If you are looking for this camera, all the updated information I collected is on http://www.YLovePhoto.Com/en/ where I now publish all my photography-related news.

According to French electronic magazine EOS Numérique, the next Canon EOS dSLR camera will have the following specs.

• 24 mega-pixel 24X36/Full Frame CMOS sensor
• DIGIC IV processor
• LiveView
• Video Mode
• Integrated Cleaning System
• Full compatibility with Canon EF and EX-series Speedlites
• Magnesium alloy body
• New battery, new grip
• Price: 2600€
• Official announcement: 17/09/2008

It seems possible that this is real data, not a leak, since it is said that Canon has miscalculated the limit date for its recent NDA (they are trying to extend it).

And the announcement date seems to be what everybody thinks about the official launch of the Canon EOS 7D or Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

Thanks to Image et Nature magazine who says so on its next cover page.

Image et Nature

So, no Canon EOS 5D Mark II or similar. It will be Canon EOS 7D.

I told you that the press was currently held by the Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). Here is one which failed to cover it completely…

The DPreview forums are currently providing the latest bit of information about the Canon EOS 5D succession. The EOS 5D is dead, long live the… EOS 7D and EOS 5D MkII. The first would be for a low cost option (around $2000 – I told you that this low price point would be critical in the battle of the Full Frame cameras in 2008-09), the second would be staying up against the Nikon D700 and replace honorably the original Canon EOS 5D. Or it would be a set of Canon EOS 3D and Canon EOS 7D…

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 7D

Anyway, do not expect to get any reliable information now. Canon has put under NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) all press representative and has provided the pre-production cameras for the initial hands-on reviews to pop up everywhere when the embargo is lifted.

This is exactly the reason why  we no longer have any information about the upcoming Sony Alpha 900 which will be fighting in exactly the same market. Possibly with exactly the same weapons (two cameras to simultaneously cover both the $2000 and $3000 ranges).

Canon IFA 2008

Everybody expects it to happen, but here is a noticia (in Spanish) where the writer informs us that the Canon people at the IFA2008 exhibition confirmed that the Canon EOS 5D will be renewed with the arrival of a new D-SLR camera with a Full Frame sensor within the scope of the next Koln Photokina fair.

In parallel, it has been observed that a Flicker user published an image that appeared to be marked as coming from a Canon EOS 6D (in the EXIF part of the file). But the author quickly confirmed that this was only a quick an dirty modification of the JPG file while testing some unrelated part of the Flicker operation.

So, we are still left without precise information about which name will be held by this new camera from Canon. But the latest descriptive rumour says that the EOS 6D or Canon EOS 7D (or whatever) will have the following features:

• 21.1 M-pixel Full Frame
• DIGIC IV
• ISO 100-6400 (extension: 50 ISO & 12800 ISO)
• 5 fps
• 3.2″ High Resolution Screen (LCD)
• 19-point AF
• HDMI Out
• Liveview
• HD Movie Mode
• Viewfinder: 100% Coverage
• Full weather sealing
• EF Lenses only

Anyway, this 2008 edition of the Photokina will be very interesting. You’ll see plenty of people running in the alleys from the first day to have a look at all the new cameras and photo products to be presented there.

We have been talking a lot about it lately. Now, the Canon EOS 50D is out in the open, announced by Canon itself. If you followed here, nothing will surprise you. Even the body-only price of $1,399/£1,199.99/1499€ is expected (we’ll wait for a little step down when the camera is really available, in October 2008).

Here is a list of articles on the Internet describing the  new camera (to replace the Canon EOS 40D):

• PopPhoto
• DPreview
• DPreview preview
• Chasseur d’Images (French)
• dPhoto Expert
• PopPhoto
• Photography Bay (only a copy of the Press Release)
• PhotographyBlog

The Canon EOS 50D looks like a very good camera. As usual in this part of the camera range at Canon, this is an improvement, but having 15MP, more than 6 frames per second bursts, and a good image quality (up to 12800 ISO) is going to make it definitely interesting for people coming from either the EOS 40D or the EOS 30D. I’d say, the Canon EOS 50D is going to be loved.

