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The EOS 5D Mark II or 6D or 7D or even 3D :-)

Rumours about Canon's replacement for the EOS 5D

	Rumours pages Rumours Index page Canon Medium Format? 1D Mk4 (1D Mk3N) New lenses page 50D / 500D / 3D Real Cameras Canon EOS 1Ds Mk3 Canon EOS 1D Mark 3 40D 450D / 400D / 1000D
Other [NON RUMOUR!] info on this site Articles and tutorials Keith's reviews ... software and hardware Digital Black and White All about Colour management Photography and digital imaging info Some of Keith's Landscape photos Using your film scanner as a microscope	A Canon 1Ds pinhole camera Our review policy - for real products Webcams in Leicester and view from space The What's New Page gives a quick overview of the hundreds of pages of articles and picture on this site. If you've got any info, let us know at 1DSreplacement@northlight-images.co.uk

Latest articles (not rumours... :-) Keith is Driving round Colorado
>> basICColor CaliCube and Gray Card - A spectrally neutral 25% grey card for optimum camera white balance, and a lighting cube that as well as black, grey and white faces, has a built in light trap and chrome ball for checking specular reflections and absolute black points.

May 30th 2008 There's another version of the publishers 5D2 book info in the Google cache of the Wiley site

28th The book listing at Amazon is still there when I just looked...

In Australia I'm told that Kayell are selling of ex demo 5Ds, although this might just be stock rotation, since even with an uncharacteristicly early 5D2 announcement, I wouldn't expect to see stock for a while.

27th The 5D is still listed on the Canon UK site, but the 350D has been expunged.

26th The various postings of the book are still live pages. Inote that when I last checked, it was number 9574 in their best sellers list :-)

There is even a couple of posts in the DPR thread supposedly from the publisher (sure, their first and second posts to DPR ;-)

25th In an update, I've just heard from someone [thanks] who placed an order for the book below, and received an acknowledgement from Amazon.

Amazon seem to be listing a 5D2 book

...but not published until November.

The sort of thing that would point to a Photokina announcement in time for November supply of the camera.

However on DPR the author says:
"The Amazon.com listing is an error that I hope will be corrected very soon" [note that this username has posts going back 5 years, so may well be the 'real' author - if I'd written such a book, I'd be fairly annoyed too]

• Read the thread for all the usual comments/conspiracies ;-)

Product Description
Digital Field Guides are bestselling, beautiful books that deliver information to the consumer in an easy-to-understand way. The Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide will feature over 300 beautiful pictures by acclaimed photographer Charlotte Lowrie. This portable guide will be perfect for professional photographers to take with them anywhere to reference at any time. It’ll help readers better understand this complicated camera and show them how to get the exact shot they want every time.

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Wiley (November 10, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470409509
ISBN-13: 978-0470409503

May 23rd The next date to add to the rumours diary is the 10th of June (Tuesday)...

A French site is claiming that Canon are starting to push the date with cryptic announcements.

'Remember this date 'June 10, 2008'

Those of you with longer rumour memories may remember the countdown clock on the Canon CZ site and the announcement in Hebrew on the Canon Israel site.

Re-live those memories in the Rumour archive starting on the 29th July 2006, where people were eagerly waiting for a 1Ds3, 3D and 5D2 ... we got the 400D, is this the build up for the 1000D/XS

Of course it could just be a new range of point 'n' click cameras... :-)

22nd How about an announcement at "The Southern Hemisphere’s largest photographic show" PMA Australia?

I just saw it suggested on DPR, but even in Olympic years Canon has stuck to DSLR announcements in Jan/Feb or around August. Suffice to say, we've heard no credible dates yet :-(

20th DPR admits mistake: "old camera confused us"

19th In a change that's got people talking, DPR has moved the 5D into the 'discontinued' section in their camera database. :-)

While we were expecting some new printers from Epson this month, not many people paid too much attention when the 22nd of May (this Thursday) was mentioned (see below 8th May - 16MP etc)

May 14th Thanks for all the 1000D screenshots from the DPP 3.4 Windows help files.

The DPP upgrade itself is available from Canon USA and adds a few features such as:

Adds the luminance noise reduction function for TIFF/JPEG images You can make this setting with the [Tool Palette] tab in [Preferences] and the [NR/LENS] tab from the tool palette.
Adds a lens with the aberration correction function and supports the extender. Now supports sixteen more lenses. Newly supports the extender (EF1.4 X II and EF2 X II) to increase the variety in combinations. For supported cameras and lenses, please see the Help file (or the instruction manual).
Fixes malfunctions Fixes a bug where RAW images shot with EOS Kiss X2/EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi/EOS DIGITAL 450D are not displayed in accordance to the PictureStyle file settings.

13th A Canon EOS 1000D/ Rebel XS? Seems it's mentioned in DPP 3.4 code? I've looked in the Mac V3.4.1 and can't see anything yet...

11th The US rebate scheme will run from May 18th to July 19th.

Oh, and it's an 'instant rebate' or as we like to call them, a price cut (you may recall the recent US price rise ;-)

Looks like the ideal chance to pick up that EF28-90 you've been hankering for... :-)

--> 5D	$300	70-200 f/4.0 IS	$75
40D	$200	EFS 17-55mm 2.8	$70
70-200 f/2.8IS	$125	17-40 f/4	$50
85 f/1.2	$125	70-200 f/4.0	$40
16-35II	$100	100 macro	$35
100-400 f/4 IS	$100	60mm macro	$30
50 1.2	$100	EF28-90 f/4-f/5.6 III	$15
35 1.4	$100	580 EXII	$30
		430 EX	$15

9th For those new to 'rumour evaluation', the one yesterday was admitted to be a fake, by the poster - seems he was surprised how seriously people took it...

May 8th Good deals on the 5D/24-105 kit in Australia? I was sent the following (thanks).

Meanwhile, over at DPR, this time it's a new 5D2 coming out in 2 weeks time (22nd of -May- this time)...

That should match up with a few people's wish lists ;-) ...read the post for even more :-)

7th No firm rebate info for the US yet, but a post on FM suggests that the 'instant rebates' will include at least the following.

85mm 1.2L $125
35mm 1.4L $100
70-200mm 4 IS $75
70-200mm 4 $40
5D $300

5th Very little solid news other than the FM thread on a June announcement is still going strong (5D Mk II. 1D Mk III N. 2 new lenses)

April 30th 2008 New firmware for the 1Ds3 and 1D3

At FM there's a post flagging June for the next Canon announcements. As well as the usual 5D2 there is a 1D3N and two lenses.

28th Being a publicly quoted company, Canon has things like 'earnings calls'.

Read the full report at SA, but see discussion at DPR, including the interesting snippet.

"Our new cameras, we expect new models to begin contributing to sales from the second quarter, which is basically inline with our original trend. Furthermore, 10 strategic new products that we will steadily launch from the second quarter will contribute to sales expansion. We expect to achieve our previous projections."

Of course, as to what counts as a 'strategic product' is left as an exercise for the reader...

27th More expectations in the full frame camera area? Although the D3X is pretty widely expected from Nikon before long, how about a D10? [DPR]

A cheap FF camera from Nikon would certainly put the pressure on Canon to bring in a 'basic' FF offering ... 3D/5D/7D by next year anyone?

