Can Canon has been up to and general plans for the near future

http://reut.rs/1hy3STr

 

General synopsis

 

Moving much of the production they moved overseas in 2008 back to Japan.

 

DSLR sales decreased in 2013 for the first time since they introduced their fir first DSLR in 2004 (hard to believe that Nikon had a 3 year

jump on them but it's true.)

 

More cameras with WiFi capabilities so you can upload straight to social media, etc. On the web are coming.

Sorry, Canon's first DSLR was the D30, released in 2000, not 2004. I do not believe Nikon was shipping a DSLR at that

time.

<p>Actually Canon's first DSLR was the DCS3 in 1995, though it was a kludge of an EOS-1n with a Kodak digital back. It was followed by the DCS 3 in 1996 and the D2000 in 1998, but these were still Canon/Kodak hybrids. The D30 was indeed the first "all Canon" DSLR in 2000.</p>

<p>The Nikon D1 beat the D30 to market by about a year. Like Canon they has various Nikon/Kodak hybrids starting from the DCS 100, which had a separate storage unit you have to carry around with the camera with a hard drive in it!</p>

<p>So Nikon did beat Canon to the punch with the D1 vs the D30, which were the first integrated DSLRs not cobbled together out of a bunch of Canon/Nikon/Kodak parts.</p>

<p>There's nothing much new in the Canon interview, though it noticeable that there is no mention at all of mirrorless cameras, a market Canon dipped a toe into and seem to have decided that the water was too cold.</p>

<p>Connectivity is the theme for 2014 with all digital camera manufacturers. I doubt you'll see anything new that doesn't have WiFi built in. Maybe NFC and bluetooth too!</p>

Both of you got it all mixed up. Not counting the earlier E series and the Kodak DSLRs, Nikon's first DSLR was the D1,

introduced in 1999 at $5500. I saw that at Photo+Expo in New York in October 1999 and they were showing World Series

images captured with the D1 earlier that month, when the New York Yankees had won.

 

I still recall that a damaged Canon D30 was found in the rubble from September 11. It definitely existed by 2001.

 

P.S. Bob beat me by a minute. I was referring to the first two posts.

<p>Looks like either Reuters or "Canon Chief Executive Fujio Mitarai" got it wrong. Here's the quote from the article:<br>

<br>

<em>"Mitarai said sales of digital single-lens reflex cameras likely came in under 8 million units in 2013 to mark the first annual decline since Canon introduced its first model in 2004"</em></p>

<p>It's interesting they say this decline in DSLR sales was mostly in China and Europe, and they attribute it to declining economic conditions. I would be interested to know whether DSLR sales are picking up in any of their markets, for instance here in the US. If they are, I think that would suggest rumors of the death of the DSLR have been greatly exaggerated.</p>

<p>I did take away one interesting tidbit. I had assumed the WiFi capabilities of the 6D represented a more accessible alternative to the unaffordable WTF (sic -- intentional), as well as a faster, more convenient way to stream photos to the computer. Instead it seems to be an experiment in integrating the DSLR with social media, along with geotagging with the integrated GPS. I guess there's an app somewhere that lets the camera communicate with a smart phone via WiFi, so that the phone can provide the uplink to the Internet.</p>

<p>I have to wonder whether there are any RFI issues that would create noise in the deep shadow details of the 6D's images when the WiFi is transmitting. That would say a lot about their intentions with regard to resolving their shadow banding issues.</p>

<p>Generally speaking, DSLRs are now mature products. The type of rapid technological improvements we used to see a decade ago or even 5 years ago have slowed way down. Just a few days ago Nikon announced the new D3300, but it isn't that different from the D3200 introduced back in 2012: <a href="/nikon-camera-forum/00cI3u">Nikon Introduces D3300, 35mm/f1.8 AF-S FX Lens and the Development of D4S</a><br>

Both the D3200 and D3300 are 24MP, which is too many for those consumer APS-C bodies. So the "mega-pixel race" is all but over.<br>

