After a bout of slightly disappointing rumors from the Canon rumor mill, things are REALLY starting to look up for the replacement to the 5D mk2.I’ll cut right to the chase:
• The 5D mk3 might stay at 22 megapixels, which means the maximum possible improvement for high ISO performance compared to the 5D mk2.(Possibly even close to Canon’s 18 megapixel 1DX sensor?)
• Canon may give the 5D mk3 Canon’s newest flagship autofocus system, the 61 point system that will be found in the 1DX.
• In a leaked image that is circulating around the web right now, the rumored prototype / secret test camera has an unknown new feature when zooming in, which COULD be the super-zoom feature I already *LOVE* on my Nikon camera bodies.Trust me, Canon users, you have no idea what you’re missing!In my opinion this is one of the most unknown, obscure advantages in the time-old Nikon vs Canon debate.I know it sounds minor, but I really hate not having this feature whenever I’m shooting on Canon.So yeah.I’m excited…
• Last but certainly not least, all rumors are pointing to dual memory card slots, one CF and one SD.(Just like the Nikon D800)
• Oh, and that 22 megapixel sensor?22 is a “golden number” for down-sampling to 1080p video.Do the math yourself:Crop 22 megapixels to 16×9, then divide each dimension by 2 and you get a perfect 1920 X 1080 frame.Apparently this will allow for a GREAT improvement in the quality of HD video recording.
Personally, I’m not holding my breath for EVERY one of these specs to come true.If you recall from earlier rumors, some were saying that the 5D mk2 replacement would have FEWER AF points than the 19-point Canon 7D.
However, it does make a lot of sense for Canon to “go for broke” with this camera, even including the brand new 61-point autofocus, since they are also combining their two previous flagship lineups into the single 1DX, which is actually a step DOWN in resolution from the 1Ds mk3.So for the flagship-loving studio and landscape photographers who used to settle for nothing less than a 1Ds series, it sounds like this could beCanon’s AWESOME solution. Considering that the 1Ds series had a history of an $8,000 MSRP, …I’ll take a ~$3-4K 5D mk3 ANY DAY!
BTW, rumors are that Canon will either announce their new DSLR on Feb. 7th, or within a week or so of that date, since Nikon has a (D800?) press conference also scheduled for Feb. 7th.(There is a sizeable trade show in Japan then, so we have avery good chance of seeing BOTH new cameras in that time frame.Personally, I’m going to keep checking the interweb EVERY day, and YOU should keep checking back here for the full story the moment anything happens!
<REALITY CHECK! It is important to remember that the camera isn’t everything.The 5D mk2 is still a GREAT camera, in fact it’s one of the best on the market for portraits and weddings.If your budget istight and in the $2200 range, honestly just get a 5D mk2 today and you’ll probably love it.I would only “strongly” recommend waiting for the 5D mk3 if you’ve got the money to spend, ($3-4K probably) …and/or if you already know that the 5D mk2 doesn’t meet your needs.I’m super picky when it comes to low-light autofocus performance, and in that respect the 5D mk2 leaves a little bit to be desired.But I’ve still done some of my BEST WORK on that camera. So, grains of salt all around!</REALITY CHECK!
Take care,
=Matt=
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matt, i miss these “camera talk” articles from you! always look forward to your blog posts.
In regards to the Q button, I have one on my T2i also. So doubt that is for super zoom. In regards to what you are actually talking about, if you boot up with Magic Lantern, you will have this feature in your options. You need to enable it, but it’s there.
Personally I like zooming in increments better. That’s just me though.
This is so exciting. I hope it’s everything you’ve heard it might be. My little nest egg that I have set aside for this purchase is burning a hole in my pocket!
Great report,hope your/our dreams come true
This seems almost too good to be true. Currently I’m crossing the fingers for good focusing. If all these features came to be, I would never look at Nikon again. ;) This is my list of features in order of want:
1. Auto focus–flagship would be awesome, but unlikely. I would be happy with somewhere in between the 5D and the 7D, as long as they all work.
2. CF and SD would be awesome! I have a wireless SD card which I haven’t used yet, which would give me reason enough to get rid of my old SD-card-holding Rebel. I would definitely use this for a day-of wedding slideshow.
3. 22 megapixels is ideal to me. I hate the megapixel war. If they downgraded to 18MP, I would appreciate that too. ;) But…not happening.
4. One press 100% zoom would be a sweet addition, although as a Canon user, I’ve managed to live without. Probably one of those things that you learn to need.
This will be a crazy month. I’m excited.
Nice write on some of the possible up comming specs. Most of us are both excited and impatiant. I personally hope they do keep Resolution down to 22 and bump the ISO performance like most Pros. We need a field camera and not a studion versoin. I’m also very interested in this Super Zoom feature, I haven’t heard of before since I start my training 1.5 years ago. On my 7D we can zoom in up to 10x in Live-view mode for focusing. Is this feature similar?
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Hey Victor,
No, the zooming function that I am talking about is different. “super zoom” is a bad phrase, I should call it “quick zoom” instead. Hopefully that is what the “Q” button is for, in the pictured image, or hey just use the “Set” button like Nikon does.
Here’s the MAIN complaint I have with Canon’s interface when it comes to image review: When you want to zoom in on an image, you can’t even start zooming with the immediate auto-playback option! Whose TERRIBLE idea was that? So stupid. SO the image is already on your screen and you want to zoom in, but you gotta press PLAY first, and then click “zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom”. And then if your subject is off-center, “scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll”. Know what I mean? It only takes 5-10 seconds depending on how far off-center the subject is and how good you are at determining focus, but it really makes a difference when you’re on the job and your subjects are standing around waiting for you.
On a Nikon, I’m just one click away from perfect 100% zoom, even if the subject is off-center. As long as I used the correct off-center focus point and the camera was able to confirm focus, all it takes is one single click. (The “OK” (set) button on Nikon)
If Canon were to add this feature, and then include the 61 point flagship autofocus from the 1Dx or AT LEAST the 45 point AF from the previous 1-series cameras, …then I could shoot Canon almost perfectly as un-hindered as I can shoot a Nikon. :-)
Well I’m loving the rating button…hope that is an added feature. I’ve been wanting this for ages! So quick at a wedding to go through and rate stuff during some down time or even as you clidk the money shots, hope it is just an import into LR and the rating auto shows, might be a good way to do your “picks” as you shoot.