Is Canon to jump in the MF arena?

[Juan Zas]

There are also lastly a lot of rumors about Canon is going to introduce a Medium Format Body or 2xFF sensor, and also some optics specially designed for them; to compete in the high end Pro area like Hasselbald and similar.

Some rumors said that this is going to be the Big Announcement with the new 1Ds Mk III for PMA. All in the high end.

Some people have search for some pictures of the new 2xFF model and it did come out with this:

http://images.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://www.canonfd.com/colani/med1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.canonfd.com/colani/page2.htm&h=417&w=475&sz=22&hl=de&start=5&tbnid=iLDPdfPIdHbDeM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcolani%2Bcanon%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Dde %26sa%3DN

It´s very curious, because i´s a very old design from Luigi Colani (1984), it´s a called biomorph design, but still it´s pretty actual !!

This could be one of the secrets best kept by Canon, who knows. Let´s wait and see ...

[roli_bark]

This PIC is OLD [from 2000 ...]
http://www.io.tudelft.nl/public/vdm/fca/canon/col101.htm

[fstop11.net]

Yes you can tell by the SVHS socket on the side that is old.

[Juan Zas]

Yes, it´s really old ... 1.984 !!!! But look the design, still it´s actual and if you look the viewfinder is still the old one, no LCD, but what a nice shape !!

[Hellashot]

Canon bought a company that had developed a MF digital sensor several months ago.

[Juan Zas]

Canon bought a company that had developed a MF digital sensor several months ago.

Interesting .... :cool: :cool: :cool:

[NickSimcheck]

Canon bought a company that had developed a MF digital sensor several months ago.

Where is your source? Who do you work for? I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING! :lol:

[BradT0517]

Canon bought a company that had developed a MF digital sensor several months ago.

Really now this might convince Noink to start into FF.

If I had the money I would invest in this.

[cdesperado]

Hellashot... can you provide a link to your source? I've searched in vain for information regarding a Canon acquisition of a company playing in the medium format arena.

[Hellashot]

Where is your source? Who do you work for? I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING! :lol:

I think I saw the article that someone gave a link to several months ago on www.dpreview.com I dont' think it was one of the site's news articles.

[Juan Zas]

Lastly, many rumors are taking body again about a possible incursion of Canon in the MF segment. Someones has revealed or remember that Canon has acquired several company/lines related, like the Contax (Zeiss). Coming back again with the other rumors about a new mount + new lenses ..... is it the puzzle taking form?

[jiggling_john]

seems plausible... the roumors of a new mount + lens system have popped up more than once - maybe this is the reason? A new lens/mount for standard slr's would be retarded, everyone would go insane about it being as there's no real or apparent reason - but for a medium format system... now there's a thought. This to me seems one of the most plausible musings I've heard in a while... 2 weeks or so to find out!

[Tom W]

There's more than a handful of people already feeling that full-frame is the new medium format. This would really shake them up!

I'm not sure if Canon would want to venture into such a small market. I don't doubt that they could grab a sizeable market share, but it's such a small market that I'm not sure that it would be worth their while. Unless the lenses could also be adapted to the EF mount (though obviously not the reverse due to image circle considerations) where they'd share a somewhat broader market. It costs a lot to develop a new format, and those costs have to be recouped at some point.

[jiggling_john]

maybe its the opposite... is it entirely unplausible that MF could just become the next "top line" thing to have? The replacement, as it were, for FF??

[metoyou]

Where will it all end...probably
with a plug-in sensor to upgrade your camera
as you require! Save changing cameras every 18 months!
Then pigs will fly, wont they....

[DrPablo]

Who in god's name would ever buy MF lenses from Canon? There is such an overwhelming abundance of great MF lenses on the used market that I just don't think Canon could convince anyone. I mean you can get a Zeiss 80 f/2.8 C T* Planar (for Hassys) for about $300 these days. Canon might throw in autofocus and autoaperture, but I doubt people would spend $3000 per lens.

They might be able to compete in the MF digital back arena, because it seems like the whole world is watching and waiting for backs to drop in price (I certainly am for my Hassy, and I'm happy to wait years). But I doubt they'd ever be able to compete in the lens department, when historically great lenses are already so inexpensive.

[lostdoggy]

Why compete when they can just buy the company!!!

[BradT0517]

Why compete when they can just buy the company!!!

Because that would create another monopoly that they would have so the FF and MF from Canon would never get upgraded.

[Longwatcher]

Consider if you will that Hassleblad has stopped support for 500-series cameras (in that they have indicated they are no longer making repair parts for them, when they run out of a part, they run out.

Consider Hassy has created the H3D which can't use any lens or back except Hassleblad because of chipping, essentially turning it into a closed system like a 35mm DSLR. The only exception is you can still change out backs/sensors (but they have to be Hassleblad).

Now Canon 1DsMkII is already competing for new users with the MF cameras and some old users because of price versus function and flexability.

And then Canon comes up with a 46x32mm sensor, which starts getting really close to MF size film and we get all the benefits of the 1DsMkII to boot.

