Mark III ready for replacement?
After just about a year on the market, the rumors have started about a replacement for Canon's flagship EOS-1Ds dSLR. The blog trail, which seems to have started in a forum at photofans.cn but which I read on Photography Bay, speculates that the specifications will include the current sensor, but two Digic 4 processors which will enable a bump to ISO 12,800 and a burst rate of 6.8fps, HD video capture, and a jump to a 69-point AF system.
Though Canon Rumors gives this scuttlebutt its second-lowest credibility rating--"From a 4-legged animal"--as a possible feature set it makes some sense. Here's how the current model stacks up against its newest sibling, the 5D Mark II:
| Canon EOS 5D Mark II | Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III | |
| Price (body) | $2,699 | $7,999 |
| Sensor | 21.1 megapixel CMOS | 21.1 megapixel CMOS |
| A/D conversion | 14 bit | 14 bit |
| ISO sensitivity (expanded) | ISO 25,600 | ISO 3200 |
| AF system | 15-pt AF 6 center AF assist points; 3 center f2.8 and wider | 45-point AF 19 cross-type points; 26 Assist AF points |
| Continuous shooting frames best quality JPEG/full-size raw | 3.9fps unlimited/14 (with UDMA card) | 5fps 56/12 |
| Viewfinder | 98% coverage magnification n/a interchangeable focusing screen | 100% coverage 0.76x magnification interchangeable focusing screen |
| Shutter durability | 150,000 cycles | 300,000 cycles |
Clearly, the newer 5D Mark II outspecs its older, much more expensive brother in a way that makes the Mark IV inevitable sooner than the typical 18-month product cycle might support. And though the specs may be someone's wish list rather than the reality, it's a pretty sensible wish list. (I'd throw in a built-in wireless flash controller, though.)
But whether it's truth, lies or wishful thinking, you can bet we'll be hearing about it ad nauseam for the next 3 to 6 months.
EOS 5D ripe for replacement
(Credit: CNET Networks)There's something to be said for missing a big rumor because of a national holiday. Unless there's some real information, I don't really care about posting every time a new product name surfaces in software, or in this case, on a book title on Amazon.com.
While I was relaxing on my day off, non-vacationing bloggers had already spread the rumor about a Canon 5D Mark II book appearing on Amazon.com (Engadget, PhotographyBay, Gizmodo, and lots more), which was then discredited by the book's publisher in a Dpreview forum as simply a placeholder entry.
Frankly, my initial reaction on seeing the book post was that Wiley's time frame seemed awfully ambitious. The author's book on the relatively elderly EOS 5D only came out last month, so I thought it a bit odd that she'd manage to get out a new book, on an unshipped camera, by November.
Of course, it's still quite likely that we'll see a 5D replacement sometime this year and that we'll probably hear some fairly accurate details about it from a blog site way before Canon decides to put out an official pronouncement. At least we haven't seen any hissy fits from Canon reps about a Web full of misinformation, like Adobe Systems' John Nack posted this weekend.
Rebel XT ripe for replacement?
(Credit: CNET Networks)PhotographyBay translates a rumor from Kamera & Bild about possible specifications for the possible Canon Rebel XS which PhotographyBay speculates will possibly be announced at Photokina (early Fall). The speculative specs include a 10-megapixel sensor, 7-point AF, 3 frame per second burst, 2.5-inch LCD with Live View support and a "cheap price."
Nikon D80
(Credit: CNET Networks)Photography Bay seems to be cranking on its reputation as rumor central for the photography community. In addition to today's intimations about new Canon dSLRs, and a suggestion that Sony is discontinuing the DSLR-A700, the blog deconstructed a post on DPReview to hint at a new midrage Nikon full-frame dSLR targeted to compete with the Canon EOS 5D, and quotes speculation from bythom that a Nikon D90 and D3X will appear some time between May 12 and June 16. Nikon USA's comment: "You will be absolutely the first to be NDA'd if there is any legitimate product news coming from Nikon. Until then, everything you see about new products is an unsubstantiated rumor, and as you know, we're unable to comment on rumors."
The D80 is certainly ripe for replacement, and "D3X" might make a nice name for a midrange full-frame model.
Canon's EOS 5D Mark II might be the most rumored camera in history.
(Credit: CNET Networks)In today's episode of "I'm going to post a Canon EOS 5D Mark II rumor," Photography Bay says that Canon's German Web site displayed some information about the possible follow-up to the company's EOS 5D. The short blurb that purportedly appeared on the German site says that the camera will have a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, be able to shoot 6.5 frames per second, and will be available this June. For those keeping track, that's up from 15.3MP and 6 frames per second the last time Photography Bay predicted the imminence of the 5D Mark II. While those new details might turn out to be true, I don't believe it. It would be especially easy to fake a leak like this, and Photography Bay seems to be having too much fun posting rumors lately.
Sony's prototype flagship SLR as it was displayed at PMA earlier this year.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks)The Photo District News' blog is pointing to a post on Masterchong.com that has photos of Sony's upcoming 24.6-megapixel, full-35mm-frame sensor SLR from the Photo Imaging Expo in Tokyo, Japan. From what I can tell, the photos seem to be of the same prototype that was shown at PMA earlier this year.
While Masterchong.com refers to the SLR as the DSLR-A900 and says that it'll be officially announced at either the IFA or Photokina trade shows later this year, our Sony contact for the U.S. said that the company has not released an official announcement or ship date and that there is no official info regarding the name of the camera. If you ask me, I'd expect that the camera would be announced sometime in the lead up to Photokina. Since that's toward the end of September, I'd guess that we'll hear more sometime in the middle of that month. We'll be sure to update you as soon as we know any more info.
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