Also, how about some rebates in the US? [Dealer comments DPR]

"Canon Lens rebates and $300.00 off 5D start 5/18/08"

and a 5D replacement rumour to go with it

"June 6th or 8th announcement."

However, do note the [RG] story about US price rises before that:

"Canon USA is in the process of informing U.S. dealers about upcoming price increases on a broad range of its camera gear. Starting May 1, 2008, dealers will pay 3-5% more to Canon for most Canon EF lenses and all Canon EOS and PowerShot accessories (plus all Canon binoculars too). The dealer net on Canon digital SLRs is unchanged.
Canon Canada is also raising the dealer net on a similar range of camera products, starting May 5, 2008."

25th While it's a bit quiet I'd like to thank all the people who regularly write in with suggestions and links on discussion boards that I'd just never have found otherwise.

We try and respond to every mail, but due to heavy spam, we have quite aggressive filtering on our mail servers - if you didn't get a reply, please try again with different text in the email since our system might have accidentally chomped your message.

April 24th Wondering what'll be at Photokina? Well, there have been some press briefings about what'll be there.

No details of course, but according to Oliver P. Kuhrt (executive vice-president of Koelnmesse GmbH):
"The development of digital cameras has reached its peak (in terms of resolution and specifications), so it will be interesting to see how the innovations by the big players are going to help."

So, there you have it, we've reached a peak... downhill from here on. Makes me glad I got my 1Ds3 when it was available :-) I'll not be at Photokina since I've decided to have a drive round the Rockies in early Fall this year ;-)

Another suit wheeled out for the occasion said: "digital imaging output will be the biggest thing"

mmm printers...

I've not seen a good original rumour for a while now ;-)

23rd As expected by many, nothing was announced by Canon yesterday (guess I could run this one most days ;-)

Upcoming events that might be of interest for sighting new kit are some big European Soccer competition (June 7-29) and the Olympics (August 8-24) [corrected] and of course photokina (Sept 23-28)

Canon are a sponsor of the football, so might they want something to go with that, but I'd expect the combination of photokina and the Olympics to bring out the big announcements. The opening of the Olympics 8/8/08 is a particularly auspicious date in China.

There's plenty of Nikon rumours going round too (TH) with a D90/D3x/lenses mentioned for late May/early June.

April 22nd If nothing today then there's always one of the ever popular 'Dealer Rumours' that suggests the 24th of August ;-) [DPR]

21st Nothing at all to suggest any major announcements tomorrow...

We've been asking around and the general consensus is for a pre Photokina 5D2 announcement. That said, we will be keeping a close eye out for anything that does appear... :-)

20th Since I've seen this reposted all over the place without critical comment, note the different names in the DPR story yesterday! The new poster joined yesterday and it was their first post ;-) While I don't have any problems with the content, it's not exactly solid gold rumour material...

19th At last the DPR poster tsiphoto has spoken [NOT] This person of few words pops out of the woods every so often and delivers short pronouncements that seem to have gained an air of verisimilitude with some forum readers ;-) Anyway, enough build up... the oracle says:

"The 5D MK II will be announced in August and not in April.
No new series planned in 2008.
2009 New series 3D "

We've had several people send us translations of parts of the Canon interview (thanks!)

The interviewee is is the head of EOS product development, he arrived his position last year and conducted a interview with the same site.
The appearance of Contrast based AF on the 450D signifies a desire to move away from the traditional view of what goes in a DSLR - it's still not good enough for 'active scenes' They are keen to preserve the 'essence' of the SLR camera.
With the development of LV, Canon may put the popular Intelllegence Auto mode in SLR as well, recall that Programme AE was brought into SLR by Canon.
They are actively doing research in how to further improve CMOS's noise level, some results were shown on 450D, as they promote new SLR, they improve the CMOS's quality.
The interviewee wants to make the FF market parallel to APS-C personally, however this was not quite practical at the moment. He said APS-C line has good price/performance ratio, those who go for FF are true enthusiasts. In the future, he wants to add some products at an affordable price for those enthusiasts. Though he thought it is the right time to discuss on the new product arrangement, new product lines will not appear in 2008. For the highly anticipated 5D sucessor, they understand public's expect, and he asked everyone to wait and see. He claimed that they will do their best to bring out a good product .There will be great improvement in both quality and add-on value.
The interviewer covered Canon's old tradition of "limiting users at diiferent levels" and is excellent yet not stunning.
The interviewee agreed and said in the past they often considered that "Dealing with cost limit and specification" is higher than "anticipation of the designer", however, this is changing. All in all, besides expecting 5D sucessor at photokina, there is still something else. He said the year has just begun and there are some good things to come.

So? Only one 5D successor at Photokina but maybe a cheaper FF camera next year? And other 'good things to come' ;-) Are we going to see some more 'feature trickledown' (nothing to do with the new competition of course ;-)

April 18th In the 'not entirely convincing category' there is a purported screenshot of a Canon Germany page showing the 5D2... It seems that this page was only up for a while on the site ;-)

"Canon 5D Mark II – available from June 2008
The EOS 5D Mark II with full-frame sensor with 16 megapixels. 6.5 frames per second and innovative DIGIC III processor. Small, inconspicuous, light and manageable but still robust, weather-sealed construction."

If you've got a Nikon D3, best leave off updating the firmware to V1.1 - there are numerous reports [RG] of image corruption.

There are some better (human) translations of the Canon interview in this DPR thread [#1 and more in #2]

For people waiting for a replacement for the 5D the word might seem to be:

"He says that Canon is aware of the anticipation for a new full sized model, and they will meet that anticipation as soon as possible. He also added that the new full sized model will be a significant improvement over the 5D in terms of IQ and customer value (whatever that is), and that he's looking forward to us enjoying it."

and

"...asked if Canon has any intention at this time of expanding their full-frame camera lineup, and he flatly said no. The price-performance leader is in APS-C cameras, and Canon feels their balance between APS-C and full-size is okay for a range of products."

As, ever remember that Japanese can be a very hard language to translate accurately...

17th Some solid rumours - i.e. they come from Canon

At DCW there is an interview (in Japanese) that drops a few hints about what Canon is planning.

Here's one translation from babelfish and one from Google (Warning - machine translated weirdness! ;-)

A couple of points of relevance (and please do let me know if you see a good human translation somewhere)

Contrast detect AF is still not considered as good as it could be for offering in DSLRs (is that why the firmware update to enable it hasn't appeared for my 1Ds3?)
More 35mm FF cameras on the way?

So there you have it (or not ;-)

April 16th In an update to the info on the Swedish board I'm told (thanks) that the magazine editor is saying that there is some Canon event on the 22nd, but he expects it to be Video cameras and compact cameras...

I've also had several people mention (thanks) that the UK Canon eBay 'outlet shop' is empty. Whether this signals anything, or is in any way connected to 'rumours of shil bidding' I've heard mentioned, is entirely unknown.

