Canon announces the new 5D II

Here is a link: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=17662

It looks like I need to start saving my money!

That makes five or six high-res cameras announced this summer (Hassy 50mp, Phase One 60mp, Leaf 60mp, Sony 24mp) - just one or two more to go...soon...What a great time to be a photographer! Of course, 99% of photographers don't need any more than 10-12 good pixels for anything they ever want to do. And it will take a new crop of glass to get your money's worth out of these new sensors - those are coming along slowly too...

My pocket change coffee can is heavy, but maybe not quite heavy enough. Sure looks good, though. Price seems right.

So far, no decent sample images have been posted. I'm especially interested to see whether the high-ISO performance matches that of recent Nikon releases. The auto-focus system and 3.9 fps would seem to make it less than ideal for action or wildlife shooters, but, hey, it's a 21 Mp, full frame camera for $2700, and I usually shoot stuff that doesn't move around much.

So, I'm with you, Tom. I may have to see if I have enough nickels and dimes in the piggy bank for this one.

Another development is that Zeiss has started a new line of EOS mount lenses, starting with 50mm and 85mm models. Not to mention that Canon has also released a new 24mm f/1.4. All of which no doubt will run into some real money.

Tim, you are right. Also, figure in the cost of a new computer and a Drobo or two.

I predict these new sensors will change the way many people take pictures. You will still need to get your composition right as far as the point of view, but it will be more convenient to take a very wide shot and crop to the best composition. That luxury may be more valuable than the ability to print 40 X 60.

The full HD video with an HDMI connection is interesting. I want to see the full reviews but it looks like a great camera for the future. Here is one more site to look at:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08091705canon_5dmarkII.asp#press

Let's see now:

- 5D Mark II
- New wide angle prime Zeiss lenses
- New PC with dual quad 64 bit processors, dual 500 gig RAID 0 hard drives, 8 gig DDR2
- 24" HDTV LCD monitor
- CS4
- New 44" + printer, media & inks

- Divorce attorney fees .....

That should about do it. Technology is killing me!

The new Zeiss wide lenses will be the ones that will really shine - Canon makes good mid and longer glass, but their wide angles are very poor. Nikon has jumped way ahead of them for now with their 14-24, and Canon really has nothing that can touch it. The new Zeiss 21mm in Canon mount will be great. I had two of these lenses previously and used them on my big Canon via adapter with great results - it will be even better not having to do stop-down metering. Canon still has nothing on the wide end to match up with their larger sensors - the 24 1.4 will be nice, but actually no longer very wide these days, and a good copy of the 24070 (like I sold to Tom!) would be able to match or beat it. We have a few more fun announcements coming up soon......

Hey Tim, I was wondering if you thought your lense would work on the new 5D Mark II? How did it work for you on you with your 1D with 21 megapixels?

Both Canon and Nikon have come out with SLRs that will record HD video. I don't know how useful Canon's new 5D II will be as a video camera. However, check out Philip Bloom's test video of the Nikon D90 here: http://www.vimeo.com/1740085

I'm not sure if the old Zeiss worked on the 5D but I assume it did - I would wait for the new Zeiss though - cheaper price and auto-everything (other than manual focus only). All of the Zeiss lenses I used on my 1ds2 worked great - they do as well on the 1ds3, although now that Nikon has the 14-24 a lot of folks are using that lens instead on the big Canons.

The last Zeiss 21mm I had I bought for $1400 used and sold for $4400. They are going for about $2800 now, but the new one will be about half of that...

The new Canon will do full HD (1080p) while the Nikon can only do the smaller HD format. All of our cameras will shoot video in the not too distant future...None of these will replace a serious video camera in the short term though, however the new Scarlet system by RED just might replace our DSLRs (it is a new video format that shoots RAW video in full HD at speeds up to 180fps)...

I'll be glad when Nikon decides to annnounce details on their next full frame body...I'm guessing it will be later this month at Photokina. It will be interesting to see what the price tag is, especially since Canon and Sony have made things a bit more competitive.

Now there's finally something that can replace my 20D (which is getting very old, but can still take a good picture if you're careful). I'm sure I'll find something do with all of those pixels. I'll have to buy some wides, too - my EF-S lenses will soon be useless.

Canon seems to wait until the other players have announced and then is the last to put its cards on the table. It usually equals them in specs and bests them in price. Sony gets all worked up for FF at $3000, the same price point as Nikon D700 and then Canon drops the 5D Mk2 with 21 at $2700. They did about the same thing in 2006 with the 10mp cameras when Sony launched A100 ,Nikon the D80 and Canon one upped them with the XTi.

