Canon EOS-1D X Mark III Camera Coming In 2019

There is no secret a successor to the venerable Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera is coming in 2019. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is the perfect event to highlight Canon's dominance in Mirrorless and DSLR cameras.

With the recent announcement of the Series III version of their Super Telephoto lenses, Canon's job is only half done. The majority of pro sports and wildlife photography in the world are done with the EOS-1D and Super Telephoto lens combo.

The EOS-1 line of cameras has been my equipment of choice since 1989 and the current EOS-1D X Mark II body is my workhorse since its introduction in February 2016. Although the Mark II is a very capable camera, I like to see the following incremental improvement in the Mark III :

• A new sensor with mid 20MP rating
• Maintain 12 - 14 fps without mirror lockup or Live View
• First in class high ISO performance
• First in class 4K video performance
• New AF system with around 100 AF points. More dual cross-type and cross-type points
• New LCD monitor with 3.0 million dots 
• Built in WiFi (Not for myself. For photo journalists meeting their deadlines) 

I expect the new camera to be announced some time in Q4 of 2019 or earlier. Please bookmark this site and check back for the latest news and development.

Canon Explains The Larger RF Mount On The EOS-R Mirrorless Camera

The following article is an excerpt from Canon explaining the larger RF mount on the recently announced EOS-R camera. It is translated into English from Japanese by Google and may not read like an article written in English originally.

I am The Wildlife Ho-tographer, not an optics engineer. The EOS-R is not a camera I will buy for my equipment bag in its present configuration. You can read my post on why I came to this conclusion.


In 2018, a 35 mm full size mirrorless camera attracted a lot of attention. Nikon and Canon have entered so as to follow independent Sony, and it is now clear that Panasonic and Sigma, which received L mount license from Leica next year, will introduce their own full size mirrorless camera.

The companies that are new entrants this year appealed were the physical structure of the lens mount. In addition to the short back focal length unique to mirrorless cameras, the word "large aperture" was repeatedly heard. It does not mean that the open F value of the lens is bright, it means that the opening of the mount part is large.

Increasing the opening of the mount is not a zakkori story that "big is a good thing", it is nothing other than having a merit to pursue lens design. In this paper, we will deliver the content of technical briefing sessions that Canon made for stakeholders.

The optical designer reads the lens composition diagram (cross section) and reads how the light passes through the lens, saying that it is "beautiful" not "beautiful."

According to the optical designer of Canon, it is said that the following three points are the main judgment criteria because "it is optically good" in what "beautiful" is said.

· The symmetry of the optical system is high before and after the diaphragm
· The refraction of the light is gentle
· the large ball and the small ball are lined up in good balance

Perhaps there are a few who viewed other companies' lens designers as well as Canon in the same way as interview articles in small journals. Anyway, this viewpoint becomes the basis for considering the merit of the large diameter mount.

Let's look at an example that a large aperture mount will help with good lens design. From the previous three points, please keep in mind that "If you bend the light a lot, strong aberrations will occur".

First, set up 3-piece configuration as a reference lens. Instead of having a long back focus, there is no mount opening to disturb the light flux. The vertical bar at the right end of the figure is the imaging surface (film / image sensor) and the left is the subject side.

Below is an image of a case where design was advanced with a small caliber mount. A mount with a small diameter obstructs the light flux, and it is necessary to put the concave lens in the rearmost portion so that the light reaches the periphery of the imaging surface. First, this sudden spreading method generates aberration. And it will be necessary to adjust the lens on the front side to balance.

Then, the number of components increases, the lens barrel becomes longer and longer, and in the first place the lens configuration is not good because of the above reason. It is said that it is in a "vicious cycle".

The image using the large diameter mount is below. If the third lens from the front of the reference lens is lowered to the imaging plane side and the diameter is increased, aberration correction can be corrected straightforwardly.

Many lenses are made up of 10 or more existing products rather than 3, so I think that the actual story is not so simple. Nonetheless, it would be felt that it would be easier to design optically straight lenses if the mounting aperture was adequate.

Subsequently, as an example of Canon, it is a configuration diagram of "EF 35 mm F 2 IS USM" for single lens reflex cameras and "RF 35 mm F 1.8 MACRO IS STM" for mirrorless cameras.
In the above EF lens, the lens was placed on the front side with respect to the reference lens. In the lower RF lens, since there is no mirror box, we placed a lens with the same effect at the end. As a result, the RF lens has a shorter overall lens length from the imaging surface.

Until the RF mount is determined to have an inner diameter of 54 mm

Initially, Canon also considered to realize a 35 mm full size with the EF-M mount of the APS - C mirrorless "EOS M" series, but satisfactory results were not obtained, such as no performance aimed at . And since the system becomes large when unnecessarily increasing the mount diameter, we actually designed multiple lenses, decided to 54 mm while looking at the balance of optical merit and size, the strength of the camera and so on.

Then the numerical value of 54 mm inside diameter resulted in the same inner diameter as the single lens reflex EF mount, and the designer of the RF mount felt "There was a foresight ahead of 30 years before the birth of EOS".