In more 'Full Frame news', several people claim to have found the resolution settings for the Nikon D3X buried in the firmware. [DPR]

"The following strings are in the D3's B-firmware file v1.10, starting at offet 3'614'640:"

6048x4032 24.4 M
4544x3024 13.7 M
3024x2016 6.1 M
5056x4032 20.4 M
3792x3024 11.5 M
2528x2016 5.1 M
3968x2640 10.5 M
2976x1976 5.9 M
1984x1320 2.6 M

Note the 24.4MP - it seems this info is present in quite a few parts of the firmware file. This also suggests that the chip may be a variant of the Sony 'Exmoor' design, slated for the 'A900' later in the year (sometimes quoted as 24.6MP)

Whilst some people ascribe this info to a 'marketing trick', it's not unknown for software developers to leave all kinds of stuff inside released software - particularly since any 'D3X' firmware would share a significant portion of code with the D3.

15th In a lengthy thread on a Swedish board there's a comment (page 34) from the editior of a Swedish Photo Magazine (MF) that Canon normally has two major releases a year and he expects the next before Photokina. He hasn't been invited to anything on the 22nd or any time soon. [Thanks to those of you who understand Swedish much better than I do, and offered more accurate translations than here earlier :-)]

April 14th Only a week away from the oft mentioned '22nd April' release date... well, we've heard nothing yet to suggest such an announcement. Most web chatter has reverted to how much the 5D successor will cost and whether the 1D3 AF issues would stop people from buying one as soon as it's announced... :-)

Meanwhile those of you lamenting the passing of Polaroid can use a similar process [NYT] to print camera phone pics :-)

The FF camera market might get bigger in the next year or two with Samsung announcing development of their own FF sensor. From AP:

"So far, however, the sensor has only reached the design stage and it is far from clear whether it will become a reality. We also understand that, late last year, Samsung Electronics set up a secret team within its HQ in Suwon to begin research on a professional DSLR. "

6th Along with a 5D replacement or two, expect the 'last' of the Powershot range later this year. Why so? It seems that buried away in SDK notes [LD] there is:

"When will the last PowerShot cameras that are supported by the SDK be released?
We cannot be specific about announcement and ship dates at this time, but it is safe to say that the last PowerShot cameras to be supported by Canon digital camera SDK will be announced and released in the 2nd Half of 2008."

This might be connected with Canon moving to putting their own CMOS sensors into non SLR cameras.

4th A CNET article has some info on camera shipments for last year, where Canon just held the No.1 spot in DSLR shipments over Nikon. Notice that in all camera sales, it's Sony at No.2 showing why some at Canon view them as a bigger long term threat than Nikon.

Meanwhile there are still plenty of variations of the 2 versions of the 5D replacement doing the rounds, including this French posting which mixes up most variations of the last few weeks ;-)

And for the 6D2 (5D2? ;-) there's "My neighbor is the local Canon rep. He has a few cameras in testing with some of the local pros. The name is Canon 6D II. 3 processors, a full frame chip, 15.3 MP, 5 frames per second, 3200 ISO, partial titanium body, due out this fall at $2100.00" at MM (towards bottom of thread)

April 1st For those of you reading German there is news of the new Pentax double sensor

Since it's April the first there are also lot of sightings of the new 5D on various forums ;-)

With the 40D now obtainable in the UK for £500, it does make me wonder if Canon will feel there is room for a cheaper full frame variant of whatever replaces the 5D?

2008 March 30th How much will the next FF camera from Canon cost?

There is an interesting discussion about camera pricing, from someone with real industry experience, at TOP.

27th We've been sent some info regarding two Canon cameras in September.

5Ds Mark II & 5D Mark II

5Ds Mark II,Full Frame Format, Digic III, 16 Mp, 14bit, 5fps - 3200 Euros

5D Mark II, x1.3 ,Digic III, 10 Mp, 14bit, 8fps - 1800 Euros

If you are looking to get a 5D in Australia, then note this deal for getting a free M80. It runs until the end of May.

More details in this PDF

23rd While we are waiting for the next Canon FF cameras and that Sony FF camera, there are some hints that the Nikon version is not so far away (D3X?) and won't be using the Sony sensor.

21st A900 or not? A suggestion that the new Sony FF is to be the A500 [AP] also at ~$3k and 6FPS [DPR from 'Rangefinder' mag]

March 20th The new Sony FF camera gets an outing at PIE in Japan.

No real news other than the 24.6MP image stabilised camera will be released at a major trade event this year (photokina is most peoples' bet) (some new pictures and new Sony DSLR site)

Here's a picture of the new Sony taken at PIE in Tokyo by Shuichi Yamada (thanks!)

19th Canon have released a firmware update for the 5D (Version 1.1.1).

Features include:

As with any firmware update, follow the instructions carefully (DPR thread on the update)

Those Adobe udates we mentioned the other day have been pulled - Adobe say go back to the previous versions

March 14th In a correction, the original DPR poster points out that it should be 13 AF cross type sensors out of 29 rather than 12...

Keep an eye out for variations on this 5d2 theme as various sites pick up the info and re-hash it without attribution ;-)

Adobe have also released new versions of Camera Raw and Lightroom and DNG Converter to support newer cameras.

Canon EOS 450D (Digital Rebel XSi/EOS Kiss X2)
Fujifilm S100FS
Nikon D60
Olympus SP-570 UZ
Pentax K20D
Pentax K200D
Sony A200
Sony A300
Sony A350

There is also this in the documentation:

Previous camera profiles identified in the Calibrate panel may have displayed poor results at extreme ends of the temperature and tint ranges. A new camera profile identified as Camera Raw 4.4 is now available and will be applied by default to all images currently without existing Camera Raw or Lightroom settings. The creation of new default settings will also include the updated Camera Raw 4.4 profile. Images edited in Camera Raw or Lightroom with earlier profiles will retain the earlier profile value and visual appearance.

I often see ECF mentioned in people's wishlists for future cameras (see 7th Feb for more on Eye Control). Well after Chuck Westfall mentioning it as a marketing led omission last month, he's added this in his latest (and usually quite informative) tech tips.

As to how 'customer demand' is defined... well, we'll leave that as an exercise to the reader ;-)

There's also a leak [dSLRu] of the Olympus E520, that appeared for a while on the Olympus web site.

It's been changed, but it's in the Google cache

March 12th In a further expansion of 5D Mk2 info (or whatever it gets called), the original poster has added:

And in a point that won't go un-noticed to 1D3 and 1Ds3 owners

This gets expanded in a later post:

Quite a collection of info (if any of our past sources care to comment then do let us know ;-)

March 11th At DPR, a 5D2 rumour at last! It seems that the 5D Mk2 is to be announced in April (22nd)

A set of specifications is offered too...

