Production Cycles at Canon for DSLR

[tannoy]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knows how consistent Canon has been with their new releases. I know the 300/Rebel to the new Rebel XT camera was 18 months from announcement to announcemnet. Is this consistent for say the 10 D to 20 D, 1DS to 1DS Mk2?

Just wondering.

[Jim_T]

Here are the release dates (according to www.dpreview.com)

D30 - 12 May 2000
D60 - 22 Feb 2002
10D - 27 Feb 2003
20D - 19 Aug 2004

300D - 20 Aug 03
350D - 16 Feb 05 <- added on edit :)

1D - 25 Sep 01
1DII - 29 Jan 04

1Ds - 24 Sep 2002
1DsII - 21 Sep 04


Looks like the pro cameras run about 2.5 years per update.. The consumer cameras are a little over 1.5 years on average.

[Longwatcher]

Note those dates are when Canon officially announced the cameras, not when they shipped. Also the anomaly between D60 and 10D (only 1 year versus 1.5 years) is probably because the 10D is just an improved D60 with a newer fabrication facility making the sensor and some improvements like better AF and tweaked noise reduction, otherwise image processing was basically the same.

Given the announcement dates you can add 16Feb for 350D (or about 18 months).

The 1D series are probably actually on a alternating one year cycle (between 1D and 1Ds series) given some things I read indicating the 1DM2 was delayed a few months (Canon probably put some staff on making the 300D during that time) so it went to the next major event. I am just speculating here.

So based on that, the next most likely upgrade will be to the 1D series. this fall. Maybe they will go with 1DM3 to FF, 11MP, 8+FPS, might make it by then. Or possibly the 1DsM3 with faster FPS and otherwise smaller improvements. I base this on Canon's eventual apparent desire to merge the two series into a single camera which is FF and fast. Might not have one this fall though.

[who me?]

I base this on Canon's eventual apparent desire to merge the two series into a single camera which is FF and fast. Might not have one this fall though.

But, based on this quote, and if the eventual merge woere to happen, there would be a huge gaping hole between the level of the 20D and the 1 series. I would bet that Canon would keep something in the middle as I am sure there would be a market/demand for that level of camera. Kind of like the 1D is now. Personally a less expensive (about $2700) 1D version would be my wish. But then at the rate things are changing, who knows what will Canon's line will look like in several years.

[DocFrankenstein]

nice.... then maybe I'll have a 1Ds by 2007 or so... :D

[Jesper]

I'm waiting for the successor to the 20D.... what would it be called: 30D? No, sounds like the old D30 too much. 40D? No, they never use the number "4" in a camera model because it's an unlucky number in Eastern cultures (remember the PowerShot G-series: G1, G2, G3, G5, G6 - no G4!).

I think the 20D successor will be called 50D. If Canon keeps up with the schedule, it will be introduced in February 2006 (a year from now). The 50D would have an 11 or 12 MP sensor, probably 1.6x crop factor because it's going to be EF-S compatible (it seems like EF-S is going to stay for some time to come). It would have 5 fps like the 20D.

I'd be the first one in line to get a 50D like that.

[RichardZ]

Some time back a Canon exec was interviewed about marketing strategy. At one point he said, if I remember right, that they had no plans to expand their four level dslr range. At another point he said that they would eventually merge the "One" series into one model with highest resolution and speed.

So that would leave room in the market plan for a "three" series, wouldn't it?

Richard

[Jesper]

The next 1-series DSLR will undoubtedly be a combination of the 1D Mark II and 1Ds Mark II - in the interview that Richard refers to, the Canon guy answered "yes" to the question if there would be just one high-speed, high-resolution top model in the future, instead of two as we have now.

But I think it will be at least two years before there will be such a thing. A 16.7 MP full frame DSLR that can shoot 8 frames per second... that camera must have a very large amount of buffer memory and a very fast processor...

But if there would be a single full frame 1-series camera on the high end, and a 20D or 50D with 1.6x sensor on the semi-pro end, then yes, there could be room for an 1.3x sensor 3-series DSLR...