Will Canon make a Digital Medium Format SLR ?

[CameraQuest]

some people think so

the possibility is quite interesting -
it would be Canon's 1st larger than 35mm camera

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon_medium_format_2ff.html

Stephen

 

[Spanik]

Must be a contender to the ugliest camera titel.

 

[benlees]

Could be the camera for Goldilocks. The Leica S2 is too much and but the Pentax is, well, a Pentax!

 

[dogberryjr]

Intriguing. It could possibly cause me to finally forgive them for the abandonment of FD.

 

[gavinlg]

If they do it will blow everything else with relatable IQ away - Im sure of that.

 

[x-ray]

I can't imagine them doing this or a reason to do it. MF is a very limited audience and shrinking. The only grounds they could compete on is price.

When Nikon introduced the D800 / E it pulled a lot of MF users away and into the Nikon system. I'm even thinking of selling my Hasselblad CFV39 back because my Nikon holds it's own against it and even exceeds it in dynamic range.

Canon would have to totally come up with a new lens system and totally new camera. The best thing they can do is continue to develope the DSLR 35mm FF format and improve lenses. None of us want to lug around a MF system when we can do the same with a 35mm FF DSLR.

 

[x-ray]

If they do it will blow everything else with relatable IQ away - Im sure of that.

There's some extremely tough competition out there in the MF world. At what price? What would the cost for Canon be to develope such a super systema and how many units could they sell? Why would anyone sell their IQ180 for a Canon that's a newcomer to MF.

Don't think so. They're not even cmpetng with Nikon anymore since the D800 / E. The D800 is good enough that it pulled me away from Canon FF 1 series and about to do the same with my Hasselblad digital.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

The image is of Canon's prototype 645 film camera, as shown on page 158 of The Canon Compendium.

I wonder if anyone really is planning something like this at Canon or it's just the imagination of someone determined to post something, anything on a web page?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Canon is too big fish to fit into small tank digital MF market.

 

[gavinlg]

There's some extremely tough competition out there in the MF world. At what price? What would the cost for Canon be to develope such a super systema and how many units could they sell? Why would anyone sell their IQ180 for a Canon that's a newcomer to MF.

Don't think so. They're not even cmpetng with Nikon anymore since the D800 / E. The D800 is good enough that it pulled me away from Canon FF 1 series and about to do the same with my Hasselblad digital.

Because it is likely to be priced to compete with the leica s2/pentax 645d or somewhere between them. The hassy and phase 1 gear is exorbitantly expensive. Canon has hugely impressive r&d capabilities compared to any other company in MF. Add to that the EOS style ergonomics and I am willing to bet its going to be a cracker of a system. Thats all I am saying 😉

 

[x-ray]

Because it is likely to be priced to compete with the leica s2/pentax 645d or somewhere between them. The hassy and phase 1 gear is exorbitantly expensive. Canon has hugely impressive r&d capabilities compared to any other company in MF. Add to that the EOS style ergonomics and I am willing to bet its going to be a cracker of a system. Thats all I am saying 😉

How big do you think the MF market is? Tiny is how big. At any price it's still going to be tiny.

You can't put millions into a camera and lenses you will only sell a few of a year. MF is a shrinking market, not expanding.

Hasselblad isn't hugely expensive. Hasselblad sells refurbished cameras and lenses at a fraction of the cost of a new one. They also carry a warranty for 6 months.

We just have to disagree.

 

[Godfrey]

I have no idea whether they will or wont, and gosh knows they're marketing people will definitely let us all know if they do.

But I hope that if they do, it doesn't look anything like the thing in that link. I wouldn't know how to hold onto a thing like that.

And I hope that it actually has a real medium format sized sensor, not something in the middle like 36x36. 56x56 is more like it ... ;-)

G

 

[gavinlg]

How big do you think the MF market is? Tiny is how big. At any price it's still going to be tiny.

You can't put millions into a camera and lenses you will only sell a few of a year. MF is a shrinking market, not expanding.

Hasselblad isn't hugely expensive. Hasselblad sells refurbished cameras and lenses at a fraction of the cost of a new one. They also carry a warranty for 6 months.

We just have to disagree.

Im fairly sure that if canon is entering the MF market, there will be some sort of unfilled gap in the market.

 

[Spanik]

You can't put millions into a camera and lenses you will only sell a few of a year. MF is a shrinking market, not expanding.

Depends on how much you can recycle. The only thing that makes me doubting it is that Canon doesn't have a visible tradition in MF. So nothing to recycle. Fuji would be a more likely candidate for this.

But I hope that if they do, it doesn't look anything like the thing in that link. I wouldn't know how to hold onto a thing like that.

And I hope that it actually has a real medium format sized sensor, not something in the middle like 36x36. 56x56 is more like it ... ;-)

I agree 100%.

 

[Takkun]

Market analysis aside, I could easily see it. After browsing around at our local camera shop, it seems that the current MF trends are in integrated, automated, system cameras (as opposed to legacy systems with digital backs), and if a small-format company like Leica is getting into the game, I could see Canon doing the same, seeing as they've done similar with the cine cameras. Seeing as Canon has their fingers in everything from P&S to SLRs to video and cinematography, they'd have a user base to tap into.
Or it would cannibalize some of the EOS line. Who knows--not me, I ain't no businessman.

Part of me could imagine a world in the future where the small-format DSLR is mostly extinct, with MF systems taking the high-resolution commercial work end of things, and mirrorless cameras taking the rest. I already use the latter for most of my personal (digital) work, ranging from landscapes while hiking to people photography.

 

[Takkun]

Depends on how much you can recycle. The only thing that makes me doubting it is that Canon doesn't have a visible tradition in MF. So nothing to recycle. Fuji would be a more likely candidate for this.



I agree 100%.

I'd like to see what Fuji might offer. Between they and Pentax who both have histories in larger formats, it's been interesting seeing them come and go and come back in the small-format digital arena.

 

[sc_rufctr]

The image is of Canon's prototype 645 film camera, as shown on page 158 of The Canon Compendium.

I wonder if anyone really is planning something like this at Canon or it's just the imagination of someone determined to post something, anything on a web page?

I think you're right on the money here. (in bold)

Muti million dollar investment with minimal return or even a loss? Doesn't seem very Canon 😉

 

[steveclem]

It looks like some sort of alien rhino space helmet.

 

[bwcolor]

A move to MF would require a lot of effort and expense for a very small market.