Oh yeah, it is now Canon that appeals the value of 54 mm like this, but at the product release of "EOS R" we did not announce the concrete numerical values ​​(54 mm inner diameter, 20 mm flange back) on the stage. Before that half a month ago rival Nikon announced the full size mirrorless Z system, it would not be unrelated to the extensive appeal of the numerical value "mount inner diameter 55 mm · flange back 16 mm".

However, the merit of "large aperture mount + short back focus (short flange back)" that two companies appeal is that the degree of freedom of lens design will increase to the last. The idea is basically common.

Also at the press conference of Photokina following the announcement of the two companies, Sony, which is five years ahead of the full size mirrorless market, says, "Do you need a large-diameter mount for large aperture high performance lens?" → "The answer is" No "There is also a scene that rewards one arrow in hot topics.

However, in this context, Sony refuted because it was pre-introduction to introduce the high-end super telephoto lens "FE 400 mm F 2.8 GM OSS" that Sony α Mirror less will sport coverage of sports! And it seems not to be able to receive simply. However, when I heard this, the inner circle was excited that in the 21st century again "sparks falling down" may be seen.

So at the end we got off to some extent from the topic of Canon, but like this, the full size mirrorless market in 2018 was an opportunity to remember that it was hot and humorous.

These Individual Faces Do Not Exist. They Are Created By Artificial Intelligence

The above photos are all manufactured by Artificial Intelligence (AI). These three individual faces Do Not exist. They are not real human beings.

If you are into Portrait Photography, this is darn right frightening. Forget about Photoshop. How can we tell a real photo from a AI created one? 

Photokina 2019 scheduled for May has been cancelled. Show to return annually May 2020

Many photographic companies choose to announce their new products just before the Photokina Show to maximize exposure and hype their new equipment.  Canceling the show for one year will make no difference to them and the announcements will just come as their marketing department find the most propitious time to release their statements.

The following Canon products have been registered with certification authorities and are expected to be announced in 2019. I am most interested in the Super Zoom lens, new Diffractive Optics (DO) lens and the successor to the EOS-7D Mark II camera.

Following a successful Photokina 2018, the German Photo Industry Association (PIV), as conceptual sponsor of the trade fair, and the event’s organiser Koelnmesse have agreed not to organise the next leading global trade fair in May 2019, as initially planned, but in May 2020. From Wednesday 27 May 2020 to Saturday 30 May 2020, all the market leaders in the imaging industry are expected once again in Cologne. The decision to postpone the start of the announced annual cycle by one year is intended to give all participants the opportunity to further develop the new concept for photokina and to tap into new target groups among exhibitors and visitors in order to heighten the status of the trade fair as a global platform for the photography and imaging industry.

“photokina 2018 clearly exceeded our already optimistic expectations with groundbreaking innovations and 180,000 visitors from 127 countries,” explained PIV’s CEO Rainer Führes. “As a result, we set the bar very high for the next event. It is therefore unlikely that, in May 2019 after just over seven months, we will once again be able to create the same enthusiastic atmosphere that characterised photokina 2018. This is why we have decided to start the planned annual cycle in 2020. The Photoindustrie-Verband would like to thank Koelnmesse for its willingness to quickly comply with this request. This shows once again the great professionalism and excellent customer orientation that has characterised our trusting partnership for decades now.”

“We understand that even the most powerful technology companies cannot ensure that they will once again be able to bring such innovative strength to the exhibition halls as we experienced at photokina 2018 within an extremely short lead time of just seven months,” added Koelnmesse’s CEO Gerald Böse. “It is precisely these innovations, however, that shape the character of photokina as the world’s leading trade fair – as does the presence of all the leading suppliers in the industry as well as important users, retailers and service providers worldwide. In order to make sure we can continue to fulfil this requirement in the future and meet the expectations of exhibitors and visitors with every event, we have responded flexibly to PIV’s wishes. This will ensure the continued unique impact and public appeal of one of our flagship trade fairs in the future.”

This year, photokina had successfully presented itself with a new concept, which included the increased involvement of new exhibitors from innovative areas such as mobile, imaging analytics, digital workflow and moving images, as well as a stronger focus on experience for visitors. This combination of experience and product presentation, which was very well received by younger target groups in particular,

Will The Canon EOS-1D X Camera Be Offered In A Mirrorless Version In The Future?

Amateur Photographer (AP) editor Nigel Atherton recently interviewed three top Canon executives to discuss the new EOS R camera system. Mr. Shingo Hayakawa (SH) is the Deputy Group Executive, ICB Optical Business Group, Image Communications Business Operations. Mr. Masato Seita (MS), is the Manager, ICB Products Development Dept 11, Image Communication Business Operations, and Mr. Minea Uchida (MU) is the Manager, ICB Integrated Business Design Dept. 333, Image Communication Business Operations.

My readers know me as The Wildlife Ho-tographer and the reason why I am not buying the current EOS-R camera right now. I have been using Canon gear for over 30 years. You can follow my travels on Facebook and Twitter, see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com

Below is an excerpt from the AP interview with the three Canon executives. If and when Canon brings out a full frame mirrorless version of the EOS-1D X Mark II camera (something I have been advocating for years), I will be the first photographer to put in my buy order.


