Something new from Canon on Nov. 3rd...

[Jonathan Shaw]

Love a camera announcement although generally they end in disappointment. Would be great if Canon really pull something out of the bag and hit all points... well nearly all

[Greg Fiske]

Here is the specs on Digic V. I've read that Digic V cuts noise reduction by 75%. Whatever camera it is, its going to see in the dark.

Canon U.S.A. : About Canon : Newsroom

[Chris Barcellos]

Yeah, the thing that bothers me about the poster is the title "The Story Begin" . Kind of has the same feel as the Story Beyond the Still contest. May be this time the Studio is going to let the winner or winnters make a film at the studio, with Canon paying the bill.

[Paul Cook]

I don't think it has anything to do with a contest - its a product announcement, and with the 'historic global announcement' line...a fairly significant one!

Canon have so many options and 'room to move' on this. Sure they could go the predictable FS100 competitor and a higher end F3 competitor. But what if they upped the stakes...with the entry level between the FS100 and F3 and the top model somewhere in the middle of the F3 and an EPIC.

Now THAT would shake things up for everyone.

[John Wiley]

Personally, I doubt it will be a camera announcement. It might not even be a product announcement at all. I think others are on the right track and it is more likely something to do with a major business/marketing event such as an aquisition or partnership.

If I had guess, I'd say it will be a press conference to announce that in future, all Canon's product launch's and marketing will copy Apple's techniques with announcement dates being published well in advance to generate hype. =)

[Jon Fairhurst]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

The DSLR artifacts I except it not to have are a mirror, a penta-prism and an optical viewfinder.

Point taken. I have yet to notice those artifacts in my footage though. :)

In fact, the DSLR form factor doesn't seem to be a problem for digital cinema, where cameras are on rigs, rails, and heads. If anything, its small size has been a boon. Rodney Charters (24 DP) noted that you can put a bolt in the ceiling and mount a DSLR, while a film or digital cinema cam generally needs the crew to build a frame if you want a down-looking shot.

The following production compared the ONE, Alexa, and EPIC, and found the EPIC to have the best ergonomics, but it's still not as small and light as a DSLR.

Sharp Shooting for Guerilla Warfare – Part 2 – Ergonomics and Operation with Red MX, Alexa and EPIC | Digital Cinema Demystified

Anyway, it's interesting that the DSLR form factor was initially seen as problematic, but for some applications, its small size is superior to the pro competition. And to think that people initially laughed when they first saw these small DSLRs attached to large lenses, rails, and matte boxes.

Anyway, remove the mirror, prism, and optical viewfinder, go with an EVIL design, and the form factor gets even smaller.

I can always bolt stuff together to make a small camera bigger. Adding smallness has always been the tougher challenge...

[Brian Drysdale]

Arri are now offering a detachable sensor head version of the Alexa. The Epic isn't that much larger than a DSLR, the problem is that once you start putting serious data processing into a camera you need to dissipate the heat generated.

There always has been small profile cameras for mounting into tight places, unfortunately, they usually also offered compromises in the image quality and I'd include the current DSLRs in that.

[Simon Wood]

While a new S35 camera would be the most popular announcement, it might just be related to this:

Project Imagin8ion

Hopefully not.

[Francesco Marano]

And if is a multilayer sensor?
in the image in the first post we can see many color
may be a foveon like sensor with more layer?


Bye

Sorry for my bad english

[Don Parrish]

I am pretty sure this is way past my budget, I think just the lenses are way past my budget, but I am hoping.

Chris, Why the ""Paramount Studious Hollywood CA."" address ??

Not that it has anything to do with this, but it is unusual that B & H shows the 305, 300, 105, 100, and XA 10 all back ordered ? ?

Expect server traffic to increase abruptly ! ! ! ! time 8:10 EST.

[Jean-Philippe Archibald]

I don't know what will be announced on november, but it seems logical for canon to eventually announce a camera to use their new 4K lenses and another one to use the EF serie of lenses and to keep customers gained by the HDSLR revolution. Seeing what is currently on the market from other manufacturers, it seems logical.

My guess is that Canon will announce a High end PL camera, maybe 4K, in the 50K-100K$ bracket and an other one to use EF lenses, perhaps via an adapter in order to have a short flange distance and also accomodate PL lenses, in the 10K$ bracket.

Is that what will be announced in November? Dunno. But I guess that this is the direction Canon will take.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Simon Wood

it might just be related to this: Project Imagin8ion

On the surface, that seems like a reasonable conclusion to jump to, but the problem with with this is revealed if you dig a little deeper into the contest details: the most public event for Project Imagin8ion which people would be invited to attend would be its premiere, and that's happening in New York City, not Los Angeles.

Originally Posted by Don Parrish

Chris, Why the "Paramount Studious Hollywood CA." address?

I was waiting for someone to ask me that! This question gives me a chance to lecture on my favorite topic, which is History. Because history is cyclical and tends to repeat itself, the future becomes easier to predict. At any rate, back in the summer of 2006, Canon USA hosted a travelling roadshow for the XL H1, and one of the stops was Paramount Studios. I was there for that, as was Robert Sanders, who posted earlier in this thread.

So no, I don't think it's directly connected to the Ron Howard / Project Imagina8ion contest, and yes, there is a precedent for Canon USA doing something camera-related at Paramount Studios. Hope this helps,

Originally Posted by Robert Sanders

Where does one go to register?

I think this email blast was just a "save the date" kind of thing with more details such as registration, etc. to follow later on (hopefully). That's my take on it anyway. Do these pics bring back any memories for you, Robert?

[Michael Wisniewski]

That's an interesting bit about the 2006 XL H1 camera, since that also happens to be the long standing hole in Canon's HD camcorder line up ... ack ... my tummy just went topsy turvy. Sounds like the smart money's on a camcorder with interchangeable lenses, and that makes a lot of sense, since Canon loves to come late to the party (and also loves to sell lenses), but still lots of questions on how they've implemented it. Hope Christmas comes early.

Personally, I prefer to have either the DSLR form factor or a true shoulder mount. For me, all the in-between designs just never have the elegance and functionality of the extremes.

[Justin Molush]

Putting something like this out there could almost mean anything...

However, I would like something like the following...

XF100/XF105 form factor/size around there
EF Mount
True 35mm sensor (ala 5D2)
1080/60p
Global Shutter
Codec in 4:2:2
2x XLR Ins
HD-SDI/SDI/HDMI Out in 4:4:4

Its not gonna happen but while we're all having fun speculating, I might as well too!

[Don Parrish]

Now here is a silly question, what will a 4k resolution production be displayed on, digital theatres only ??

If they also have a mid/lower price unit, what technology has evolved since the inception of the XF 305 ?? Of particular interest is the shutter, lenses, bit depth, memory cards, 60p, codec etc.

If there is a lower cost unit my guess (and I bet all of you of a virtual beer) is competition for the F3. With time to listen and see the F3's strengths and weaknesses, Canon could punch the competition in the gut with the added time to perfect a 35mm.