Camera Labs

Hi folks,

Hold on, don't get too excited: I did use a question mark in the thread title! I did a spot of Googling this morning to see if there are any rumours about Canon announcing a mirrorless/EVIL camera at CES and there was nothing of note: this report from CR is typical. So maybe, in the best conspiracy theory tradition, the total lack of information says that Canon really are about to announce something, er, small.

CES 2011, with the emphasis on "Consumer" may well be the place for such announcements, and not just from Canon, even if availability is some way off. The mirrorless market is very significant already in Japan and with the international success of the offerings from Olympus, Panasonic and Sony it might be truly shocking if we don't get something from the other big players. Of course it would mean a new line of lenses, albeit with an adaptor to enable use of current EF/EFS lenses, and they'd have to be at the very least competitive on the AF front.

The question to current Canon owners is "would you buy one"?

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

As I've said many a time before, Canon do seem good at keeping their secrets to themselves. So the presence or absence of any rumour doesn't mean a lot.

Would I buy something I don't know anything about? That's a definite maybe.

Take the current market: I have an E-P1. It is adequate, but there's a lot of room for improvement. Owning only two lenses, jumping micro-ship is no issue at all. Of course that assumes whatever Canon come out with is better than whatever else is around at that time. For me one possible advantage would of course be the recycling of SLR lenses, not necessarily for normal use but it could allow the mirrorless to act as yet another spare body. Sony are obviously a major player here too. There is no ignoring them, with the current NEX models being a strong start. And for completeness, Nikon will no doubt throw in their entry soon too. Time will tell what the future will bring in.

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Would I buy one? Probably not.
First point is the money - I have some Canon lenses and with a new camera they might sell new lenses.
OK - now from the background I can hear somebody call "With an adapter you probably could use on the EF lenses"

But now the second point is: If I can use on my EF lenses - why should I change the camera? While the camera is probably smaller the lenses are not and the bigger cameras are probably more comfortable with those lenses. And the smaller cameras probably get a smaller sensor. That would change the crop factor again and the image quality would suffer as well.

So as soon as I'm too lazy to carry around my DSLR I'll still just take my Powershot SX 10 IS with me. The image quality isn't as good of couse but at the moment I can decide between size and quality - adding another "mid-sized, mid-quality" camera is nothing I would want to spend more money on. At least that's my view at the moment.
I'll save my money for a full frame camera

_________________
Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

I'm actually looking to increase the size of my body some day rather than decrease it with a mirror-less.

I much prefer the feel of the non-rebel series of canon cameras, but I'm waiting to upgrade my XTi (400D). I'm thinking of buying 1 or 2 more lenses before I finally upgrade. But it is looking like a 2012 upgrade for me at the earliest.

_________________
Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes

Not necessarily. Sony, Samsung and Fuji all have mirrorless bodies with APS-C sensors.

As to the main thread question: Depends on price and release date.

I'm currently in the market for either a 60D or GH2, which ever body is available for $900 first. And I'll probably be in a similar situation in 12-18 months.

Mark

Don't worry, that usually happens as you get older...

Back to the original question, I'm certainly much more likely to buy a Canon EVIL camera so long as it provides full compatibility with my current EF lenses. I would imagine they'd stick with their current 1.6x crop factor for the sensor which would also be a bonus for me, restoring some of the telephoto capability I lost when I switched to a full-frame camera.

That said neither of those reasons would be enough to persuade me to buy a Canon mirrorless camera unless said camera was also a class leader, which probably means having the technical prowess of the Sony NEX-5 although I'd prefer a less menu driven user interface. I'd only use an EVIL camera with my existing lenses in special circumstances so I could certainly get by without that option provided Canon make a couple of stellar kit lenses for their EVIL offering. Maybe a 35mm (equivalent) f/1.4 pancake and a 17-55 f/2.8 zoom?

Yep, I can still dream...

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Canon could of course use mirror-less tech in a traditional Dslr body. Would kind defeat the purpose but maybe the extra space gained could be used for some other innovation they have up their sleeve.

Maybe for some better video features, continuous focus anyone?

_________________
My Site

Anypody else old enough to remember the Canon Pellix?

_________________
Brian,
Canon 5DII, 7D, EF-S 10-22, EF 50 USM 1.4, EF-S 60 macro EF 16-35 L USM, EF 24 -15L IS USM, EF EF 100-400L, Canon SX130

.
While Canon used CES to announce some new PowerShots nothing in the EVIL/mirrorless line was forthcoming. However, there is some speculation about the CP+ show in Japan. Not an event I've noticed before but with the EVIL market being so hot in Japan then maybe this is where we'll hear what Canon have in mind. The show runs from February the 9th to the 12th.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Bob, are you wanting an EVIL camera?

_________________
Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes

Whatever they do I just hope that they maintain compatibility with EF and EF-S lenses. If they have to come out with a new lens line up with 4/3rd sized capability that they call EF-X or something for a new mirrorless design that is fine.

I just bought a 7D so I will not be buying a new body anytime soon, but when it dies, I want to be able to use my canon lenses with it.

_________________
Canon 7D/350D, Σ17-50/2.8, 18-55IS, 24-105/4 IS, Σ30/1.4, 50/1.8, 55-250IS, 60/2.8, 70-200/4 IS, 85/1.8, 580ex II, 430EX II, 270EX II.

Hi BleuDragon,

It depends.

Canon (and Nikon) have to join the party sometime and it would be inconceivable that they wouldn't offer an adaptor for their current DSLR lenses. But they would primarily have to invest in a new lens system to take advantage of the removal of the mirror.

My personal dilemma would be the choice between the drop-dead gorgeous Fujifilm X100 (thread) with a fixed 35mm (equiv focal length) lens and a Canon EVIL/mirrorless system offering me more flexibility for a similar size whilst also allowing me to leverage my current lenses. If there's no sign of a Canon offering in the next couple of months I'm very likely indeed to buy an X100 and then Canon would have to pull a pretty spectacular rabbit out of the hat, complete with waistcoat and fob watch, to persuade me to part with any more cash. And if the (expected) Canon offering is only so so then I might still eschew it in favour of the X100.

Yes, it would be fun to have both but as I also have the eminently pocket-able PowerShot G10 I can use an X100 for high IQ shots plus a G10 for those times when a 35mm FOV lens plus the use of my feet won't cut it. That might easily be as good a solution as an EVIL camera plus an extra lens.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Bob, to me the X100 sounds like a fairly safe bet, price and availability allowing. So even if Canon were to announce something it will likely take a while for the platform to flesh out before deciding if it is then worth switching again. Unless the market is flooded with X100 clones down the line, I'd expect it to hold value as well as can be expected for electronic kit.

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Canon need to get their rangefinders back on the scene.

_________________
Mark Osborne
My life through an iPhone

I would not buy such a body, can't see the real advantage. If I wanted lighter camera, then I would like it to fit in my jacket pocket and would got for the G12 or S95.

_________________
eos 7D, Eos 5 (not D) 10-22mm, "vintage"20-35mmf/2.8L, 24-105f/4L, 50mmf/1.4, 100mmf/2.8 macro, 70-200mmf/2.8L IS II, ExtX2III, 580EXII, Giotto vitruvian tripod, many other bits that goes in a camera bag...