Looks to be a concoction of many wish lists I've seen, but then again no-one said that Canon -had- to restrict their announcements to PMA (Jan/Feb) and Photokina time (Aug/Sept). The high ISO would be nice and would tempt me to get one as an alternative/backup to my 1Ds3 (I rarely need high ISO and 21MP for my work)

15.3 MP full frame CMOS sensor (vastly improved light-gathering capacity per pixel: improved micro lenses; miniaturized micro circuitry; enhanced signal/noise ratio)
Weather sealing same as 1Ds Mark III
Dual Digic III with all-new "CXR" NR system reported to best 3rd party NR software. Available as a C.F with 4 levels of customizable parameters.
14 bit A/D conversion
ISO 12800 (C.F. up to 25600)
Reported 1 2/3 stop sensitivity improvement
All-new 29-point TTL CMOS sensor with 12 13 cross-type for F/2.8 or faster lens (35% faster than 40D)
Micro lens fine adjustment for up to 14 lenses
300,000 exposure shutter durability
6.0 / 3.0 fps
3.0" LCD 922,000 pixels
EOS Integrated Cleaning System
Live View (improved from 450D; latest generation)
6/3 fps continuous shooting for up to 68 frames
MSRP $3499, available June 2

It seems too that rebates are starting in Canada on the 15th? I've not got details yet but saw a comment on a board, that they were doubled with two items on the list?

3rd I've updated the AF check article with a few more example shots after a few people asked for some more details on just how you use the patterns to check AF accuracy.

I see the long running '7D' thread on DPR is still smouldering on, as people still 'find' references to the the UPC database (the one -anyone- can update ;-)

Now the European rebate scheme has started, I've got the UK rebate amounts.

EOS 5D body £150 Cashback
EOS 40D body £100 Cashback
EOS 400D body £45 Cashback
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM £40 Cashback
EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM £40 Cashback
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM £75 Cashback
EF 17-40mm f/4L USM £40 Cashback
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM £50 Cashback
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM £45 Cashback
EF 50mm f/1.2L USM £50 Cashback
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM £75 Cashback
EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM £45 Cashback
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM £50 Cashback
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM £40 Cashback
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM £40 Cashback
EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM £40 Cashback
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM £75 Cashback
Speedlite 580EX II £40 Cashback
Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX £20 Cashback

No sign of any rebates in the US though...

2008 March 1st In the 'a Canon rep said' category [POTN]...

Earlier in the same thread there are also some reasonable musings on likely 5D2 (or whatever) characteristics.

One feature I'd expect the 5D2 to have is AF microadjustment. I was sent an interesting test image to make the process of setting of this a lot easier. Earlier today I did a quick check to see which of my lenses needed an adjustment setting, and which didn't. I've put all the info in a short article on AF Microadjustment.

February 26th If you are in Canada and in 'retail' then there is a 5D discount of some sort? Not sure -what- this means, but see [CR]

25th A long day at the Focus show in Birmingham...

I'm not a lover of trade shows, lots of people milling around, and unless you are there early the staff at the stands very quickly start showing visitor fatigue ;-)

There was indeed long queue at the Jacobs stand, so it looks as if quite a few people thought there were bargins to be had.

This year also marked the return of Canon, with a large stand displaying many of their wares.

Note the 5D still going strong ;-)

Lots of people trying out the big glass too

and of course the latest new DSLR...

I took the opportunity to check out large printers from Epson, Canon and HP.

During this year, I'm hoping to have a more detailed look at just what some of the newer printers are capable of, along with different ways of getting the best out of them.

As well as invites to various press briefings (under NDA, so for once I can't spread any rumours ;-) I was looking for products to add to the Northlight Images reviews.

I had a quick look at the D3 and the new 24mm T/S lens on the Nikon stand.

The lens feels noticeably lighter than the Canon one, but obviously just from looking through the viewfinder, there's not much other difference you can see.

The shots at the show were all taken with the 14mm on my 1Ds3

This explains the somewhat distorted view of the D3 and 24mm lens below (and yes, it didn't go unnoticed what I was using, standing in middle of Nikon land ;-)

24th I'm told that there is a £150 rebate on the 5D at the Focus show (UK) from Jacobs. I'm there tomorrow, so I'll have a look to see what's about ;-)

The £150 seems to be the Canon UK rebate that's starting on March the 1st. More info on the Canon rebates should appear on this Canon site.

In an example of how not to handle speculation on new products, the CEO of Leica was fired after an interview with a camera mag ;-)

21st Apart from noticing more UK prices creeping up, ready for the rebates, the rumour mill seems to have taken a bit of a rest after all the activity around PMA.

February 16th Already I've heard of some slight price rises for the 5D in the UK.

Obviously getting ready for the increased margins that the rebate scheme allows ;-)

15th A new cashback scheme in Europe is described (in German) in this PDF we were sent (thanks)

400D - 60 Euro

40D - 150 Euro

5D - 200 Euro

Runs from March 1st to 30th June 2008

There are a whole range of lens rebates available too...

14th No sign of 5D prices moving back upwards, with most on offer in the UK at just under £1200 for the body although the price with the 24-105 has gone up with the end of the rebate scheme. I've found the guide to UK prices at CPB is a good indicator for pricing trends.

In the US I've seen prices as low as $1900 (that's under £1000 for visitors nipping over to the US from the UK ;-)

PS Happy 14th Feb. to Karen! And in a blatent plug to visitors, if you know anyone getting married this year, please do pass along details of her Bridal Jewellery web site ;-)

February 13th As expected, after PMA 2008, the rumour mill has quietened somewhat :-)

Canon's usual strategy is two announcements a year (or more accurately in Jan/Feb or Aug/Sept) so most discussions [POTN example ;-)] look to Photokina.

5D2 and 1D'x' (1D3 replacement) or 3D and 7D or combinations to suit your fancy :-)

In a follow up to the ECF info below, it would seem that Canon is not yet done with taking pictures of your eyes. A recent patent (Pub. No.: US 2008/0025574 A1) of theirs takes a picture of your iris for subsequent embedding of biometric info into pictures.

PICTURE TAKING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME
Abstract
The camera includes a sensor for sensing the photographer's iris image and registering the image in advance. The iris image is recorded in the image of a subject by a digital MCU at a timing different from that at which the image of the subject is captured. The recording timing is that at which the camera power supply is turned off, that at which a recording medium is ejected from the camera or that at which the iris image to be recorded is changed to changed to the registered iris image of another photographer. The recording of the iris image is achieved by embedding it as a watermark or by appending it to metadata." More info at PB.

7th Since reading the Chuck Westfall tea leaves seems to be in vogue at the moment, it's worth noting one of his comments from 2006 I was recently pointed to (thanks ;-)

I've not used ECF (my first Canon camera was the 1Ds) but it is often mentioned on various discussion forums. Whether this feature is one that Canon has continued to develop, we just don't know... Perhaps we'll see it in the fabled EOS 3D which I'm informed will be announced 'real soon now' ;-)

ECF article at Canon. EOS 3 specs

Whilst looking at our old rumours connected with the 3D I found this, which was one of the other sources for the "everything but introductory cameras with FF" theme.