The Canon web site in China just made a big error probably very revealing since it has been leaking the detailled cahracteristics of the a new Digital SLR camera named Canon EOS 50D (so, this is the long-awaited successor to the beautiful Canon EOS 40D).

The level of details is extraordinary (for leaked data), which certainly means that the camera is fully ready and will be announced at the next Photokina fair (in less than a month) or on August 26th, 2008 (as I was told previously).

• 15.1 megapixel CMOS sensor
• DIGIC 4
• 1.6x crop
• Dust Reduction
• Automatic correction of brightness/vignetting
• 95% viewfinder, 0.97 magnification
• 9 point AF(All Cross Type)
• 35 meter area equipped with high-precision sensors
• AF Fine Tuning
• ISO 100-12800
• 6.3 fps (high speed) 3fps (low speed)
• Buffer: 16 RAW – 60 JPG – 10 RAW+JPG
• 920,000 points VGA 3.0-inch LCD monitor
• 100,000 cycle shutter
• Rugged magnesium alloy body

Full Specification for Canon EOS 50D (in English partly translated from Chinese)

(more…)

You loved the Canon EOS 30D, then the EOS 40D. But since you’re hooked to buying always the best technology that money can buy, you are already looking for the next digital SLR camera from Canon. And you’re right. If something can be learned from history, the regular schedule of launches for the mid-range line of SLR cameras from cameras will bring us the Canon EOS 50D around the beginning of 2009.

Can you recognize the pattern?

But it does not tell us the features list of the future camera, unfortunately.

Some people have been speaking about seeing Canon moving into a much faster cycle of replacement for its D-SLR cameras. However, it seems that this is the case for entry level only. You can expect that competition is so hot there that the Canon EOS 1000D will need to receive a replacement in Spring 2009 already. But the Canon EOS 50D is aimed at a higher price point and more stable population of photographers. But it won’t be true forever (what about the Canon EOS 60D and then the EOS 70D?)

Currently, there are two groups of rumours running through the Internet forums about the future successor to the Canon EOS 5D digital SLR camera.

1. There will be two cameras at the same time (either Canon EOS 3D and Canon EOS 6D, or Canon EOS 3D and Canon EOS 7D) launched just before the Olympics (to allow pro photographers to publicly play with them during this very public event).
2. There will be two cameras at the same time (either Canon EOS 3D and Canon EOS 6D, or Canon EOS 3D and Canon EOS 7D) launched after the Olympics (usually pronosticated for Monday, September 8, 2008).

Did you notice the common points and the divergence?

Unfortunately, it is rather impossible to say where is the information and where is the fake news bit.

In this beginning of the Summer, while many people are discussing about the arrival of the Nikon D700 (everybody seems pretty sure it will pop up this week), some are wondering whether the Canon EOS 40D will soon be replaced by a Canon EOS 50D. Nothing more than repeated wish lists in forums, but the trend is there still.

Canon is definitely an innovative brand for the marketing of photo products. For years, regarding single lens reflex cameras, Canon specialized in products clearly ahead of their time; I think about the Canon EOS 300D, of course, which surprised/shocked the market with a price so totally different from the rest of the digital SLRs that it allowed a whole new generation of photographers to move to digital. But there was also the Canon EOS 5D to bring a Full Frame sensor which is still appealing to many a photographer (wait for a post about this in a few days).

But Canon does not stop here. A few days ago, the Japan brand announced a Digital SLR, the Canon EOS 1000D / Canon Rebel XS opening the doors of the D-SLR market to those who where still staying with bridge cameras.

Of course, nobody could compare the technical features with the high-end products that is catching our attention in most of the posts here.