Nikon also announced the development for the D4S. There isn't much detail yet, but it also doesn't seem to have improved much from the original 2012 D4.</p>

<p>In other words, there isn't much incentive to upgrade your DSLR every year or two any more. The slower, longer upgrade cycle alone is going to affect DSLR sales, even though the economy is fine.</p>

<p>The only place on the planet where DSLR sales are up is in Japan. Everywhere else they are down. I have some numbers here - http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/decline_of_the_DSLR.html</p>

<p>In general DSLR sales are down by around 20% compared to last year and MILC sales are down even more (except again for Japan)</p>

<p>I think it's much more of an overall decline in the sales of cameras rather than a specific move from DSLRs. </p>

<p>Most manufacturers now see simple, easy to use, WiFi integration as the new "selling feature" of future cameras. This was pretty clear when I attended PhotoPlus last fall in NYC. Everyone was showing how their camera had better and easier to use connectivity. Nobody was talking much about better sensors or faster lenses or higher frame rates</p>

<p>Bob. That was an interesting piece. Having had a mirrorless outfit that I sold in the fall after two years of use, I would echo your assessment of that market. As you said, DSLR equipment is so good these days that almost any choice today would be a good one. The major faults with my pictures lie with me not my gear. I now have Wi-Fi on a new body. I have played with it but I already have ways to move my pictures to my Ipad. With the price of ink I would be reluctant to move my raw pictures directly to my Wi-Fi printer without a first stop in LR. Right now I have more technical capability than I can sensibly manage. I agree with you also on seeing a new 7D but at a forecast price of around 2k USD it will have to have significant advantages over my 70D for which I paid a little more than half that. Hopefully the 7D will mirror in crop format the capabilities of the 5diii. </p>

 

<p>Bob, good article -- very informative! Thanks!</p>

<p>Decrease of DSLR sale because of the economic situation or the non-innovation from Canon ?<br>

I Got 3 new bodies and 4 news lenses this year.<br>

I have a aging 5dII, don't see the 5dIII as a improvement, will not upgrade until the AF reach the functionality and quality of the Elan IIe or the EOS-3 but I will buy another Canon if I got something like the full frame mirrorless with dualpixel focus with more Mpixel .<br>

Canon where are you ? your marketing doesn't work. period. innovation work. </p>

<p>In 2012, Canon put an incredible AF system in the 5D MkIII, putting it's AF tracking ability up in 1D X territory, except that it can't drive the big lenses as fast as the higher voltage battery in the 1D series allows, particularly with TCs. Hopefully, throughout 2013 they were working on bringing the same AF technology to a 7D MKII or equivalent.</p>

<p>They did bring dual-pixel to the 70D and I'd be surprised if they're not working on the FF dual-pixel solution.</p>

<p>The crowd that judges cameras almost solely on M-pixel count, doesn't really understand Canon's focus on bringing fast cameras with stellar AF to market. Canon has tons of professional users that value high-ISO performance, AF accuracy and tracking, combined with high fps rates. Perhaps that's a specialized crowd, but it's a big portion of their professional users.</p>

<p>Mirrorless has a place and will probably eventually be a professional solution. I think Canon would be wise to focus more resources on that market, but they've done an excellent job meeting their professional users' needs, IMO.</p>

<p>DSLR sales are down - where they are down - for some unsurprising reasons:</p>

<ul>

<li>After a period during which each new product was seen as being a big advance over the previous, the market is maturing and the differences are much less compelling.</li>

<li>After a period when many people were getting their first DSLR - which leads to tremendous initial sales - there are far fewer entering the market for the first time.</li>

<li>There are more good options now that are better than the old P&S stuff but not DSLRs - better small cameras, mirrorless bodies in 4/3, cropped sensor and even FF for example.</li>

