5D MKIII Rumors and More in Photo News Round-Up

[NOTE: If you came to this blog post looking for information on the 5D MKIII, this post was written in Jan. 2011. The latest news is that Canon may announce the MKIII on March 2, 2012. Check the Canon Rumors site linked below for the latest.]

If you follow the Canon Rumors site, then you know there’s been lots of buzz about the replacement for the 5D MKII. The rumors vary on release dates, even naming convention and a possible 28MP sensor.

Well, PC World just stirred the pot a bit by listing its most anticipated cameras of 2011. Among them is the 5D MKIII. Here’s the juicy part:

It may offer a 24 Megapixel sensor and dual DIGIC 4 processors. The 3-inch display may be an articulated LCD screen with 1.04 million dots. What is more, it may be touch sensitive, making it the first full-frame camera with such technology.

The article says to expect it before the end of June. We shall see. It also says it could be called the 6D and I disagree with that. The lower the number the higher the class; hence the 7D is not as advanced as the 1D series but it is more advanced, than say, the 60D. So to call it the 6D would imply that it’s not as good as the 5D MKII. Why would Canon update the MKII and not make it significantly better? I would say it might be called the Mark III or the 4D.

Also on the list is a Panasonic Lumix which makes a perfect segue into a bit of news I spotted on the PetaPixel site. The company just announced four new Lumix compact cameras. Hit the link for the details.

Lastly, Joe McNally and David Hobby (Strobist) are going on tour! No, it’s not a rock concert, but no two people rock more when it comes to off-camera flash. It’s called the Flash Bus Tour and it might be coming to a city near you. If  you want to learn hot-shoe and off camera flash, you must go. Just don’t throw your panties on stage…Just sayin’.

Canon Lens Prices, Cheap P&S Cameras and A Must See Short Film

A month or so ago I read an article that asked whether point-and-shoot cameras were going the way of the 8-track; some obsolete technology replaced by something better. That “something” is smartphones. Everyone, it seems, has one and the phones feature cameras. So not only do people always have cameras on them, but with apps they can alter and edit the photos.

Well, it looks like camera companies are responding by slashing prices. Check out this article which states some cameras with more features are selling for less than $100.

What do you think?  Less demand means lower prices. Is this a last gasp?

Speaking of prices, a fellow photographer posted this interesting tidbit on Facebook. If true, it looks like Canon will be increasing the prices on their lenses come February 1. Honestly, the lenses I want are so expensive, a few extra bucks doesn’t make that much of a difference! Sad, huh?

In other news…I started reading the PetaPixel blog last fall and in December I was added as a contributing writer. Well on my twitter feed yesterday I saw something from Westcott Co. linking to a short film posted on the PetaPixel blog. So I check it out and it was from June of last year, but it was new to me.

It’s a short film called “Leave Me” by Daros Films. It centers around a broken Canon DSLR and a husband trying to reconnect with his wife. It is powerful, moving and very creative…

Canon and Nikon DSLR Timeline

UPDATE Feb. 20, 2016: I originally wrote this post in 2010. In case you’ve run across it, here’s an updated graph showing both Canon and Nikon through 2014. It doesn’t include the most recent cameras like the 5Ds series, 80D or 1Dx MKII on Canon’s side or the D5 and D810 on the Nikon side.

 

Original post is below:

 

click for larger view

So I was trying to figure out how old some Canon DSLR models were and I had trouble finding one source until I found the nifty little graph above in an on-line forum.  Click for a larger view and underneath the model number you’ll see the megapixel count and the sensor crop factor (1.0x = full frame, 1.6x = APS-C, etc.). For more on crop factors, check out this previous blog.

The graph ends in 2009.  For a list which includes 2012 check out this list on Wikipedia. 

The prices are interesting. Eight-thousand for the 1DS MKIII in December of 2007! Three years later it goes for about 6-thousand. Not bad depreciation.

I’m not leaving Nikon shooters out. Check out this similar graph on Wikipedia for the Nikon lineup through 2012. If you want a more visual presentation, Ken Rockwell has a timeline from 1973-2012 in reverse chronological order with pictures of each model beginning with the D1, the  “worlds first practical DSLR”, in 1999.

Nikon D1

It’s also interesting to see how quickly or slowly Canon and Nikon replace some models. The 50D, for example, replaced the 40D in only one year. But the 5D MKII came along about 3 years after the 5D.  Nikon seems to average about 2-years between upgrades. This is why I tell people to invest in good lenses and not to worry too much about camera bodies.  My problem is… I want both!

Here’s hoping you get one or the other in 2011 if you didn’t for Christmas. On that note…Happy New Year!

Black Friday Photography News and Deals

I’m on the look-out for great deals.  Amazon, B&H and Adorama all have deals on DSLR and lenses; but it really depends on what you’re looking for and how much you want to spend.

I did find this on Amazon: Photoshop CS5 for $565. My last blog on Wednesday mentioned a deal from Adobe on Lightroom 3 for $199.

If you want to learn about flash photography, Zack Arias is selling his “OneLight” DVD for $100 and the field guide for $15.

If I find more deals throughout the day, I’ll update this post.

Before you buy, you might want to check out these reviews of the best and worst cameras. Be sure to check out the categories on the upper left-hand of the page.

Lastly,  a bit of news: Canon issues a firmware update for the 7D and T2i.

If you find some great deals, please leave a comment. Happy shopping!