• 10 mega-pixels: it’s not much, but largely enough for 99% of the Sunday photographers
• 7-area AF: just right
• Continuous shooting at 3 fps in JPG (or 1,5 fps in Raw): certainly not pro-level, but more than enough to shoot holidays and families
• 2.5″ LCD with LiveView
• Price: 699.99€ / £579.99 with a lens (stabilized 18-55mm) or 599.99€ / £499.99 body only.
• Available August 2008 (no date for USA launch)

If this camera is aiming lower than the current Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi, it will still find some competition with the Nikon D60 and the Sony Alpha 200.

Images (sur DPreview).

If you have a simple Point-n-Shoot digital camera, you may not know it, but you are limited more by the marketing teams than by the real technical constraints of your hardware. But if your camera is from Canon you may find an easy way out.

The Canon Hacker’s Development Kit is an open-source software project that can be loaded on cameras using Canon’s DIGIC II or DIGIC III processors. Interestingly, it has the following features:

• It’s free (as in free beer)
• Its installation is completely reversible (it does not remove anything, does not replace the existing firmaware, just adds new features installed on-the-fly from an SD card)
• Faster shutter speed: up to 1/60,000 of a second!
• Slower shutter speed: down to 65 seconds!
• Automatic bracketing of exposures
• RAW file format
• Live histogram display
• Battery readout
• Scripted actions
• Longer videos
• More image compression options
• Use USB for remote control
• Depth-of-Field calculator

Impressive! The list is long enough to give your food for thought and it applies to an impressive list of compatible cameras.

Sources: Wired article, CHDK source.

Today’s launches in Las Vegas have the advantage of offering good opportunities to make interesting comparisons. First comes to my mind the opposition of two high-end tele-zooms that should interest the enthusiast photographer looking toward sports, wildlife and even portrait:

• Sigma APO 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM
• Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G (SAL70300G)

Tous les deux visent la meilleure qualité possible pour une gamme d’application très large. Ils viennent en concurrence directe avec les offres équivalentes de Canon (EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM) et Nikon (F VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED), par exemple. Tous sont des zooms ouvrant jusqu’à f/5.6 (pour maintenir un excellent couplage avec l’autofocus), tous sont stabilisés (Sony utilise la stabilisation au boitier, bien sûr), tous couvrent le champ complet d’un 35mm (APS-C ou Full Frame acceptés), les prix tournent autour de 1000€.

But, where I see Sigma rushing in the fight (probably trying to limit costs by cutting short the low-end of the range -where portrait photographers may suffer), I do not understand Sony’s choice of limiting itself to 300mm (only portrait will be satisfying). Portrait would be better served by a shorter zoom (bringing better aperture). Or by a prime lens of superlative quality as Sony (ex-Minolta) or Zeiss has the knowledge for.

We’ll have to see the exact characteristics and the image quality (the products on the market are among the best lenses possible in this category).

It’s not only a naming game. Since people are waiting for a possible launch by Canon on the 24th of January, and since they don’t see anything coming during the waiting period, speculations abound. Now the rumour is that Canon will launch only a EOS 450D (or Rebel XTs, Rebel XTS, the silver version of 300D/Rebel XT) at the February PMA and the replacement for the Canon EOS 5D will wait until Photokina.

This would be the occasion for Canon to shoot higher than the supposed slight improvements over the 5D (with a slight name change like EOS 5D Mk II) and pile up major features to fight back Nikon and its most recent D3 and D300 (explaining a move to the more severe name change of EOS 6D or EOS 7D).

Canon has been a major manufacturer of photo cameras for many years. Is this worth a museum? I don’t know but they decided that they could not wait for somebody else to build it. Canon opened an online virtual museum of its cameras: the Canon camera museum.

The Camera Hall is a database of historical facts about Canon film cameras, digital cameras, digital camcorders, still video cameras and lenses.

In the Design Hall, rediscover the visual appeal of Canon many products through the years.

The Technology Hall explains the many advanced technologies incorporated into Canon cameras and takes you on a tour through a virtual lens plant.

And the History Hall introduces historical facts about Canon cameras and the technologies that have gone into them.