Canon 1Ds mkIII waiting list

Someone claims to be on the waiting list for 1Ds mkIII. I've came across the info about the 1Ds3 launch at Berlin’s IFA show, that is taking place 31.8.07-5.9.07. The launch date is supposed to be 31.8.07.

First 1D mkIII shipments

This week the shipments of Canon 1D mkIII began. The dealers report that they received only a fraction of their order. For example Ritz in the US ordered 300 and only got 10 in the first delivery.

Interesting 40D scenarios

I found yet another interesting post on FM forums, posted by Tentacle (which is known for his interesting posts and educated gueses):
40D: There are 3 scenarios...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Do the usual, tweak a bit, squeeze more Mpixel from the sensor, 10.1 Mpixel from APS-C. This would only be catch-up, and a poor one at that, to the rest of the 10 Mpixel dSLRs out there. The D40x, the D80, the D200, the Alpha 100 and the K10D. I don't think Canon would do this.
2. Bump the resolution to 12 Mpixel from APS-C. Can you say "Sensor out-resolving most glass"? The only current 12 Mpixel (from 1.5x crop instead of 1.6), the Nikon DX2(s), is already hitting the limits of high quality glass at the full frame equivalent of 27 Mpixel. Putting 12 on 1.6x crop would be the equivalent of 31 Mpixel at full frame. Will Canon be that silly?
3. Take the sensor from the Mk III, halve the number of output channels, put it in the 40D and link it to a single DIGIC III instead of 2. That means 10 Mpixel, 5 fps, APS-H, with native ISO 3200 and extended ISO 6400.


Now, let the "Canon will NEVER drop EF-s!!!111" flames begin...

Canon has stated, by words of Brian Worley, dSLR productmanager for Canon Europe, that Canon will eventually go to full frame on all dSLRs, except entry level. (Source here.)

So if you ask me ... Canon might just use the 40D to ween the xxD users from EF-S. They do this by using the 50% larger APS-H size sensor (compared to APS-C) to bump high ISO performance to new levels. The 1.25x crop sits at the production sweet spot of being the biggest slab of silicon that can be processed in single lithography exposure passes. That makes them only 50 to 70% more expensive than APS-C. (Compared to 10 -20 times for full frame sensors that need yield-wrecking field-stitching in its lithography production.)

Yes yes, that would relegate EF-S to entry level ... Boohoohoo! Well, Tough luck. The future is Full Frame anyway. It's my educated guess that Canon will take this route. Okay, maybe not untill the 50D.

1Ds Mk III:
Just look at the 1D Mk III and extrapolate: Bump in reso, assume the same 1.25x increase (from 8 to 10) so you'd get 21 Mpixel. Double DIDIG III, 5 fps, ISO 3200 and extended to 6400. Add Live preview.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Someone else even stated a very exact date: 17th July.

A nice one:D.

Another 40D rumour

That I found on CDP forums:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A salesman at my favorite camera store told me that he has personally seen pre-production units of the 40D and was told that it will be released on a Monday in late August. He said it would match the XTi's 10 megapixels and have the sensor dust removal technology. It will also supposedly be equipped with the latest processor, but only one of them (unlike the Mark III that was just released with dual processors). He also said that it would indeed be called the "40D". He's a great photographer that knows the Canon and Nikkon lines intimately, so I don't believe he is mistaken.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I still hope it's going to be a 1.3x crop 10 mpix. That way the IQ could be much higher then competition's. Higher DR, lower noise and better DOF control.

40D specs, that I would prefer

Canon always states that they listen to their users. I hope that's true and that they'll come across this (wannahave) specs:
-1,3x crop sensor, same as in 1D mkIII
-DIGIC III, ISO 6400, 5 fps
-Slightly improved body, especially grip, a bit larger (10D style)
-dust reduction
-2.5 oled display
-improved AF (at least accuracy if not speed), or even better AF from the old 1 series (now that they have a new AF system in 1D mkIII)

I intended to go FF (5D+135L+28-75 2.8 Tamron, new bag and memory card), but I've done numerous calculations, but the sum is still to high. Almost 3x higher then remaining on APS-C, where there's no need for new lenses, bags, memory cards...

Canon 1D mkIII hands on preview

Unfortunately a 5 minute preview. But enough to see the significant step forward, that Canon has made with this model. The size remains the same, while being a lot lighter. The specs don't show the real picture regarding the camera weight. It feels like it's half as light as its predecessor. They finally got rid of the clumsy controls, AF is even faster, now it's insanely fast. And the sound of the shutter at 10 fps is orgasmic.

When production model (this was pre-production) will be available, I'll do a complete test. I guess sometime in June...

More 40D speculations

Here's an interesting quote of the post from FM forums:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spoke with 2 Canon reps, over the last 6 weeks or so, and one of the major retailers' store owners over here.

The 40D is expected in store at the end of June, and at the latest the beginning of July. This is what they said. No specs, though.

Furthermore, the replacement for the 1Ds MkII is expected in September, and at the latest beginning of December.

Oh, and all in this year, 2007 .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I still hope there will be a 6D/5D mkII announcement, but if there's going to be a 1Ds mkIII announcement (40D will be anyway, there so question if, but when in 2007), I'm afraid there's no room for 4th announcement this year. Even Canon is not that big...