The mid-range full frame war June 12, 2008
Posted by tcbp in : News & Rumors , 4 comments
The hotly anticipated successor to Canon’s aging 5D is supposedly due any time now. Rumors have suggested it might appear in January, then February, then April and even June. Now everyone probably mostly expects to see something announced towards the end of the summer or during September to coincide with Photokina. Specifications vary just as much as the expected release date, although there are certain things that seem to be a given at this point:
- full frame sensor probably in the 14-18 megapixel range
- 14 bit A-D conversion through the newest DIGIC III processor
- A larger screen with Live View
- Weather sealing
I suspect the anticipation of the last feature is due to the moves made by Nikon and Pentax to include sealing in their newer non-”Pro” SLRs. Canon would be smart to incorporate those changes although I hope to see a more 1 series like interface and body, just kept smaller while still retaining a nice 100% viewfinder. The D300 from Nikon closely resembles a lot of what I’d like to see Canon do in the 5D Mark II or 6D or 7D or whatever the name of the day is.
I certainly hope to see something this fall as I am interested in this camera personally to replace or compliment my 1D Mark II.
At the same time, while a 5D update is almost a given, there are many rumors surrounding a full frame mid-range camera from Nikon. The name du-jour seems to be D10, not to be confused with Canon’s long passed 10D. *side note: when will these manufacturers stop jumbling up each others names?*
Not really having a predecessor, I am sure the speculation on the D10 is a little different from the 5D MK II/6D/7D which has some pretty big shoes to fill. Some rumors suggest the resolution will be at least that of the D3 although I imagine besting the D3 in terms of resolution in a less expensive camera might rub some people the wrong way (it’s not like this sort of thing hasn’t happened before though). 14 bit A-D is a given using EXPEED and hopefully all that will be packaged in a body similar to the D300.
Even though specs aren’t known, price estimates for both cameras float in the $2500-3500 range. I expect either one would fall above $3000 personally. The real question is will Nikon try to beat Canon to the punch and if they do, will it get some Canon defectors to switch over who are impatient of waiting for the 5D’s replacement?