Canon 5D Mark IV Rumors

The rumor mill is ramping up again about the much anticipated Canon 5D Mark IV thanks to a post by Northlight.  According to Northlight, the EOS 5D Mark IV is going to be announced until fall 2015 at the earliest.  Furthermore the 5D Mark IV won't be announced until the 5DS and 5DR are shipping in "reasonable numbers".

According to various websites the sources inside Canon have mentioned that sales of the 5D Mark III are still very good.  I suspect 5D Mark III sales were boosted once the 5DS/5DR were announced because many photographers, myself included realized the 5DS/5DR is not a good camera system for general use.  I personally had been holding off on buying a new full frame camera waiting for something new from Canon, but finally bit the bullet and just bought a 5D Mark III.

The sources are also say the 5D Mark IV may not come until after the announcement of the 1DX Mark II.

Rumored specs for the 5D Mark IV:

28 megapixel sensor:

9fps

4K video

Improved external flash control

Sony Announces New FE Lenses

All of us bloggers guessed wrong last month.  We expected Sony to announce a series of FE Lenses at CP+ and it took us by surprise when they didn't.  But Sony came through today announcing four new full-frame lenses for its E-Mount camera's.  Sony now has 11 FE lenses in its lineup.  The new lenses are: the 28mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4, 90mm f/2.8 macro, and 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3.

Sony is fulfill its promise to rapidly expand its lineup.  The main complaint (and a big reason many pros have not endorsed Sony's E-Mount camera system) is a lack of lens selection.  But Sony has promised to continue “the rapid expansion of [its] popular mirrorless camera system.”

So here are the new lenses and a brief description of each:

The 28mm f/2 is a wide angle prime lens that features a bright maximum aperture that’s great for landscape photography and handheld shooting, especially in low light.

Features include a high-grade aluminum finish, a light and compact design, “whisper-quiet” autofocusing, a 9-blade circular aperture, 3 aspherical lens elements, a length that remains constant during focusing, and multi-coating to suppress flare and ghosting.

Nikon D7200 Rumors and More

Lately it has been a back and forth between Canon and Nikon.  One releases a camera body and the other tries to match it.  It seems that trend is going to continue for a while.  According to a translation of the site mobile01.com, when Nikon was asked about a new flagship camera, they responded they will soon be announcing a direct competitor to the Canon 7D Mark ii.

The rumors about the D7200 are picking up and an announcement is expected by mid March.  Here are the rumored specs for the camera:

New 24MP APS-C sensor

Nikon D750 styled body with a tilting screen

Expeed 4 processor

MultiCAM 3500DX2 autofocus system

51 AF points

Built-in Wi-Fi

6fps

Buffer: 16 RAW+JPG

Video: 1080p @60 and 720p @120 (not sure about 4k)

Video aperture will be adjustable during live view

At the same time as the D7200 is announced, Nikon is expected to announce a 1 J5 mirrorless camera with 4K video.  Nikon is also expect to announce a new Cool Pix camera at the same time.

Canon 4k C300 Mark ii Rumors

Another month and a another series of rumors are starting to float around about more new products coming from Canon and Nikon.  This time the rumor is Canon will announce and new 4k Cinema EOS C300 Mark ii at NAB in Las Vegas.  The show will take place in April.

This is what Canon Rumors is saying about what they have heard regarding the new camera:

• Color rendition a top priority
• Future proof mandate, great dynamic range, codec and usability
• Canon does not see the FS7 as a competitor, as they expect their camera to be better in every way.
• New motor zoom lens for C-series coming
• Shoulder mount system for EOS C300 Mark II coming
• No more on pricing at this time

Nikon 1 J5 Mirrorless Camera to Have 4K

According to the latest rumors online, it appears the upcoming Nikon 1 J5 will have 4K video capabilities.  If the rumors are true it will be the first Nikon camera to have 4K.  According to Nikon Rumors the Nikon 1 sensor is capable of both 2k and 4k video recoding.

I am not much of a video guy, but I know a few people who are and they can't wait to get for some options to get on the market with 4k.  If the Nikon 1 J5 really does have 4k I am sure it will be a huge success.  

The official announcement is expected within a few weeks.

Canon 5D Mark iii Grey Market Price Drop

The Canon 5D Mark iii popped up online this week selling for only $1999.  This is most likely a grey market camera, but it is still interesting to see the popular camera show up from GetItDigital which has a 99.5% approval rating, at such a low price.  This is the lowest advertised price I have ever found for the full frame camera.

Near the end of 2014 Canon USA began offering huge rebates to boost regional sales because grey market cameras were being sold for far less than at authorized retailers.  It will be interesting to see if Canon USA fights back with another rebate program.

Canon also issued a "grey market" warning around the time of the rebate program.  Here is a link to a YouTube video explaining my thoughts on why Canon issued the warning.

Canon Announces It Will Gold Sponsor Olympics

TOKYO, February 18, 2015 – Canon Inc. and Canon Marketing Japan Inc. announced today that the Company will support the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) as a Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner in the category of Still Cameras and Desktop Reprographic Hardware which include desktop printers.

Canon has entered an agreement with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, making the Company a Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner. In this capacity, Canon will contribute to the delivery of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which will be held in 2020 in Tokyo, and in addition, will provide support to the Japanese national Olympic and Paralympic teams competing from 2016 to 2020.

Tokyo 2020 Gold Partners are positioned as the highest tier of the Tokyo 2020 domestic Sponsorship Programme. As a sponsor of Tokyo 2020, Canon products and services in the still cameras and desktop reprographic hardware categories, which include desktop printers, will be designated as Official Products of the Games.

Canon will provide behind-the-scenes support to members of the press covering the Games, including camera and lens maintenance services and product loans. Drawing from the Company’s experience and know-how cultivated to date, Canon will improve on-site media support for cameras during Tokyo 2020, including on-site camera service and support centers to assist the numerous journalists and sports photographers from various countries and regions across the world.

Canon will continue contributing to the advancement of sports through the use of Canon still cameras and desktop reprographic hardware which include desktop printers.