The 5D specs were posted on this site previously and appear to be accurate, except for the price which is estimated at US$3299. That's ground breaking for a full-frame camera. I'll be pre-ordering one as soon as I can. What's really great is that the 5D's focusing screens can be replaced, this was a major bugaboo for me with the 20D/10D since I like to have have grid focusing screens for alignment and composition.
The EOS 1D Mark IIN has the same 8.2 megapixel sensor as its predecessor, which was designed for photojournalists who needed fast frame rates more than they needed megapixels or full-frame sensors. The main difference is the larger LCD panel on the back and a larger and faster buffer performance. It'll be listed at US$3999.
Rounding things out are some new lenses. Canon announced an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens that looks to be very juicy. It looks like Canon wants to create a new line of f/4 L lenses at a lower cost and lighter weight from its current f/2.8 L lenses. This is smart especially since the new crop of digital SLRs have extremely good low-light performance.
A new 70-300mm f/4.0 - 5.6 IS USM was also released. This is good because the current 75-300mm IS was never a great performer with consumer quality optics and first generation image stabilization. The new 700-300 unfortunately has a micro-USM motor instead of a ring USM. Let's hope it performs better than its predecessor.
There's also a new Speedlite 430EX which is slightly more powerful (GN 43 versus 42) and quite a bit faster in recycling compared to the 420EX. I also like the new, more organic styling.
Product Tiering
As of August, 2005 with the announcement of the 5D and 1D Mark IIN, the Canon Digital EOS product tiering now looks like this:
| Level | Price | Crop | Mpix | FPS | Model |
||||
| Professional Studio | $8000 | 1.0x | 16.7 | 4 | 1Ds Mk. II |
||||
| Pro Photojournalist | $4000 | 1.3x | 8.2 | 8.5 | 1D Mk. IIN |
||||
| Professuional/High-Amateur | $3300 | 1.0x | 12.8 | 3.0 | 5D |
||||
| Midrange Photographer | $1500 | 1.6x | 8.2 | 5 | 20D |
||||
| Advanced Amateur | $900 | 1.6x | 8.2 | 3 | 350D/ Digital Rebel XT |
||||
Update 2005.08.22 2:00pm EST: I called B&H up to ask them to put me on the pre-order list for the EOS 5D. In their charming New York way, they told me that they weren't accepting pre-orders and didn't know when they would be making up a waiting list. I'll give them a call in another week. If anyone knows of a retailer who is listing the 5D, I'd be very interested to know.
Update 2005.08.25: Rob Glabraith also has a nice preview article of the 5D on his site.
it seems you'll have to wait a bit..
launch is scheduled for Aug 26 in Shanghai.
camera to be displayed at the IFA 2005 in September. US sale is scheduled to start in October with pre-orders beginning in early September.
Hi. I really like your blog, and websites which are loaded with excellent research and information. Thanks!
I've read the news about the new Canon EOS-5D. Here's what I wish I could say to them about this:
Dear Canon:
Are you trying to turn me back to film?
It was incredibly irresponsible (or an intentionally evil marketing plan) to introduce DSLRs with partial image sensors in the first place. (Analogous to selling some kind of 'mini film' to us amateurs for the normal price of film, and charging $100.00 a roll for full size film used by pros. The whole 'partial image sensor thing' seemed about as reasonable as that to me.) Now you finally introduce a full frame sensor in the 'prosumer' range of cameras, but what's with that price??? And 3 frames per second with only 1/200 sync? Where's the spot metering?
Dear Canon, sorry, I'm not biting on this one. Not until you knock that price in half. I'll stick with my 20D. If I want to go full frame...well... order me a Canon EOS 1V!!
-Mark
It sounds harsh I know, but I'm sure there are many out there, like myself, whom are getting really tired of the new and improved (almost seasonal) release of the cameras with features we should have had already. I am a real photographer. I have real skill. I'm not a collecter of 'the next best thing' like so many other wannabe photographers out there. My biggest need is a camera that has the highest resolution I can afford, and I'm tired of getting trapped in the 'prosumer cash-grabbing' way of doing business, that Canon and Nikon becoming famous for.
Thanks for reading my rant,
-Mark
the same is true in every industry nowadays. how many people need 3.5 GHz processors in their home PCs? or, care about watching TV on cell phones?
In fairness…..it is reasonable to expect the Canon's of the world to recover their R&D costs somehow....so they can stay in business. there is no tax money that supports such kind of effort, as opposed to say…the defense area.
personally, i like the non-SLR digital cameras like the Sony DSC-F717. it's got a decent Zeiss zoom lens matched to the sensor, good enough to function as a light weight travel camera.
on the subject of Canon EOS 5D and similar…….i would like to see the prism and mirror taken out of the digital SLRs, replaced with a hi resolution electronic viewfinder.
it’s fun to follow the technology unfold.
I can't wait to see what Nikon will do, but I guess it's going to be a while. Is it really too much to ask to use my favourite Nikkor 24mm manual lens on full frame Nikon digital camera and be able to get a reading on the meter?