What do you think are the most important technologies in the Canon system?

SH: The distance between the lens and the sensor is much shorter. With EF lenses the space taken up by the mirror in the body imposes certain restrictions. The EOS R opens up all kinds of possibilities for lens design because of the shorter back focus. By removing the mirror we are able to use the space that it occupied for optics, which enables us to make more compact lenses. As for the mirrorless structure, we chose a large diameter for the mount because of the flexibility this offers for lens design. If we want to achieve smaller lenses, we can put the whole focus on making the lens compact. If we want a high quality, or wide aperture lens we can put the focus on that. This is key for us.

AP: You have to prioritise, so which one of those types of lens do you think the typical EOS R customer is more interested in: compact or high quality?

SH: Our target user of the EOS R is the advanced amateur, who is using maybe the 5D Mark IV or something like that. This user has a lot of different needs so we thought it was important to show straight away what’s possible with this system. Our strategy was to offer, at launch, two high spec lenses, one comfortable kit lens, and one compact lens.

AP: When you decided to make a full frame mirrorless camera what were the main priorities for the system?

SH: We started out thinking about the lenses we wanted to make and what the ideal lenses would be. That gave us the mount specifications and flange distance we needed. Only then did we start to consider how Canon could improve the main body. We decided that we wanted to make a completely new body, and to reconsider the ergonomics and operation so that it would be different from previous models. Our task is to give our customers more choice and then let them choose.

AP: The response to the M Fn bar has been mixed. Some people don’t like it. How do you feel about that?

MS: We expected that response, and guessed that would be the case. Our customers’ feelings about it vary, and different customers offer different criticisms, but the new technology has a value that we would like to offer to those of our customers who like it.

AP: Will this technology be on all R-system cameras? Will it also go on DSLR cameras in the future?

MS: We don’t know yet, but it depends on the features of each of the cameras that we have to consider.

AP: Why did Canon not include an exposure mode dial on the EOS R?

MS: When you have a mode dial on the left hand side your shooting mode is fixed, and it becomes fiddly to change while shooting. With the design of the EOS R it is easier to switch between modes, or between video and stills, with just the right hand without taking the eye from the camera.

AP: The new Fv exposure mode is very clever. Is this something you came up with specially for the EOS R or is it something you have been thinking about for a while but saved for this camera?

MS: We had the idea before and we thought it was good, and had been considering implementing it. Then we decided to introduce it on the EOS R.

AP: So it could appear on future Canon DSLRs?

MS: It could but it depends on what we want to prioritise on each individual camera.

AP: The low light auto-focus performance is very impressive. How did you achieve that?

MU: Thanks to our Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, a greater number of pixels can be utilised for autofocus. In addition, the EOS R’s image processor has enabled faster data processing. This combination achieves the low light performance.

AP: There has been some criticism that the camera only has one card slot. Did you consider having two? And did you think about going with the XQD card, like Nikon?

MS: To have two card slots, as well as the DSLR battery that we decided to use, the camera would need to be bigger, or the battery would have to be smaller. As for the type of card, we have always understood the demand for high speed. We thought SD would be the best choice overall for the EOS R when we considered the size, speed, familiarity and cost of the cards.

AP: Some other manufacturers publish a road map for future lenses. Will Canon consider that?

SH: If we publish a roadmap to the public then we are telling our customers what we are going to give them and we just have to focus on that alone, But we prefer to be more responsive to the market, and find out what our customers want and prefer. Technology is also advancing and evolving.

AP: So now, you have four lens systems. Are you going to continue all four of them in the foreseeable future?

SH: Yes

AP: And if you’re an EOS M user, can you expect new lenses as well?

SH: If there is a demand for such lenses, then we will release them.

AP: Do you think that in five years time, Canon will still be making new DSLR’s?

SH: Of course the situation is always changing and in the future, DSLRs will most likely experience a decline in popularity compared to mirrorless cameras, , but the optical viewfinder still has some advantages and we will continue to offer a choice for as long as our customers want it.

AP: If there was a mirrorless version of the EOS- 1D X, do you think people would still buy the EOS- 1D X?

SH: We would guess that a mirrorless camera like that would be popular, and have already analysed which technology will be required in a camera in five years time.

AP: The EOS R does not have a number. What will future models be called? Are they all going to be EOS R plus a number?

SH: We have not decided the numbering convention of future models yet.

AP: Could you say how many cameras you expect to have in this system by this time next year? How long will people have to wait for new models? I’m guessing that perhaps the EOS R will be the middle camera in your range and there will be cheaper one, and a more expensive one?

SH: That is a good idea! (joke)

AP: The EOS R is quite expensive for what it is, compared to other mirrorless cameras…

SH: We think the camera is not expensive or inexpensive, it is average. Let’s see what the customers think. In the system as a whole, we are working on a wide variety of attractive lenses.

AP: One more question, what design feature of this camera are you most proud of?

SH: The new mount system. Of course the design itself is brand new, but also the high-speed communication. That is part of the new system.