Sunday 18 February 2007

Predictions, predictions...

Today FM has a lot of interesting rumours. This is another one, that I've found:


1) Canon will release the successor of the 1D Mk IIn as a 16 MPix full frame frame camera, able to crop by factor of 1.3 to perform 10 fps resulting in 10 mp files. The camera is able, due to its internal buffer and in conjunction with high speed memory cards, to shoot an unlimited number of pictures in high speed mode (only limited by the size of the used memory cards).?The pricing should be around 4.500€.


2) Canon will also introduce a new „Medium Format“ EOS system, that will be compatible with current EF mount in a sort of crop mode and uses a new line of lenses to leverage the bigger sensor. The successor of the 1Ds MK II is intended to build the starting point of this new production line for Canon and the sensor will have at least 22 mp.
The rumor goes that this beast will ship around 13 T€.



With this move Canon solves several issues and therefore this prediction makes sense to me:

1) Canon want to go „Full Frame“ with 1D series, so the native crop of the 1D has to go away.

2) Due to pricing issues its not possible the merge the 1D and 1Ds line into one. For sport shooters and journalists there‘s no need for 20+ mp, and some are already shooting digital for years. So their lens park is collected on the fact having 1.3 crop. Therefore the „dynamic crop“ of the 1D MK III will support a smooth migration path for them.

3) The current 1Ds Mk II challenges the existing EF lenses and it attacks the low end of the medium format market (studio, landscape, ...) already. So to extend the ship size to enter the „cropped medium format digital backs“ while introducing new high quality lenses makes perfect sense to me.