Add in the rumors that Canon is coming out with a higher dynamic range sensor.

Say bye bye Hasselblad.

But that is just a rumor.

The only catch to the x2 rumor is they will need new lenses, but it is technically possible to make both the EF series and the new lenses functionable with each others camera, through the use of an adapter (already demonstrated- Just about anything to EF mount) and a crop sensor (already demonstrated - see D2X). The trickiest part is a possible adapter for mounting EF to the MF camera, but this can be done if the MF lens mount is designed with this in mind from the start.

We have the technology, the catch is does Canon have the imagination and engineers and the marketing will to make it happen and when and how much.

just some thoughts,

[Punisher77]

FWIW, Pentax just announced a new digital MF.

http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/12940/digital_slr_camera/

Pentax 645 Digital medium-format digital SLR camera
• Kodak-developed extra-large CCD image sensor with 31.6 total megapixels • Compatibility with existing smc Pentax 645 interchangeable lenses

http://www.letsgodigital.org/images/artikelen/39/pentax_medium_format_645.jpg

[DrPablo]

Yes, you're correct that Hassy no longer supports the older 500-series bodies and lenses. But considering how overwhelmingly abundant, cheap, and great their equipment is, and also that it's very easy to find trained repairmen for Hassy, it's actually a pretty good deal. The lenses are incredibly inexpensive, considering they are among the best ever made for any format.

I'm not saying it makes sense for everyone, but take into account the following about a prospective Canon MF lens lineup:

1) It will be completely unproven in the face of the legendary MF lenses from Zeiss, Mamiya, and Schneider (for Rollei), as well as the excellent MF lenses from Fuji, Pentax, and Bronica. Canon will have to work extremely hard to prove that their lenses match up optically even to the likes of a 40 year old Zeiss 38mm Biogon.

2) It will be incredibly expensive. If Canon designs a lens to cover 6x4.5 or 6x6, with the same build and optical quality of its better L-series lenses, you'll be looking at a lens that is easily $3000 or $4000.

3) The market for MF equipment in general is pretty small these days. The market for new MF equipment is even smaller. There are a lot of former MF users who have gone digital who feel their 1DsII or D2X or 5D completely meet their needs -- and they're not going to be easily wooed into buying a brand new, unproven Canon MF system for tens of thousands of dollars.

[TTLImaging]

Lastly, many rumors are taking body again about a possible incursion of Canon in the MF segment. Someones has revealed or remember that Canon has acquired several company/lines related, like the Contax (Zeiss). Coming back again with the other rumors about a new mount + new lenses ..... is it the puzzle taking form?

Juan... this is so interesting, In a conversation with a CPS rep I had several years ago (it was before xmas 14 mos. ago) (this was from his mouth directly to my ears) he stated that while canon p/s (point&shoot) cameras used sony ccd sensors, canon was grinding 80-90% of sony's still camera glass including those labeled Zeiss (which was actually just a zeiss approved design).

[TTLImaging]

2) It will be incredibly expensive. If Canon designs a lens to cover 6x4.5 or 6x6, with the same build and optical quality of its better L-series lenses, you'll be looking at a lens that is easily $3000 or $4000.


I am not quite sure of this, but I do not think that even on leaf/ phase one/ or even the h1d that the actual sensor is 6x6 or even 6x4.5, but are a bit smaller.

[DrPablo]

That is correct.

None of the "MF" digital backs / bodies, including the Phase One, Hasselblad, Leaf, Sinar, etc, has a sensor larger than 39x48 mm. That said, none of the current Canon lenses (except maybe the three TS-E lenses) can cover even 39x48, so it would require a considerably different lens design for a new Canon lens lineup to cover current "MF" sensors.

I still maintain that any new Canon lens with this much coverage that was meant to compete with the image quality of a Zeiss or Mamiya lens would cost thousands of dollars.

I certainly believe that Canon can make a lens that good -- but as Canon has never been a medium format player they would have a hard time justifying their inevitable price tag.

[Juan Zas]

Following Dr. Pablo comments, there is a link that I missed from past February about this same thing, but the rumors goes about the possible sensor size of 32 Mpx for the 1Ds Mk III addressing the MF field also:

http://stock-photo.blogspot.com/2007/02/canon-1ds-mkiii-goes-mf.html

Looking for other places, there are a composite image about what actual lens can cover, this image is ilustrative:

http://jpringlephoto.com/LESSONS/pics/Image-Circle.jpg

from where it can be seen that with the current EF lens can be covered (vignetting problems aside) a field of 40x40 mm.
(squaring the circle :) ).

Now, what if Canon can put a a big sensor in the body of the 1Ds and you are able to select the format: switching between ABOUT 40x40? and FF (dynamic cropping, you could jump between 32Mpx & 22 Mpx - aprox), with a new EF mount that also supports the EF classic lens line ?

Just speculating, but in this way many rumors are tied together in the same address ....

Cute, eh !! :cool: :cool: Possible ?? The time will say ... but in this way Canon could address also the studio field area more strongly.