Canon 5DS & 5DS-R - pointless or outstanding?

7 comments

• Comment Link Saturday, 07 February 2015 06:28 posted by Bill Ferris

  I like your rant. It's good to be reminded, now and again, that we - as photographers and enthusiasts of the medium - should be more open to and accepting of technological change.
  
  Time and performance will determine if the new Canon bodies are both a technological change and an advance of digital imaging technology. I'll put my money on the answer to both questions being, "Yes!"
  
  One of the questions that interests me is, does 50MP effectively define the transition from "35mm" to "medium format" in digital imaging terms? It's of interest for the following reason.
  
  For decades, 35mm film was the most widely used photographic format. 35mm defined the medium for many professionals and most consumers. It's what Mom & Dad used to capture special family moments. It's what photojournalists used to record history. Yes, there were photographers who shot large format and medium format films. (Still are.) Some did amazing, astounding work; work that defined what it meant to be a landscape photographer, a fashion photographer, a [fill in the blank] photographer.
  
  But what made photography popular with and accessible to the masses was the introduction of 35mm film.
  
  In that historical context, I think it fair to ask if the same will hold true for digital imaging? Also, how do 35mm and medium format, as analog film media, translate to digital? Is it enough to define the two strictly by megapixels? What role does sensor size play?
  
  These are questions that interest me, as a photographer. I don't claim to have definitive answers but am most certainly interested in the discussion that will emerge from the introduction of these products.
  
  Another question that interests me is, what is the future of digital imaging? Over the last handful of years, sales of dedicated still imaging cameras have dropped precipitously. Compact camera sales have gone down something like 70%. Interchangeable lens camera sales have declined (DSLR's) or remained flat (mirrorless). Will these new Canon bodies help reverse that trend?
  
  I recently watched a video recording of a presentation by a market analyst who made the case that the precipitous fall in recent years of dedicated digital camera sales is not the result of the smartphone, per se. It is the result of touch screen technology. In essence, the analyst made the case that touchscreen technology made smartphones more intuitive and easier to use. Their image quality is "good enough" and being more "fun" makes them the preferred option for most consumers.
  
  Both Canon and Nikon have resisted the addition of "consumer" features (touchscreen, variable position screens, WiFi, etc.) to their professional and prosumer bodies. Nikon shelved their reservations with the D750. The announcement of the new Canon bodies sets up an interesting field test.
  
  The Canon 5DS and 5DSR will sell. The question is, in what numbers? If the D750, with its 24MP and more "consumer" features, outdistances the new Canon bodies, what would that say about the current state of digital imaging?
  
  Is a 24MP body the digital format that effectively takes the place of the analog 35mm format? Are features supporting the integration of the DSLR into a person's social media life more highly valued than medium format megapixels?
  
  If 5DS and 5DSR sales blow away D750 sales, the answer to both is an obvious, "No!" But if the 5DS and 5DR settle in as niche products, that would send a different message. Personally, I'm hoping Nikon doubles down on the strategy of making their cameras more fun and easier to use. Make it easy to shoot in RAW and share JPEG versions of your best images on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
  
  That's the way to renew the public's interest in the DSLR.

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• Comment Link Saturday, 07 February 2015 09:54 posted by stuart owen

  i am just excited to see what results can be got from this camera,and i am pleased that cannon and nikon keep pushing the limits.

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• Comment Link Saturday, 07 February 2015 13:31 posted by Gabriel Kordics

  Matt, you are right when you made the statement " 50 megapixel, that's medium format territory" wondering how this will play with existing lenses and such. Only time will tell

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• Comment Link Saturday, 07 February 2015 15:26 posted by frank job

  canon crop lens do not work on their FF models. (6 minute mark)

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• Comment Link Saturday, 07 February 2015 18:56 posted by Steve

  Hi Matt, interesting that Canon decided to go with a 50mp sensor, a lot of market hype available right now with this sort of pixel count.
  
  My thoughts are simple… Canon is in a market of shrinking 'pro level' camera sales 9to the good enough market) and with a clear hemorrhaging of sales to the D810 in the pro 'fine art/portrait/fashion' segment, needed to keep their base.
  
  I believe when the 'dust settles' we will find that this new 5D will perhaps offer a increase of resolution under optimal conditions over the D810 though the D810, I believe will still maintain the 'best-all-around' high mega-pixel option.
  
  What concerns me is many will purchase this camera only to ever post pix 'on line' and completely miss the point of having a high mega-pixel sensor.
  
  Can't hardly wait for Sony to release new 75 or 100MP sensors to Hasselblad and 50mp sensors for Nikon DSLR's…
  
  With any luck, we'll see a resurgence of larger format print making and sharing (iPads just don't cut it compared to a hand crafted 16x20" print), this could potentially bring back sales to the camera industry, leaving the 'point&shoot' crowd to their iPhones. Much like the way real books are still coveted, real photographic prints just might be the saving grace for the photo industry.

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• Comment Link Thursday, 12 February 2015 03:07 posted by Dave

  Bill Ferris said .... One of the questions that interests me is, does 50MP effectively define the transition from "35mm" to "medium format" in digital imaging terms? It's of interest for the following reason.
  
  how can you say that ? its still a 35mm format sensor they have just crammed another 26MP onto it. It would have been much better if it was a medium format sized sensor

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• Comment Link Monday, 02 March 2015 08:30 posted by JH

  i'm sticking to my original statement, in all the flubber about "ooh pixels!!". Where is the enthusiasm and dollars for improving the shutter system so we have higher native TTL sync speeds. I do love my pixels and the potential DR improvements it may bring, but it's not as useful as say a 1/800+ or higher native TTL sync. Unless we can get that kind of improvement, all this talk of "we're officially medium format" doesn't mean much.

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