so here we are.
Is this the calm before the proverbial storm? I think it might be. I do not expect anything to be announced in July. I honestly can't remember a July product announcement of any significance (*update, EOS R5, but probably an anomaly due to world events.). The end of August though? I think we'll see a flurry of product announcements all through Q4 and into Q1 of 2024.
At this point, we know what's coming from Canon. It's been written about here numerous times, and at this point, I think it's safe to say most of it is a “logical” next step. The lens roadmap that was initially published back in 2020 has been pretty bang on. There have been a few surprises, and a few mistakes on aperture and whatnot, but I'm happy with how that has turned out.
One area of the Canon line-up that has been difficult and kind of frustrating (which is rare), is Cinema EOS. We have been waiting a long time for the big move to 8K. Canon was late to the 4K party and admitted as much and said that it wouldn't happen with 8K. Although, I wouldn't say 8K has burst into the mainstream yet, but with that is opportunity.
I have had some hints lately that Canon will have major Cinema EOS announcements ahead of IBC in September. Canon has done major product announcements for that show in the past, so it's not just the spring NAB show that this happens.
As for the other parts of the line-up that will definitely excite people, I don't really want to write about any of it until there is something of real value. I want to tighten that up going forward, which isn't great for the ol' “engagement”, but I think there is enough out there hammering you for it.
The products I'm speaking of are the EOS R1, EOS R5 Mark II, wide RF L prime lenses, the autofocus tilt-shifts, and other things that I have already covered.
I don't know if there are still challenges from the last few years, or if there are new challenges. Maybe product development has changed, maybe resources are going into areas like manufacturing, I don't know. Canon is obviously not going to speak on that. They'll just keep doing Canon things and it'll probably keep the accountants happy. Though past success isn't unlimited currency for future success.
So there you have it, maybe someone out there will hit my inbox with something good if they see this post.
Please make me an R7 with a stacked sensor in a R3 body. I\'ll give you £4,000 for it.
Many thanks.
"Sony has been relatively quiet as well, though I must admit I really don't pay attention to the brand until it's shoved in my face." Me too! :ROFLMAO:
lets do this to the Cine lineup and hit a home run.
FULL FRAME lineup
R5c - FF RF only (Should have call it the C5)
C50 - FF Box - RF only Camera (like Komodo but FF/Fx6)
C500 - FF 8K - RF with user changamble mount EF/PL (FX9 and V-Raptor)
C700 - FF 8k Studio - RF with user changeable mount EF/PL(more ports like the V-Raptor XL)
SUPER 35
C70 - RF only
C200 - RF with user changamble mount EF/PL S34 Box type (Komodo)
C300 - RF with user changamble mount EF/PL (Arri Alexa. It won't touch this but will fill that void)
100's range
- all have 12g sdi and built in ND
- addiotnal modules - production, battery etc
The lineup above cover all areas of production. Will unify the range and sell so many.
Oh and BUILD AN APP. one that all canon cameras work with and can connect to the same network.
And of course the 35/1.2.
If they invited Sigma in with mirrorless-designed 14/1.4, 28/1.4, 50/1.4 and maybe 85/1.4, I don\'t think I\'d really need anything else until I die.
I think the R5 MkII and R1 are actually going to have features ORTHOGONAL to the usual measures of megapixels and frames per second. Canon patented a new type of sensor about 3-4 years ago (mentioned on this site) that could do global shutter, electronic ND, and nearly double the dynamic range. Having studied the patent I think it might also be able to adjust flash power after the fact.
Another idea is a sharpness-priority that keeps taking photos (or takes a movie) until the scene at the focus point is totally sharp.
Another idea is a 42x42mm sensor that captures the full image circle, allowing you to take landscape, portrait, or any angle in between without moving the camera, as well as other ratios besides 3:2 without substantially losing pixels, and be able to fix keystone distortion without significantly losing shot area.
The current IS is so good that I\'m getting the best photos out of for instance the 50/1.8 at I think 1/2 to 1/15 sec, whereas the 24-105 is best at 1/30-1/60. I\'d like to be able to program a P curve PER LENS.
Finally the only complaint I have about the R5 as it stands is battery life. I\'m wondering if at least we could have a low-power mode that allows the camera to stay on all the time, if not a double-size battery.
Those specific ideas might not be at all compelling, but should illustrate that there\'s lots of directions to go besides simply LCD size MP, and FPS.
Its almost july and in november they said it will be there in april.
Sorry about that.
Why? Diminishing returns.
There are limits to just how much improvement can be reasonably expected given the wide zoom range of the 24-105. My understanding (I could be wrong) is that going from wide angle to telephoto is a lot more challenging than simply extending the range of a telephoto zoom. Making major improvements in the 24-105 (which is actually a very good lens as is) would probably raise the cost well beyond what the market would bear.