This impressive photo is made of 1,665 individual shots captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II photo camera armed with a 400mm tele-lens, and combined together on a powerful computer.

Web site: http://www.dresden-26-gigapixels.com/

• 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.

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…

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).

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.

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 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)

General

Camera Type: Has a built-in flash AF / automatic exposure single-lens reflex digital cameras

Media Type: I or Type II CF card, UDMA compatible

Image Sensor Size: 22.3×14.9 mm

Compatible Lenses: Canon EF-series (including EF-S series lenses) (35 mm converted the focal length of the lens focal length is about 1.6 times)

Lens mount: Canon EF mount

Image Sensor

Type: CMOS Image Sensor

Effective Pixels: Approx.15.1 million pixels

Aspect ratio: 3:2

Dust removal function: Auto, Manual, add the dust data

Recording System

Recording format: Camera File System Design Rule 2.0

Image types: JPEG, RAW (14 place Canon original); RAW + JPEG

Records of pixels: (4752 x 3168? Large: about 15.1 million pixels (4752 x 3168)

Medium: about 8 million pixels (3456 x 2304)

Small: about 3.7 million pixels (2352 x 1568)

RAW: about 15.1 million pixels (4752 x 3168)

sRAW1: about 7.1 million pixels (3267 x 2178)

sRAW2: about 3.8 million pixels (2376 x 1584)

Image Processing

Photo style: Standard, portrait, landscape, neutral, reliable setup, monochrome, User-defined 1-3

White Balance: Auto, the default (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Lamp, White fluorescent light, flash), user-defined, Color temperature settings (2500-10000 K)

Noise Reduction: Can be applied to long time exposure and high ISO sensitivity shooting

Automatic image brightness correction: Automatic brightness optimization

High-priority tone: Yes

The amount of light surrounding the lens correction: Yes

Viewfinder

Type: Eye-level pentaprism

Rate outlook: Vertical / horizontal direction about 95 percent

Magnification: About 0.95 times (-1 m-1, using 50 mm lens on the infinite distance AF)

Focus: About 22 mm (eyepiece lens from the central -1 m-1)

Built-in diopter adjustment: -3.0 – +1.0 M-1 (dpt)

Focusing Screen: Ef-A equipped with the standard screen, and can replace the screen (2 sold separately)

Mirrors: Fast back move

Depth of Field Preview: Yes

Auto Focus

Type: TTL auxiliary video coincidence, the phase detection

Automatic focus points: 9 (all cross-)

Metering range: EV -0.5 – 18 (23 ° C/73 ° F, ISO 100)

Focus modes: Single AF, AI Servo AF, Artificial Intelligence AF, manual focus (MF)

AF-assist light: By the built-in flash for a short flash

AF fine-tuning: AF can be fine-tuning

Exposure Control

Metering Mode: 35 Zone TTL full-aperture metering

• Evaluation meter (with the focus of any automatic linkage)
• Partial metering (the viewfinder about 9 percent of the area)
• Spot (viewfinder central area of about 3.8%)
• Central focus of the average metering

Metering range: EV 1-20 (23 ° C/73 ° F, the use of EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)

Exposure Control: Programmed auto exposure (automatic, portrait, landscape, Macro, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash off, creativity automatic, procedures), shutter priority automatic exposure, aperture priority auto exposure, depth of field priority auto exposure, manual exposure

ISO Sensitivity: (Recommended exposure index)

• Basic shooting zone mode: automatically set between ISO 100-1600
• District creative shooting modes: ISO 100 – 3200 (in 1 / 3 increments), Auto, ISO sensitivity can be extended up to ISO 6400 or ISO 12800

Exposure compensation: Manual and automatic exposure bracketing (with manual exposure compensation can be used in combination) – Can be set numerical: ± 2 Stage 1 / 3 or 1 / 2 units to adjust

Auto exposure lock Auto: evaluation of the use of metering single AF mode – Manual: auto exposure lock button

Shutter

Type: Electronically controlled focal plane shutter

Shutter speed: 1 / 8000 second to 1 / 60 seconds (automatic mode), flash synchronization speed of 1 / 250 second 1 / 8000 to 30 seconds, B Mun (the shutter speed range. With the availability of various shooting modes)

Flash

Built-in flash: Recoverable, auto-flash

Flash: 13/43 (ISO 100, to m / ft unit) flash coverage: 17 mm camera angle. Recycle time of about three seconds

External flash: X series of flash (camera can set up some flash function)

Flash Metering: E-TTL II automatic flash

Flash Exposure Compensation: ± 2 Stage 1 / 3 or 1 / 2 units to adjust

Flash Exposure lock: Yes

PC terminal: Yes

Driving System

Types: Single-shoot, high-speed shot, low shot funny (10 seconds or two seconds delay)

Continuous speed High-speed: Approx. 6.3 / sec. max

Low: the most about 3 / sec.