"Reading between the lines of the specs and press release, you may discover that the EOS 5D is the first model in a new strategy frm Canon, in the direction of full frame image sensor in many cameras to come. They have now solved many of the obstacles and production cost barriers, first and foremost related to the lowpass filter in front of the CMOS.
Brian Worley, product manager of D-SLR cameras at Canon Europa, said that it's a long way before all EOS models will have a full size sensor, but Canon's aim is to equip all models, except the cheapest, with a 35mm sensor in the future. " From 5D review at http://www.digit.no/wip4/detail.epl?id=59456

From our 1Ds3 very old archive - Dec 05

February 6th 2008 In an interview with Chuck Westfall at CNET, there's a bit more info than in the Swedish video

Read the full interview to get the nuances, but points include

FF market to expand in 2008
APS-H (1.3 crop) is cheaper but that's its main advantage over FF
1D3 fix makes things better
... but we are still looking at it
Geotagging - it's on the way
Fuel cells [CW mentioned this back in 2005]
OLED displays before long

...and other stuff ;-)

Also, is there to be a 1Ds3 'recall'?? (1Ds3 page) [probably not since this was from a Canon rep ;-) ]

In sensor design, Kodak have come up with another new design [DPR] to get more out of small pixels. It features 1.4 micron pixels which gives approx 440MP if scaled up to FF (note they mention use at up to ISO 3200 ;-) [More Kodak sensor info]

5th Chuck Westfall's interview is still generating a lot of discussion. Given the man is paid not to say anything meaningful unless authorised, I suspect rather too much is being read in to his few (well chosen words)

Long time rumour watchers may vaguely remember his alleged words, some years ago, that eventually Canon would move to FF in all but introductory cameras (However see December 6th 2006 in our rumours archive for what he actually said) You can also see in this 2005 PDF his thoughts on where digital cameras were going (don't expect too much! ;-)

The all new 1D3 fix/whatever [1D3 page] is causing consternation amongst owners who have already sent it away, as well as those who have not... Expect some form of announcement (eventually) from Canon

It's also 5D Mk2 photo time again. I've been away for a few days and was catching up on some mail. The first link I was sent, was here [fotoup from 15 Jan], which seemed to point here [CG 14/1] which eventually pointed somewhere else (all pre PMA stuff)

As ever it's always following back the links if given.

3rd There's an interview with Chuck Westfall of Canon US in the video on this page (it's bits in English after about 50 seconds)

He notes that even after 2.5 years, there is still no FF competitor for the 5D -at the price-. Note the mention of lens releases and how the 1D series at 1.3x crop was aimed at 1.5x and 1.6x competitors. More than anything the arrival of the D3 suggests that the next high speed camera will be FF.

2008 February 1st Without a 5D2 at PMA, the general expectation has moved to 'nothing until August' (GM for example).

A bit more in the forthcoming Sony FF in this video from ImagingResource

January 31st No 5D2, but an Amazon review comment suggests that a Canon rep (UK) says June for a 16MP 5D2, although I might take it more seriously if whoever wrote it was able to use upper -and- lower case letters and didn't rate the 450D as 'MAKES THE 40D AND 5D MODELS REDUNDANT' ;-)

At PMA, Sony talk more about their forthcoming 24.6MP DSLR (CMOS with Super Steady Shot stabilization).

There's a whole load of pictures at DPR taken at the Sony press event (no trip to Vegas this year for Northlight ;-)

The Sigma DP-1 was mentioned again, it has a 4.7MP Foveon Sensor witha 28mm (equiv) lens [DPR].

Not specs that would appeal to me personally, but I hope they do well enough to encourage more manufacturers to put decent sensors into compact cameras (and no I don't mean at Leica prices either ;-)

• There's even a rumour going round that Nikon in the UK are targeting some Canon pros with invites to try out a D3 and some kit for a week. As a working photographer who wants the best tool for the job, my contact details are readily available on this site ;-) :-) ...of course that goes for you too Canon (and now Sony too ;-)

January 30th Still no 5D2 but...

Pentax also getting announcements out about potential new cameras [DPR] Firmly still in the vapourware category though ;-) If you read through the thread, you'll see a lot of discussion about potentially dropping the current mechanical AF system for lenses. Seeing all this and similar discussions in Nikon forums about new 'electronic' lenses made me reflect on Canon's move to EF lenses, which led to a lot of people with unusable lenses at the time. As someone whose first Canon camera was my 1Ds, I missed this change, so just get the benefits of an all electronic range of lenses.

Sigma are also pushing a new compact aimed at DSLR users (real soon now ;-). The current images suggest an APS-C sensor with a wide(ish) angle lens...

Sony have announced the A300 (10MP) and A350 (14MP)
...and a 25MP FF CMOS sensor for use in cameras, but no camera with it inside (at the moment)

Sony PR [Sony]

2008 January 29th In an excellent example of how you can use firmware updates to improve the usefulness of a camera, Olympus have added a feature allowing you to use in-body IS with old lenses [from DPR]

I have a hat somewhere i'll eat if Canon ever do such a thing... i.e. Contrast based AF in liveview for my 1Ds3 (or the 40D)

Nikon have announced several new lenses, the one that interests me the most is the 24mm tilt/shift. I've got a page with all the NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED PC info and have included some examples from one of my articles for people new to tilt/shift lenses (or Perspective Control in Nikon parlance).

Meanwhile some lengthy threads on forums still hold out hope for more from Canon ;-)

28th Still nothing new :-) However, do have a look at what Thom Hogan has in store for Nikon this year. Quite a few things, that if they came about would put some fair pressure on some of Canon's offerings.

PMA starts Thursday, so we can expect some Nikon announcements before long (see also our 'lenses' page), that and a lot of Sony fans are still eagerly awaiting their 'flagship' camera ...lots of MP and FF? (see this for a 14.2MP A350 and some more pics [Spanish site] )

There is a purported Nikon press release for the D60 on DPR. 10.2MP, Anti-dust, "Nikon’s exclusive Airflow Control System" A D40X with anti dust and a few other features?

January 27th An EOS 4D? ;-) Seemingly the French magazine Chasseur d'Images has slipped a small image of a 4D into an article about the evolution of digital cameras. [DPR]

There are still lots of "it's not all over posts" on various forums, but most have more than a touch of wishful thinking in them...

Note the post at the bottom of this DCM thread:

'I was at the 450D launch in London on Thursday, and a lot of journalists were asking "where's the 5D MkII?" after the recent rumours. Anyone at Canon I talked to just looked blankly at me and said "yeah loads of people have been saying that... we have no idea where that rumour came from. Hey check out our new 450D!!!!"
The stuff Canon launched on Thursday is its full 2008 range - it's not holding anything back for PMA.'

"we have no idea where that rumour came from" Fine words from the Canon PR flacks :-) :-)

26th The 'there's still something new to come' campaign are now targeting an update to the 40D (or similar - it's just rumours ;-). I've put stuff on the 50D page, although at 6 months old I wasn't expecting Canon to follow the Nikon D40 to D40X route...

IIRC, the last time they had two DSLRs not announced at the same time was the 20D and 1Ds2 about a month apart. The 1Ds2 was just before Photokina
(Aug/Sep 2004 -- see our 1Ds2 page and note the reference to the mythical 3D right at the start ;-) Who knows, maybe Canon will announce something new for 'Focus' in Birmingham :-) :-)

Depending on translation, a Canon exec at a press conference on the 24th may have suggested that the entire EOS line was being refreshed this year [ from DC via POTN ]

January 25th I've had numerous mails (thanks!) asking about whether there are any more announcements due, and although I don't know for certain, I'd say that based on Canon's past behaviour and the PDFs below, for PMA 'that's all folks...'

