Full Details on Future Canon Releases

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/Canon_1DS​_MkIII.html

• 40D - it's ready, but they did have a 40D ready in Feb/March, but it was regarded as just a bit to similar to everything else. It seems that Canon have put a lot into the 'new' 40D to get back market leadership in this segment from Nikon.
  
• Features include: 14 bit processing, highlight preservation, multiple custom functions, faster, half the noise level of the 30D, more weatherproofing. Lots of 'trickle down' features from their pro models.
  
• Their marketing campaign is really going to emphasise the semi-pro angle and the marketing will emphasise the 'pro' heritage.
  
• 1Ds3 - it's ready and production of the 1Ds2 has stopped. To be announced fairly soon. Several studios in New York now have production versions (under strict NDA and it is supposed to be 'just amazing'
  
• 5D replacement - Now 'feature complete'. Canon is working on the timing, most likely early 2008 [PMA is Jan 31 to Feb 2] Features include 16MP, Digic III and 14 bit.
  
• 400D replacement - March 2008. 14 bit, Digic III, highlight preservation. IS lens as standard.
  
• Sensor technology - Canon have mentioned that full frame sensor chips need two stepper passes. Sony now has the technology to do this in one pass and are preparing their own sensors and selling to them Nikon. However, Canon have a new 'one pass' technology too. What's more, it can do even larger than 35mm (36x24mm) in a single pass.
  
• Canon are very excited about a next generation CMOS sensors they are working on. Two full frame versions have 40M and 50M pixels at the -same- noise level as the current 1D series. Low power supply voltages give cooler chips and lower noise even with smaller pixels. Different circuit fabrication techniques also promise to make close to 100% of the sensor area active pixels. This technology won't make any of the upcoming models, but is expected in 2009/10.
  
• The competition - Canon were somewhat shocked by the success of the Nikon D80, D40 and D40X. Hence the 'improved' 40D and the improved 400D replacement in the works. Canon know what Nikon have coming (D300 and D3) and have planned the 40D, 1Ds III and 1D III as their answers.
  
• However Nikon are moving to CMOS sensors to over the next couple of years. Sony are moving CMOS to a near full frame (1.25 or so) and full (35mm) FF, so Canon are getting serious and starting to plan some aggressive upgrades.
  
• Sony worries Canon somewhat, since with their manufacturing capabilities, they could move the whole price base down for SLRs. So far they haven’t and their lens prices and range are not a worry for Canon. The current Sony Alpha has been less than astounding in the market.
  
• Moreover, Nikon have the camera credibility and certainly won’t stop with the D3 and D300. Their plans for the lower end (D40-D80 as well) are to replace them in much shorter timeframes than their previous 3-4 years. Nikon have moved emphasis from the low end 'point and shoot' digital into R&D on the DLSRs. They've found this to be 3-4 times as profitable (note Nikon's record profits over last 12 months). Nikon are more than happy with trouncing Canon for the last 12 months in Japan (not so world wide). So the next 2-3 years will see a major DSLR feature 'war'.
  
• IS Technology - This is being introduced in some of their consumer grade lenses. The technology has matured to the point that it can be added at only a small price premium. It gives product differentiation - a reaction to Sony and keeps them ahead of Nikon.
  
• Digic IV - Digic III just won't cut it for the new high density sensors. Digic IV can deal with with the transfer rates for higher bit per pixel images. One Digic IV chip beats the two Digic III in the 1D3.
  
• 16 bit RAW - Canon's target for their next generation of sensors is 16 bits per channel giving true HD quality. They are also looking at processing formats to retain that extra definition.
  
• ISO sensitivity - Canon see their next generation lower voltage CMOS as easily doing ISO6400, with a boost to 12800.

Yikes digic IV? This is the first time I've heard that mentioned. Sounds pretty crazy though if it's true. It would be nice to have image stabilization for cheaper too, especially in the "L" lenses I've been marking targets on recently.

speechless.

well this 40d when its announced better blow everyone away on this site. Cause i plan on upgrading from my xt so i can convert it to IR. If not i'll pick up the 100-400 is.