<li>The economies of the world are still recovering from the recession.</li>

</ul>

<p>Dan</p>

I think canon has to wake up Nikon has made a big jump with their intoduction od d800. Sales drop is because there isnt any new product

as Nikon did

<blockquote>

<p>Generally speaking, DSLRs are now mature products. The type of rapid technological improvements we used to see a decade ago or even 5 years ago have slowed way down</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yes. I also find "<a tabindex="1" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/modern-art-i-could-have-done-that-so-i-did-9042501.html">Modern art: I could have done that... so I did: After years of going to photography exhibitions and thinking he could do better, Julian Baggini gave it a go</a>" an interesting article. It's possible for people with simple, cheap tools on entirely automatic settings to get great shots. More rarely than someone who knows what they're doing, but possible.<br>

Used markets might also be cutting into new sales: why bother buying today's hotness when used gear from 12 – 18 months ago is 50% of the original price on Amazon and elsewhere? </p>

<p><em><strong>All</strong></em> DSLR sales are down. Canon and Nikon (which is most of the market) and the rest. It's not much (if anything) to do with innovation or lack of it. It's more about recessions and market saturation of a fairly mature product. New products are important, but they won't work miracles with sales figures.</p>

<p>WiFi has two major uses. One is to post to personal pictures Facebook etc. The other is for professionals who need to get their images to their photo editors in real time - WiFi to the Smartphone and Smartphone to the internet. For breaking news, sports etc. this can be pretty important. If you can take a shot an have it appear on your editors PC in a few seconds, that can be a pretty important feature.</p>

<p>As for<em> "I will buy another Canon if I got something like the full frame mirrorless with dualpixel focus with more Mpixel " </em>Don't hold your breath waiting for that one! If that's what I wanted (and I don't), I'd buy a Sony R7. Canon aren't even bothering to market the new EOS M2 outside of Japan. Chances of them introducing a full frame mirrorless camera of any description must be close to zero</p>

<p ><a name="00cIgH"></a><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=5998173">Abbas Haider</a>, said:</p>

 

<p>I think canon has to wake up Nikon has made a big jump with their intoduction od d800. Sales drop is because there isnt any new product as Nikon did.</p>

<p>If you need speed and accurate AF, then the 5D MkIII blows away the D800. If you're a pro and need even more speed and high-ISO performance, Nikon has no answer to Canon's 1D X and the new series of telephoto and super-telephoto lenses.</p>

<p>You can't simply count pixels and declare a winner. It depends on how you're going to use the equipment.</p>

 

For the record I shot with a Kodak digital camera which used a Canon body and lenses at the 1992 Republican Party

convention held in the Astrodome, Houston, Texas, in 1992. My photos were distributed by my agent at the time. Woodfin

Camp & Associates. It had a 3x lens focal length factor: the 600mm F4 I shot with was effectively an 1800mm f/4.

 

The DCS cameras were Kodak products. Nikon and Canon were working with Kodak at the time. According to my

contacts at Kodak, Canon withdrew from co-operating with Kodak, while Nikon continued for a couple of years more.

Atkins, Stephens, and Mitchell all make excellent points. I'm sorry Bergeron doesn't think the 5D Mark III isn't an

improvement over the Mark II.

 

Having shot with both, the 5D Mk III seems to me to be a very substantial advance over the Mark II both in image quality

terms, especially at any ISO setting over 400, in autofocus ability, and in handling, but to each his own. For me as a working professional the 5D Mark II was an overhyped underperformer whose main appeal was that it introduced video capabilities in a DSLR body.

 

DSLRs are not just a mature technology, in terms of how most people, professional photographers and advanced

amateurs (who are as a group are generally more opinionated and picky about equipment than professionals) use their

cameras they appeal to a more mature audience as well.

 

My beef about smaller mirror less cameras with interchangeable lenses, who ever currently makes them (except if or

maybe Leica) is that the small real estate crams the controls together which makes them less intuitive to use.