Note that not everyone agrees [DPR]... ;-)
Since PMA is next week (Jan 31st to Feb 2nd) we won't have long to wait.

More megapixels? Scaling up the 450D sensor comes out at ~32MP.

Mention this on some forums to get a fair bit of misinformation about diffraction and lens performance, along with a good sprinkling of other opinions that IMO 'are not even wrong' :-) A lot depends on Canons newest sensor technologies (see notes from September) One problem is that as cameras get better it becomes more and more difficult to make impressive leaps in performance. Sure my 1Ds3 is a damn fine camera, but for much of my work I could still use my 1Ds and get results that clients would happily accept ;-)

From Canon Australia there is a Canon February 2008 full DSLR comparison chart (see table below) available as a PDF. This has the 5D in it, as does the Digital SLR range guide (PDF) (pic below)

The table below is from the other PDF (Current DSLR lineup). The table was ripped from the actual PDF and tidied a bit.

A look at some of the 5D specs compared to other cameras shows its age a bit ;-)

	Entry Level		Enthusiast		Professional
	EOS 400D	EOS 450D	EOS 40D	EOS 5D	EOS 1D Mark III	EOS 1Ds Mark III
Imaging Sensor/Effective Pixels	CMOS (APS-C) / 10.1-megapixels	CMOS (APS-C) / 12.2-megapixels	CMOS (APS-C) / 10.1-megapixels	CMOS (Full Frame) / 12.8- megapixels	CMOS (APS-H) / 10.1-megapixels	CMOS (Full Frame) / 21.1-megapixels
Effective Sensor Size	22.2 x 14.8 mm	22.2 x 14.8 mm	22.2 x 14.8 mm	35.8 x 23.9 mm	28.1 18.7 mm	36 x 24 mm
A/D Resolution Power	12-bit (Canon Original)	14-bit (Canon Original)	14-bit (Canon Original)	12-bit (Canon Original)	14-bit (Canon Original)	14-bit (Canon Original)
Colour Filter Size	RGB Primary Colors	RGB Primary Colors	RGB Primary Colors	RGB Primary Colors	RGB Primary Colors	RGB Primary Colors
35mm Focal Length Equivalent	1.6x	1.6x	1.6x	1.0x	1.3x	1.0x
Image Recording
Medium	CF Type I, II / 1 slot	SD / SDHC Memory Card	CF Type I, II / 1 slot	CF Type I, II / SD1 slot	CF Type I, II / SD/SDHC, external media (via WFT-E2)	CF Type I, II / SD (incl SDHC), external media (via WFT-E2)
Image Size
Large / Fine	3,888 x 2,592 pixels / 3.8MB	4,272 x 2,848 / Approx 4.3 MB	3,888 x 2,592 / 3.5 MB	4,368 x 2,912 / 4.6MB	3,888 x 2,592 / 3.5 MB	5616 x 3744 / 6.4 MB
Large / Normal	3,888 x 2,592 pixels / 2.0MB	4,272 x 2,848 / Approx 2.2 MB	3,888 x 2,592 / 1.8 MB	4,368 x 2,912 / 2.3MB
Middle / Fine	2,816 x 1,880 / 2.3MB	3,088 x 2,056 / Approx 2.5 MB	2,816 x 1,880 / 2.1 MB	3,168 x 2,112 / 2.7MB	3,456 x 2,304 / 2.8MB	5.2 MB (4992 x 3328 pixels)
Middle / Normal	2,816 x 1,880 / 1.2MB	3,088 x 2,056 / Approx 1.3 MB	2,816 x 1,880 / 1.1 MB	3,168 x 2,112 / 1.4MB	2,816 x 1,880 / 2.1MB	3.9 MB (4080 x 2720 pixels)
Small / Fine	1,936 x 1,288 / 1.3MB	2,256 x 1,504 / Approx 1.6 MB	1,936 x 1,288 / 1.2 MB	2,496 x 1,664 / 2.0MB	1,936 x 1, 288 / 1.2 MB	2.2 MB (2784 x 1856 pixels)
Small / Normal	1,936 x 1,288 / 0.7MB	2,256 x 1,504 / 0.8 MB	1,936 x 1,288 / 0.7 MB	2,496 x 1,664 / 1.0MB
RAW	3,888 x 2,592 / 9.8MB	4,272 x 2,848 / 15.3 MB	3,888 x 2,592 / 12.4 MB	4,368 x 2,912 / 12.9MB	3,888 x 2,592 / 13.0 MB	25.0 MB (5616 x 3744 pixels)
sRAW			1,936 x 1,288 / 7.1 MB		1,936 x 1,288 / 7.6MB	14.5 MB (2784 x 1856 pixels)
RAW & JPEG Simultaneous Recording	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder
Coverage (vertical/ horizontal)	0.95	0.95	Approx. 0.95x (-1 m-1 with 50mm lens at infinity)	Vertical/ Horizontal approx. 96%	1	1
Dioptric Adjustment	-3 to +1 dpt	-3 to +1 dpt	-3.0 - +1.0 m-1 (diopter)	-3 to +1 dpt	-3.0 - +1.0 m-1 (diopter)	-3 to +1 dpt
Interchangeable Focusing Screens	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Autofocus
AF Points	9	9	9	9 (+ 6 Assist)	19 cross type + 26 assist	19 cross type + 26 assist
Exposure Control
Shooting Modes	12 standard	12 standard	12 standard & 3 user defined	6	0	0
Metering Segments	12 standard	12 standard	12 standard & 3 user defined	6	63	63
Metering Modes	35	35	35	35	Evaluative, Partial, Spot (Centre-spot, AF point spot, multi spot) Centre-weighted	Evaluative, Partial, Spot (Centre-spot, AF point spot, multi spot) Centre-weighted
ISO Speed Range	Evaluative, Partial, Centre-weighted	Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Centre-weighted	Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Centre-weighted	Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Centre-weighted	ISO 100-3200 (expandable to 50-6400 via CF)	ISO 100-1600 (expandable to 50-3200 via CF)
Exposure Compensation	ISO 100-1600	ISO 100-1600	ISO 100-1600 (expandable to 3200 via CF)	ISO 100-1600 (expandable to 50-3200 via CF)	Manual, AEB ±2: - 1/3 or 1/2-stop increments	Manual, AEB ±2: - 1/3 or 1/2-stop increments
Shutter
Total Shutter Speed Range	1/4000 sec - 30 sec, X-sync at 1/200 sec	1/4000 sec - 30 sec, X-sync at 1/200 sec	1/8000 sec - 30 sec, X-sync at 1/250 sec	1/8000 sec - 30 sec, X-sync at 1/200 sec	1/8000 sec - 30 sec, X-sync at 1/300 sec	1/8000 sec - 30 sec, X-sync at 1/250 sec
Flash Control
E-TTL II Autoflash	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (with EX-series Speedlite)	Yes (with EX-series Speedlite)
Built-in Flash / G. No.	Provided / 13	Provided / 13	Provided / 13	-	No	No
Speed
Shooting Speed	3 fps / 27 shot max burst	3.5 fps / 53 shot max burst	6.5 fps / 75 shot max burst	3 fps / 60 shot max burst	10 fps / 110 shot max burst	5 fps / 45 shot max burst
White Balance
Settings	8	8	9	9	6 standard + 5 custom	6 standard + 5 custom
WB Bracketing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
General Features
LCD Monitor	TFT - 2.5 inch	TFT - 3.0 inch	TFT - 3.0 inch	TFT - 2.5 inch	TFT - 3.0 inch	TFT - 3.0 inch
Custom Functions/Settings	11 / 29	13 / 34	24/61	21 / 57	57	57
Integrated Cleaning System	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Live View	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Start Up Time	0.2 sec	0.1 sec	0.15 seconds	0.2 seconds	0.2 seconds	0.2 seconds
External Interface	Hi-Speed USB / Video	Hi-Speed USB / Video	Hi-Speed USB / Video / PC Terminal / Extension System Terminal	Hi-Speed / Video / PC Terminal	Hi-Speed USB / Video / PC Terminal	Hi-Speed USB / Video / PC Terminal
Remote Control Type	Compatible with Remote Switch RS-60E3, Remote Controller RC-5/RC-1	N3 type terminal	N3 type terminal	N3 type terminal	N3 type terminal	N3 type terminal
Battery	Lithium Ion NB-2LH	Lithium Ion LP-E5	Lithium Ion BP-511A, BP-514, BP-511, or BP-512	Lithium Ion BP-511A, BP-514, BP-511, or BP-512	Lithium Ion LP-E4	Lithium Ion LP-E4
Chassis Material	Stainless Steel + Polycarbonate	Stainless Steel + Polycarbonate	Magnesium Alloy + Stainless Steel	Magnesium Alloy + Stainless Steel	Magnesium Alloy + Stainless Steel	Magnesium Alloy + Stainless Steel
Water/Dust Resistance	-	-	-	-	Yes (water resistance retained with 580EXII)	Yes (water resistance retained with 580EXII)
Dimensions (W x H x D) mm	126.5 x 94.2 x 65.0 mm	128.8 x 97.5 x 61.9	145.5 107.8 x 73.5 mm	152.0 x 113.0 x 75.0 mm	156 x 156.6 x 79.9 mm	156 x 159.6 x 79.9 mm
Weight (excl. battery in grams)	510	475	740	810	1155	1205

