Rumor: First Canon EOS 7D Mark II Specification Show Up

EOS 7D Mark II
The Canon EOS 7D

Canon Rumors posted what could be the first list of leaked Canon EOS 7D Mark II specs. Announcement is expected at the end of summer 2013. The specifications are impressive:

  • 24.1mp APS-C Sensor
  • Dual DIGIC V
  • 10fps
  • Dual Memory Card Slots
  • 61 AF Points
  • 3.2″ LCD
  • Build quality like 5D3
  • GPS & Wifi
  • $2199
  • ISO Performance to get close to the 5D3
  • “Lots of video features”

Apparently there are up to three prototypes out in the wild and undergoing testing. The published specs may belong to one of the three prototypes. A new kind of APS-C sensor is said to be featured on the EOS 7D Mark II, with a resolution of 24MP. But the sensor specs may change since Canon could be testing different sensor before deciding which one to feature on the EOS 7D Mark III.

If the specs are what we will get, and if Canon manages to deliver what the specs promise, then the EOS 7D Mark II will be a real winner camera.

Canon EOS 7D price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA [via CR]

EOS M Rumor: Auto-Focus, New Body, New EF-M Lenses

EOS M Rumor 

A new EOS M rumor showed up: Canon may not be able to improve the auto-focus performance of the Canon EOS M (price & specs) in a concrete manner through a firmware update. Although here at Canon Watch we got different information, this is a possible scenario.

The  issue concerns what makes the EOS M’s AF so sluggish. If the cause is a hardware design flaw then there is little you can do. If, on the other hand, the slow AF is due to poor software (firmware) implementation, then there is hope. I am still thinking that the poor AF is a software issue. The firmware update should be announced very soon, stay tuned.

I really hope Canon can in some way repair their halfhearted effort when designing and building the EOS M. Don’t get me wrong, the EOS M has a lot of good points, its overall performance is solid, the high ISO/low light performance is among the best in its category, image quality is outstanding, the small body is rugged and solid. But most of the competitor’s AF systems easily outperform the EOS M’s AF. To get the point: AF on the EOS M sucks when the subject is even slowly moving or when there is low light, the worst case being both conditions given. How much improvement can be expected if the issue is on the software side? There could be a dramatic improvement, something that puts the EOS M back in the same league with its competitors. The most plausible improvements the new Canon EOS-M firmware will deliver are: better hunting in low light, better tracking, and generically faster AF.

Next, there will be a new EOS M body. This is rumored since a while. And for sure the next iteration of the EOS M will have a better AF. Canon cannot ignore the fact that the AF on the EOS M was a major deal breaker for many potential customers. The new EOS M is rumored to be a more pro oriented camera body, and to have a view-finder (hooray!). That Canon is working on a new EOS M body does not only make sense, it is also indirectly confirmed by the fact that Canon always stated they are committed to the EOS M system.

Another thing that is already officially assured is the fact that Canon will release more EF-M lenses for the EOS M ecosystem. This was announced a few weeks ago by Masaya Maeda, Managing Director and Chief Executive, Image Communication Products Operations at Canon. So it is definitely more than a rumor, it is a statement made by a top Canon executive. We do not know what kind of lenses Canon is planning to add to the EOS M ecosystem, but most probably there will be a new zoom lens, another fast prime (50mm is rumored) and possibly a telephoto lens. The lack of lenses for the EOS M is a limiting factor and Canon has to broaden their offering here.

As I wrote before, you can live with the EOS M’s AF. I do. It won’t make you happy, but it isn’t as terrible as some reviews suggest. In my very own experience the EOS M is a photographic tools that can give you great images. Sure the AF needs some tweaking, experimenting, and the right lens. AF is fastest with the EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM (price & specs) (sometimes almost acceptable), particularly in Flexizone Single mode, then comes the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM (price & specs), a lens with very good optical perfomance. When using EF and EF-S lenses with the EF/EF-M adapter (price & specs) the AF becomes almost unusable (surprisingly I had some fast focusing with the EF 50mm f/1.8 (price & specs)).