Continuous maximum number of (High-Speed Continuous):

• JPEG large / distinctions: about 60 (90)
• RAW: about 16 (16)
• RAW + JPEG large / distinctions: about 10 (10)

* Based on these values to use 2 GB of memory cards, Canon testing standards (ISO 100 photos and standard style).

*Value in brackets apply to the testing standards based on Canon’s Ultra DMA (UDMA) 2GB memory card.

Live View Shooting

Focus: Fast mode (testing phase)

Real-time mode, real-time facial priority mode (contrast detection)

Manual focus (can be enlarged five times / 10 times)

Metering Mode: The use of image sensors to evaluate Spot

Metering range: EV 0 – 20 (23 ° C/73 ° F, the use of EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)

Mute shooting: Yes

LCD Monitor

Type: TFT color liquid crystal display (there are seven brightness adjustment)

Monitor size and resolution: 3 inches, about 920,000 points (VGA)

Coverage: About 100%

Languages: Interface 25 (with English)

Image playback

Image display format: Leaflets, pamphlets + information (image quality records, the shooting information, the histogram), four images index, nine image index, rotating images

Zoom: About 1.5 times – 10 times

View images method: Leaflets images, 10 or 100 images, screen, the date, Folder as a unit Jump

High-warning: Excessive exposure of the regional high-flicker

Direct Print

Compatible printer: PictBridge-compatible printers

Print Image: JPEG and RAW image

Print command: DPOF1.1 compatible version

Custom

25 Custom Functions

Camera user settings In the mode dial position of the C1 and C2 registered

Registration menu: Yes

Interface

Digital Video: For computer communications and direct printing (Hi-Speed USB)

Video output terminal: 3.5 mm mini-jack (optional NTSC / PAL)

HDMI mini OUT: terminal C –

Remote Terminal: And N3-compatible line of the shutter

Docking Systems terminal: WFT-E3 Used to connect wireless file transfer for WFT-E3

Power

Battery: Battery BP-511A (1)

* AC adapter can be packaged using the AC ACK-E2

* Installation of the battery box and handle BG-E2N or BG-E2, you can use on the 5th (AA/LR6) battery

Battery capacity shooting (Based on CIPA testing standards): 50 percent of the normal use of flash photography: 23 ° C/73 ° F at about 640. 0 ° C/32 ° F at about 540. 50% of the use of flash photography of real-time display: 23 ° C/73 ° F at about 170. 0 ° C/32 ° F at about 130.

Size and weight

Size (Width x x high-thick): 145.5×107.8×73.5 mm / 5.7 x4.2×2.9 inches

Weight: About 730 grams / 25.7 ounces (body only)

Operating Environment

Temperature range: 0 ° C-40 ° C/32 ° F-104 ° F

Working humidity range: 85 percent or less

Battery BP-511A

Type: Rechargeable lithium batteries

Rated voltage: 7.4 V DC

Battery capacity: 1390 mA

Size: 38×21×55 mm / 1.5 x0.8×2.2 inches

Weight: About 82 grams / 2.9 ounces

Battery Charger: CB-5L with battery BP-511A, BP-514, BP-511 or BP-512

The length of the power cord: About 1.8 m / 5.9 ft.

Charging time: About 100 minutes

Input Voltage: 100-240 V AC

Output voltage: 8.4 V DC

Temperature range: 0 ° C-40 ° C/32 ° F-104 ° F

Working humidity range: 85 percent or less

Size (Width x x high-thick): 91×67×32.3 mm / 3.6 x2.6×1.3 inches

Weight: About 105 grams / 3.7 ounces (not including the power cord)

Source : Photography Bay.

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?)

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.

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).

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.

• 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).

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).

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.