24th No 5D replacement(s) in today's announcements, so I suspect we have a bit of a wait...

I did have one person ask me if it was significant that Canon were at the UK Focus exhibition in the UK (24/27 Feb) This year they are listed in the exhibitor lists... I don't think it's ever been the event for a big launch and Canon definitely tends to go for Jan/Feb and Aug/Sept announcements. The 5D was announced on 22/8/05

Oh, it's a 450D... ;-)

I notice that its Liveview implementation also has contrast detect AF, for when the mirror is up. Does this mean that since it's only done in software, we can now have that form of AF on the 40D, 1D3 and most importantly of all (for me ;-) the 1Ds3? I suspect the code for it might even be in the software, deactivated, but perhap new AF features are not going to be an add-in feature ;-)

There's a review (in German) of the K20D - has some interesting fuctionality. The Samsung GX20 specs are at DPR. As would be expected ther'e also a slew of compact cameras from various manufacturers. One of the reasons that I looked at the Ricoh GX100 last year was its 24mm (eqv.) wide angle - sad to say I've not seen one new compact go for wide angle coverage. Lots of fancy bits of technology but painfully long in focal length, if like me you regularly use wide lenses (down to 14mm for myself)

23rd As expected, the 14.6MP Samsung sensor appears in a Pentax - the K20D [Pentax PR on DPR]

There is also the K200D at 10.2MP ... both APS-C

Meanwhile on DPR the 'oracle' reiterates

"no 5d as i said..... but new rebel is on its way....."

January 22nd Did 5D production stop in November? [DPR]

2 'entry level' DSLRs from Canon this year? [POTN]

"What is confirmed are two new entry-level EOS DSLRs and both won't be a 5D replacement or successor.
That's all I know.
Whether any of these two models are going to be 1.6x, 1.3x or FF is anyone's guess for time being.

The EOS 7s ;-) -->

There's a DPR post with some thoughts on the two upcoming FF cameras.

Info is supposed to be from Canon servicing, but as they they admit, no-one tells them anything ;-)

"He said that as far he could see Canon is thinking soon to produce a pro camera that would include some of the best feature of both 1D series
15.1 MP (full frame) 14 bit
1 Digic III ISO 100 to 6400(up to 12800)
AF like 1Dmk III, 3 fps
3 inch screen, A sort of smaller 1D body,with integrated grip but not rear lcd panel
1 slot flash card
He also spoke about a 5D replacement coming probably after:
12.8 MP 14 bit
1 Digic III ISO 100 to 3200 (up to 6400)
Improved 9 point AF, 4 fps
3 inch screen
Improved body "

Back in Sony land, many were less than deeply moved by the A200...

The picture to the right is purported to be a Sony A300

There are more details at EKG. Note the excellent rumour logic ;-)

21st The popular 'Tsiphoto' makes a usual late entry on DPR and announces that "pma will not bring a new 5d body..... " This poster, who has a 'better than most'* record with pre-launch info is usually regarded a a harbinger of product announcements on DPR.

*'Better than most' is a relative term - you can check his past posting history on DPR ;-)

The thread also includes several other people's predictions including the interesting...

on Jan 24 they will announce 2 new cameras for PMA: the 7D and the 450D.
The 7D will be the 16Mp successor of the 5D. Making room for a 3D introduction later this year.
The 7D will be the big brother to the 40D. With FF and spectacular high iso performance.
I suspect the 450D to be surprisingly interesting due to a larger viewfinder and an improved AF system with face-detection.

Ah... the fabled 3D! This is at least better than the continuing rehash of the Swedish news article from 14th Dec, which keeps appearing on assorted blogs, along with the '7D UPC code' :-)

I've had some info on a German PR from Samsung with details of their 14.6MP CMOS APS-C sensor. The emphasis of the PR is on speed (getting data off the chip) and sensitivity/noise, it mentions ISO 1600 [subsequently amended to include 3200]. This would presumably be the chip in the 'GX20' mentioned the other day. [Samsung PR in German]

• In a personal note, my partner Karen, yesterday launched her Bridal Jewellery web site - as such she's used my 1Ds3 for more small product photography than I have! In particular the colours in the images for the bead colour page were noticeably better and easier to work on than with my old 1Ds. Most were taken with a TS-E 90 lens with an extension tube and few degrees of tilt. Thanks to those that checked out the site - she was really pleased to see so many visitors (even if, as she suggested, visitors from my site are hardly likely to be into bridal jewellery :-) :-)

January 20th Calumet in the US send out a bimonthly printed catalogue. It seems that the 5D isn't listed FWIW [DPR]

Over on Flcr there is also some great exposition on all the details of the 7D, including the fact that Canon have succumbed to market pressures and included 3.5" floppy disk support :-) :-)

19th In the US the Canon lens rebate (instant $125 aka 'a temporary price cut') has been extended (info on Lenses page)

18th In an update to what we were told the other day, it seems that Canon is using bespoke CF cards of around 50GB for the testing of the new cameras.