Interesting read... Is that 40M and 50M figure up there megapixels? If that's the case you'd hope they had an option for cutting that back quite a bit for those who won't print that big as those file sizes would be astronomical!

ISO 6400 and 12800! NICE! Kit lens will be a great night lens then

looks like Canon is moving everything over to 14bit. The 1DMKIII was the first, and it looks like the 40D/400D Replacement/5D Replacement will all be using 14bit. I wonder if that will force a shift from using the standard 8 bit JPG format, to using a newer JPG format, that can store the full 14bits. With Digic III, this promises to help expand the dynamic range of our cameras, and should help get us closer to film.

This is the second time I have read that Canon had the 40D near ready, but pulled it back in to add more features so that it could better compete with the models from Nikon, Pentax, and Sony. I'm hoping that Canon realizes that they can't compete on Megapixels, and will load the camera full of functionality to make it more feature rich. As soon as Canon announces the 40D, I'm almost positive Nikon and Sony will announce the D300 and Alpha 200 with 12MP sensors.

If Canon is really trying to push the 40D as a "mini-1D", then I'd really like to see more AF points. I'd love to have something like 20 AF points rather than the 9 currently in there. They are so far spaced out, that they aren't useable, in my opinion. As a result, people just switch to the center AF point and ignor all of the others. The 5D was a step in a right direction with it's 6 hidden AF points, hopefully we'll start seeing more AF in the lower end camera. At the very least, if we are stuck with 9 AF points, it would be nice if Canon would make more of them the cross type which becomes extra sensitive when lenses with 2.8 or faster aperatures are mounted.

Quite honestly, I'm very happy with 8MP and wouldn't care if we ever got more than that. What I would like to see is better dynamic range, better noise control, and better AF performance. Looks like the 14bit will help address the dynamic range, and Digic III promises to address noise control, so we are 2/3 there to my ideal camera.

Punisher77 wrote in post #3750692

• Features include: 14 bit processing, highlight preservation, multiple custom functions, faster, half the noise level of the 30D, more weatherproofing. Lots of 'trickle down' features from their pro models

okay, one of those 40D's will be MINE! half the noise level? it's more than what i wished!

Interesting. How is Nikon going to move to a CMOS sensor when Canon holds the patent to it?

liza wrote in post #3752763
Interesting. How is Nikon going to move to a CMOS sensor when Canon holds the patent to it?

Just change one thing around and your patent is out the door.

50 MP on a full frame sensor means they could put about 20 MP on an EF-S sensor with about the same pixel density. That would be an interesting camera, if the noise is really controlled and if there are lenses that can take advantage of that much resolution. At some point if they keep adding pixels it is going to be the glass that limits resolution.

ScottE wrote in post #3753118
50 MP on a full frame sensor means they could put about 20 MP on an EF-S sensor with about the same pixel density. That would be an interesting camera, if the noise is really controlled and if there are lenses that can take advantage of that much resolution. At some point if they keep adding pixels it is going to be the glass that limits resolution.

Personally, I think that is a myth. You will see distortion and aberrations more easily, yes, but that is a function of the zero-depth sensor compared to the 0.15 mm depth film emulsion. Note that the best lenses out there, and that includes a lot of L-glass, manage 350-400 lp/mm at F/4 or thereabouts, which is very close to the theoretical limit. A 50 MP FF sensor would bring the sensor resolution to about 240-250 lp/mm, which is much better than very good, normal contrast high resolution B&W film. And we get all this in full colour! This would give us a total resolution of about 150-160 lp/mm, which is twice that of what we have now with the 1Ds Mk II. Add the expected increase in DR, and such a camera competes quite easily with MF when using film.

So we may expect some interesting developments over the next few years .

Kind regards, Wim