Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
It looks like Canon may be announcing a true successor to the PowerShot G12 next week prior to Photokina 2012. Recall that the Canon G1 X was announced earlier this year at CES 2012, causing speculation that the G-series may move to a larger sensor format.
The above leaked image appears to confirm, however, that the more compact-oriented camera line will continue with a PowerShot G15. [Read more…]
The Sony NEX line is already knocking it out of the park, so this news comes as icing on the cake. SonyAlphaRumors.com has good word that the upcoming Sony NEX-5R (which will replace the NEX-5N) will sport a new 16MP CMOS sensor with phase detection AF sensors built as pixels directly on the sensor.
For those unfamiliar with the tech, phase detection AF is what’s used in all DSLRs; however, most mirrorless cameras to date have featured a contrast detection AF method. The contrast AF system has gotten better in recent years – with Sony, Panasonic and Olympus doing a bang-up job of making it much faster in the latest models. However, if you’ve used both a DSLR and a mirrorless camera, then you know that DSLRs just focus faster . . . and that’s due to phase detection AF.
The recently announced Canon EOS M features a phase detection AF method at the pixel level as well. And, Canon even introduced the feature into the Canon Rebel T4i. While the Rebel T4i certainly does a better job at AF than other traditional DSLRs, it still has a ways to go based on my early testing with the camera for full time AF during video. Hopefully, the EOS M performs much better than the Rebel T4i’s AF.
But Sony is really sneaking up on Canon and Nikon. Frankly, I think Sony is the manufacturer to beat at this point in the mirrorless market. If the new NEX-5R steps up the game with an even better AF system than exists in current NEX models, then it’s going to be hard for others to really push past.
The new Canon EOS M will be available in October for $799.99 with a 22mm f/2 kit lens. The EOS M and several accessories are available for pre-order now via the links below.
Canon EOS M Kit w/ EF-M 22mm lens
Canon has unveiled the highly-anticipated EOS M mirrorless camera. As expected, the camera comes equipped with an 18MP APS-C CMOS image sensor. It will be available in black or white (update: the white is apparently no longer available in the US — update 2: retailers are trying to get official confirmation from Canon regarding available colors other than black) in October for $799.99.
The new EF-M lens mount on the camera accepts the two new lenses released with the camera – the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM kit lens and the optional EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. Additionally, the EF-EOS M adapter allows you to use either EF or EF-S mount lenses with the camera, which should be a pretty big selling point to existing Canon DSLR users. The EF-EOS M adapter will be available in October for $199.99.
Alongside the lenses, a new Speedlite 90EX flash will be available in October for $149.99.
More details in the press release below. [Read more…]
Specs for the new Canon EOS M mirrorless camera appear to have leaked out a day ahead of launch. Canon Rumors posted the following specs on the EOS M.
Additionally, it looks like Canon will be employing the same 18MP sensor from the Rebel T4i with pixel-level phase detection AF sensors in place as I speculated a few weeks back. These specs make the Canon EOS M look like a killer mirrorless model.
If all this is legit, it’s going to be fun watching Canon and Sony go toe-to-toe with their mirrorless models over the next couple of years. It’s also a great thing for consumers to have two camera makers trying to one-up each other.
Does anyone see any glaring omissions that turns you off from this new mirrorless model?