In a timely reminder of the importance of backups, DPR had a massive disk failure and have lost the last 4-5 days of posts. There is no truth in the rumour that one of the major camera brands was responsible for 'erasing' sensitive information, nor was it one of the regular visitors who always replies "why don't you people get out more and take photos ...and just wait for the announcement" every time a new rumour thread starts :-)

16th In some new info we were just sent, there was a report of several new models being seen at Canon in Japan including up to 24MP and 25FPS. There would be a 25FPS version was targeted at Press users. The 24MP was due for release either late Autumn or early 2009 (not in time for the Olympics, but it will be being tested there). The FF 24MP has been 'completely re-designed using completely new and different technologies'. The same source suggested that there would indeed be a '5D related' launch at PMA. And in the best 'till last category... the 25FPS version later this year -- £1800 with a range of 'kit' lenses

As ever remember that this is a rumour page! My own thoughts are that some of this fits in with the some 1Dmk4 info we had (ie no MK4 and a new '1' series designation) The 25FPS could refer either to HD video output or the new CMOS designs from Canon that have been addressing the 'electronic shutter' issue. 25FPS is an awful lot of data to process at higher resolutions....
Since some of this info is currently being trailed to industry figures, I'd appreciate any comments ;-)

Of course, if you'd like a 5DMk2, then those well known rip-off merchants 'bestpricecamera' have it listed on their site - no details of course and they'd probably charge you extra to have the Canon logo on the front ;-)

15th Meanwhile in the US a Canon rep allegedly says [DPR]: "Stay home if you are looking for anything like a 5D follow on at PMA. We just introduced 2 cameras last year - it will not be until the Fall until we do anything with the 5D line."

-If- a replacement 5D was ready to go at the end of last year, then any delay makes it all the more likely that we will see more than one FF camera. It's not unknown for products to get fairly well along the development cycle and then be canned as market conditions change. 3D anyone? :-) :-)

Some sighting in Amazon listings suggest the 450D a possible entry at PMA.

Phil at DPR reckons that 2008 will be the year for DSLR launches with up to 25 DSLR launhes over the course of the year. He has some predictions on the site

Sorry for delays for people emailing today - my main internet connection is down and the backup dialup service has switched in - I'd forgotten just how slow it is :-)

January 14th A Canon UK rep alludes to a 5Dmk2 at PMA and "a few suprises as Canon will be bringing out a lot of other new product[s]", meanwhile in Australia we that "I hear from Canon Australia directly that they WONT be releasing the camera at PMA." ...both in the same DPR thread, so not far too look :-)

11th A Norwegian supplier has let out info on the new Samsung GX20. The original article has been pulled but there is info on DPR

14.6 MP (CMOS)
Sensor shifting IS
Resistant to rain, sand and dust
'Double dust removal' on image sensor
2.7" LCD
Live view
One-press raw(as in K10D I guess)
ISO 3200
Price 10% more than K10D when it was introduced

There is strong suspicion that it will also come in a Pentax K20D variant

9th What will Canon have to show at the Focus exhibition in the UK (24/27 Feb) ? After several years of conspicuous absence, they are listed in the exhibitor lists...

The 5D is being quite heavily promoted at the moment (DPR) but there hasn't been any decent new rumours (or even fake pictures) for a while now :-)

7th In an announcement for the 2008 CES in Las Vegas (all this week), Sony have posted details of the follow up to the A100, the 10.2 MP A200. One feature of note is their return to CCD technology for the APS-C sensor. All the specs at DPR.

There's a Japanese site being mentioned several places as confirming the '16MP 5D2'. However, given it mentions the head of Canon, it's probably based on the interview mentioned on the 29th. As with any rumours coming from non-english sources, expect it to be diced and sliced and appear in various forms (unattributed) on numerous 'blogs' over the next few days :-)

3rd Much as suspected, the disappearance of Canon's UK DSLR web pages over the last week or so was more likely to a lengthy holiday absence of their webmaster, than any secret updates :-)

Good to see someone reckons the Sony Alpha 900 will be 21.42 MP ;-) ['picture'] Other guestimates suggest ~14MP FF. Meanwhile there is the expected A200 some time in the next few weeks (12MP?).

2008 January 2nd From reading what's in various Canon catalogues, there's a thought (POTN) on the 5D2 being kept until Photokina in the Autumn, with just a 450D for PMA

A delay in the 5D2 -might- be more likely signify a split into higher and lower end FF models (3D/7D) since what was going to be in the 5D2 has been around for a while (see below).

Happy New Year to all our visitors. Having just checked, that was quite a few in 2007! (4.7 Million pages from 3.5 Million visits)

2007 December 30th At last, another mention of the 3D :-)

"The person said 2 DSLRs ($3500 and $2500) will be released next year. He added the later one is 5D successor. New model released in Jan. might be 3D. "

BTW If you're new to the page, see all the info we had back in September regarding the 5D/3D split, 5D2 functionality etc.

29th According to 'Hisashi Owada' in an interview (translated from Japanese to Chinese to English, so it could really say almost anything ;-)

"We will launch a strong product. Intermediate camera 'EOS 5D' there will be increased durability and the subsequent pixel models listed. At the same price, we will launch better products. "

Original article
Google translation

Make of that what you will, but improved weather sealing and 16MP look more likely, ...and coming in at the original 5D price?

27th In the latest copy of Canon's EOS magazine (which recently turned up here) There is an editorial comment relating to an interview with Tsunemasa Ohara (senior general manager of Canon's R&D Centre)

Seemingly there is 'no limit on sensor resolution' and 'full-frame sensors are unlikely to be seen on consumer cameras'. Canon is also investing a lot of R&D on Live View and regard it as the 'single most exciting new feature of EOS digital cameras' [sic]

BTW - I've just heard that the Canon.co.uk DSLR page isn't being found - probably maintenance ;-)

23rd Although dealers are not usually the best sources for future releases. At least one is expecting a 6D ;-) [POTN] "...his tip was to keep an eye on Canon's site over Xmas as it will appear on there first. He was also saying there will be minor upgrades on the 400D"

December 22nd It was pointed out to me (thanks) that one area that Swedish interview did cover was Canon pricing in Europe. It seems that there is supposedly one price for dealers to buy kit whether your buy from Canon Portugal or Canon Iceland. As to retail prices, then that is another matter all together ;-)

If you missed the row, then it seems that in France, Canon got very miffed with a well known French magazine for its coverage of the 1D3 AF issues, and pulled all its advertising - more details on the 1D3 page.

18th Good to see the rumour mill greatly enhancing the content of that Swedish article mentioned the other day :-) There are reports all over the place conflating it (helped by the fact that it wasn't in English ;-) to include all kinds of announcement :-) Suffice to say it doesn't mention anything very specific, save the date...

14th Will we get an 5D related announcement on the 24th of January? In an interview (in Swedish), Robert Westin (VP Canon Sweden) says '... Canon has had a mediocre year because of a change in their business systems'. He also mentions that the next new Canon product will be announced on January 24. 2008, a week before PMA.'

It also says that Canon will "release more photography-related products during 2008 than w