<p>The human interface issue can be a problem with smaller cameras. The interface designer has a problem. You can make pretty much make a touch LCD screen the primary control and thereby make the virtual buttons relatively large since you have a lot of real estate to play with. This also probably appeals to new users moving up from Smarphones who are habituated to touch screens. On the other hand more "traditional" photographers probably still mostly prefer dials and buttons - and if you have a small MILC with a large LCD, there isn't room for many dials and buttons.</p>

<p>I suspect the former route (control via touch screen) will win out in the end. It's cheaper and requires less hardware engineering. It's also easier to change and update. Samsung have a couple of Android powered digital cameras, which has the potential for even more user customization.</p>

<p>For those who, for some reason, want a MILC, I suspect that getting used to a touch screen interface will pretty much be a requirement, at least for models made for average users. I don't consider those who would pay 5-10x the price of a typical MILC for a Leica to be an average user! Could also be that someone will pull the Nikon Df trick and make a niche market larger MILC covered in knobs and dials, but that really would seem to be missing the point of a MILC (if indeed it has a point...)</p>

<p>The new Sony A7 MILC is pretty well loaded with knobs and dials, but then at 5×3-3/4×1-15/16” it's not that small. The EOS M is only 4.28 x 2.62 x 1.27"</p>

<p>Speaking ergonomics, I thought the touchscreen and live view on my former NEX5N were very good. On my current 70D I use them quite often. It is just quicker for some functions. I forget that I don't have it and try to make it work on my 7D out of habituation. That, in aviation terminology is called negative transfer, i.e. reverting to ingrained habits. I had the opportunity several years ago to work with the Navy human factors folks at Pax River. Their work on heads up displays for fighter aircraft has produced intuitive products that frankly to an old pilot like me make flying todays fighter aircraft effective and instinctive and most importantly keep the pilot's head out of the cockpit. I would like to see similar work done with camera displays, controls and functions. I did not like working with lengthy menus on the 5n and touchscreens are hard to see in bright light. The EVF I used had shortcomings in bright light compared to my OVFs as well as difficulties with tracking in sports. A hybrid finder may solve some EVF problems. A fighter heads-up display is a hybrid. Frankly there are certain menu functions that I have difficulty finding when I need them. It took me six months or more to remember where everything was on the 5n. But maybe I am just old and slow. I also have trouble remembering what many of a myriad of functions on my Canons do. Most of those do not directly effect active camera operation and can be preset. But if I want to change to something like Flexi-zone multi whatever that is, it is a pain to remember where it is and what it exactly does. So whatever I preset stays. Do I go to the menu button or do I go to the mode dial when I want to go to HDR etc. There are lots of options available to me that I never use, say when I shoot a swim meet, because I do not want to screw with the camera while trying to capture a few hundred pictures. I worry about three things; exposure, shutter speed and ISO. I think there is a long way to go in camera ergonomics or maybe I am just not sophisticated enough to master what I own but I have owned EOS since 1988 and have never taken full advantage of all the features I have been exposed to. </p>

<p>I loved the 5D Mark II, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much better the 5D Mark III is.</p>

<p>As noted by others, the 5D Mark III's autofocus is astounding. It runs circles around my Nikon gear. The LCD is astoundingly sharp and it displays accurate colors. Photos are sharper, more detailed, and cleaner.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>On the other hand more "traditional" photographers probably still mostly prefer dials and buttons</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

Maybe I'm not traditional, it took me about 30 seconds to decide that the 70D touchscreen was far superior (for me) to the non-touchscreen navigation on everything I have ever owned. I'm sometimes tempted to use it over the 5D3 just because of the touchscreen. </p>

<p>An interesting note. A couple of months ago I was sitting next to the chief photographer for a newspaper group at a ceremony. I know him from when I worked for one of their papers. I asked him what kind of camera the group he was using these days. Lo and behold he showed me a 70D. I then showed him my 70D. He bought his with Wi Fi as a major factor because he could post pictures directly from the camera to twitter. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>I think canon has to wake up Nikon has made a big jump with their intoduction od d800. Sales drop is because there isnt any new product as Nikon did</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Is that the same D800 that is <em>massively</em> outsold by the 5D Mk III, Abbas?</p>

<p>Canon could certainly learn from Nikon how to design a one-trick-pony of a camera that doesn't sell well, despite all the hype about it...</p>