As some of you probably know, the EOS M was with me when I travelled Myanmar last year. I was happy to have a light-weighted camera that gave me APS-C sensor image quality and the creative possibilities of a DSLR. And beside the poor AF, the rest of the experience was totally positive. I particularly liked the combined use of the control wheel and the touchscreen. Canon made it right here: settings can be changed easy and fast, most settings are just a few touches away. It is a pity that lots of reviews are only blaming the sluggish AF and ignore the many good point of the EOS M. The EOS M made it through extreme hot temperatures with humidity often around 95%, sandy and dusty places, roads, and street parties. It saw rain, I didn’t have a real camera bag, it was simply in my day-pack. I didn’t handle it with to much care (a camera is here to be used). Everything always worked, nothing broke, the sensor is still ok (no dust spots). A solidly built camera.

The price of the EOS M with the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens is now down to $679 on Amazon (click here), and to $699 at B&H (click here) and Adorama (click here).

Canon EOS M price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Canon EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

EOS M rumor 

EOS M Rumor [via CR]

HTC Teaser Suggests HTC One Smartphone Could Support Canon Lenses

HTC Teaser

Next Tuesday (2/19 2013) HTC is supposed to announce their new flagship smartphone, the HTC One. Since some time, they are teasing specs and features of the smartphone via Twitter. Yesterday they tweeted the image you see above. You can see the date of the announcement in green letters around the edge of the lens. The brand name is blurred out but it is easily identifiable as a Canon 50mm lens.

What does the teaser suggest? Speculation is that the HTC One could support a DSLR camera lens add-on. The image shows a Canon lens. Will the HTC One be able to use Canon lenses? A handset with interchangeable lenses?

[via androidspin via 9to5google]

Rumor: Canon EOS C50 On The Way?

Another Canon Cinema EOS related rumor. Canon Rumors writes that

[t]here have been numerous mentions of a camera coming in under the Canon EOS C100, an EOS C50 if you will. What could be removed from the EOS C100 to make another cinema EOS camera a lot cheaper? Currently a C100 costs about $6500, and we’ve been told numerous times that Canon thinks they’ll need a cheaper camera to get more people into the system and in turn, the upgrade path.

Apparently there are some prototypes out in the wild. We will see. Such a camera would be situated below the C100. But since the C100 is already heavily criticized for being too much crippled down, the question is what Canon could feature on a possible C50. Actually, the C100 is the cheapest in the line-up.

Canon C100 at B&H and Adorama

Canon C300 at B&H and Adorama

Canon C500 at B&H and Adorama

Canon eos c50
The Canon EOS C100

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Rumor: Samyang Working On A 50mm f/1.2 Lens (To Be Released In 2014)

Samyang Working On A 50mm f/1.2 Lens

Samyang working on a 50mm f/1.2 Lens? The question above has been posted on Samyang Asia’s Facebook page.

And the answer was, yes, Samyang (aka Rokinon) is working on a new 50mm f/1.2 lens, Canon mount among other mount types. This fits with a rumor I reported in the past (click here), but then the talk was about a 50mm f/1.4. It will not be an imminent release: As Samyang Asia writes on Facebook, the lens will be here “perhaps 2014”.

Samyang/Rokinon is known to build lenses with high optical performance, and that have to be manually operated. Their latest product is the brand new 35mm f/1.4 Aspherical Lens ($479) pictured below.

Samyang Working On A 50mm f/1.2 Lens

Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

 

 

Rumor: New Canon Compact Cameras Expected At CP+

Digicame-info (translated) published a list of compact cameras that are expected to be announced at CP+ (Camera & Photo Imaging Show 2013). The Canon cams are:

– IXY610F
– IXY110F
– IXY90F
– Compact abroad previously announced (such as PowerShotA1400, A2600)

I guess “IXY” is the Japanese name for the Ixus series. Moreover, as digicame-info writes, the list does not mean there could not be other announcements.