This sounds like a great camera although I wish FF would fall under $2000. Some rumor sites were talking two FF cameras. I'd like to see a FF 16mp for $1900. When you look at the Canon lineup you have:

XS $600
XSI $700
40D $999
50D $1400
and then a big jump to
5D Mk2 for $2700

I think there is room for a $1800-2000 body. Maybe something like this could launch at PMA. That way they get sales now and can come in to pull more folks from the cropped bodies into FF.

In any event competiton should drive prices down.

Competition is a good thing.

Ok, I'll bite. Tim, I'm sure if you did not have to keep it confidential, you would have passed along the information already, but it doesn't hurt to ask, even if you have to decline to say. Is there anything you can tell us about those fun announcements that are coming up soon?

As one who has feet in both the video and photo realms, I appreciate what a full frame camera could do for video recording, especially with Canon's great L-glass lenses. Only the Red One cameras currently offer video recording with 35mm imagers. I have a Canon XH A1(with 3 x 1/3rd inch CCDs) that I use for video work and sometimes add a 35mm adapter to get shallow DOF, but such adapters are unwieldy, heavy and a pain to use. It would be nice to have a simpler setup for those kinds of shots.

I posted this on another forum, but I had a funny picture in my mind. A guy buys a new Zeiss lens and uses Live View zoomed in to check focus.

Hey Randy, here is one of them - the new Leica S2 - 37.5mp dslr - it is actually larger than fullframe 35mm, yet smaller than 645 - a brand new format! We will see more of this soon, including something very interesting from Nikon...

I have had two different Leica systems and holy cow where they terrific, and very expensive. I shutter to think what this baby is going to cost.

Most of the new high-res cameras and backs won't be of any interest to a majority of photographers, but the technology continues to improve at a rapid pace - perhaps more so this year than in any previous. As I have noted before, most photographers don't need anything over 12mp, and we certainly have some dandy 12mp cameras available right now, and some terrific new glass....keep 'em coming!

Well, I've seen rumors about Nikon planning to release a camera based on the 24 Mp chip from Sony. I don't recall whether that was something that was supposed to happen soon, but if it is, then the Canon 5DII may have a pretty short reign as the top dog of the $3000 and under set (unless the Nikon costs more than that). All for the better, even though I expect I'll end up buying the 5DII if it turns out to be as good as the early reports seem to indicate. Nikon and Canon going at each other tooth and nail has to be good for the rest of us.

The new Nikon is going to be quite a bit more cash than that when it comes out - and in a league of its own, at least for a few days. All of this is great for photographers for sure, however with so many high-res cameras coming out in such a short span of time I think the market is going to be saturated in a hurry - most folks can't buy a new camera every six months, and top shooters invest in a system that will last them a number of years. Again, I think the lenses are what will drive this market, and will be the foundation that people need to consider before making the investment in one system or another. Those big sensors aren't worth it with crummy glass...The Leica is the sweetest system that I've seen on the horizon, however few folks will ever even touch one...

Tim - Oddly enough the Red Scarlet was pulled from production right after the 5d Mark II was announced. It seems as though the 5D Mark II made an impression on some. I'm curious to see how far filmmakers take advantage of this full-frame sized sensor on a video camera while using a separate audio system.

WATCH THE 5D MARK II SAMPLE VIDEO HERE - AMAZING!!!
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2086

Yup, the president of the company says that he is now totally redesigning the new Scarlet camera - and was "glad I did not take any preorders!" Sounds like it is going to be one heck of a camera. Of course, very few people on the planet will ever own one, but it will give us a clue where the technology is headed...

I may be a lucky one who gets the revised Scarlet... In the meantime, I can deal with my HD Canon XH-A1. If your ever interested in starring in a documentary of Arkansas/Photography, I'd be a great DP and editor!

Speaking of documentaries, a new one on the Buffalo River entitled "Buffalo Flows" will have its premiere at the Hot Springs Film Festival's opening night on October 17th this year. Featured in the film is some geeky nature photographer working at Hawksbill Crag, plus a number of photos from the new picture book Arkansas Landscapes. It was all shot in HD last year. There will also be a DVD of this available soon...

"Featured in the film is some geeky nature photographer working at Hawksbill Crag"

Gosh, wonder who???????