p.1 #1 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
Check out this interesting interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori, Advisory Director, Group Executive, Photo Products Group for Canon Inc. based in Japan.
He talks about future challenges for Canon's EOS System and answers questions related to the new 300mm f/2.8L IS II, 400mm f/2.8L IS II, 200-400mm f/4L IS and Mark III extenders.
p.1 #3 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
"KS: “For digital movies we have Canon camcorders; we still believe the camcorder is the best option to take movie recordings. When we launched the [EOS] 5D Mark II the movie function was still an extra function, not the main function, so the 5D Mark II is still really viewed as a stills camera and the movie function is extra. Of course we’ve tried to develop the movie function of the 5D Mark II but when it comes to movies the camcorder is still the best option; the best choice to make.” "
I.E. the camcorder division will insure we make sure to cripple the functionality in the 5 series bodies for video.
p.1 #4 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
Thanks Fred! Very interesting. From the article:
What we can say is that at the moment IS [Image Stabilizer] is a maximum of four stops and both the compact group and the EOS group, including lenses, are trying to increase this a stop more, and we are studying how to do this.
p.1 #6 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
These interviews rarely provide any definitive insight into future products/developments, IS development excluded here. It's not like some Canon EU marketing guy will grill a Canon exec for juicy details, let alone even publish such details. That said, still interesting to read.
p.1 #7 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
Am interested in the following:
"For example, in the film ‘Blade Runner’ a picture is enlarged and enlarged with no reduction in the high quality, so even when it’s enlarged, enlarged and enlarged again the detail still remains. That is also a dream – high pixel count technology.”
Hopefully this may be an indication that a really high resolution body is on the way. Personally I don't believe for a moment that Canon are producing their superb Mk2 L lenses just to piddle around with 18 and 21 mpx bodies indefinitely. Especially when Nikon are already selling high res kit at affordable prices.
p.1 #10 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
He sounds very out of touch. He says one could not shoot a war with a phone, yet almost all we see from Syria is from phones. He trots out the old Canon misconception that a camera used by a professional needs to be more weather sealed than one by an amateur.
Also notable is that they are concentrating on IS. Perhaps they can't get around the Sony sensor patents.
p.1 #12 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
melcat wrote:
He sounds very out of touch. He says one could not shoot a war with a phone, yet almost all we see from Syria is from phones.
When all you've got is a cell phone, then that's what you use. It does not mean it's the best thing to use. If you think a cell phone is best for photography, then please sell your gear and use one.
melcat wrote:
He trots out the old Canon misconception that a camera used by a professional needs to be more weather sealed than one by an amateur.
Not a misconception. The operative word is "needs". A professional has needs. An amateur has desires.
melcat wrote:
Also notable is that they are concentrating on IS. Perhaps they can't get around the Sony sensor patents.
Actually, Sony can't get around Canon's IS patents and Canon is working to put IS far ahead of Sony and Nikon and the rest.
It would make sense that if Canon has got something going in sensors, that they would direct attention away from it so they can make a bigger splash. Remember, Canon has for a long time had the lead in sensor MPx at full-frame: it has a 50 MPx APS-H sized sensor and a 120 MPx full-frame sized sensor in the labs. So Canon is clearly working on sensors.
p.1 #13 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
melcat wrote:
He sounds very out of touch. He says one could not shoot a war with a phone, yet almost all we see from Syria is from phones. Monito wrote:
When all you've got is a cell phone, then that's what you use. It does not mean it's the best thing to use. If you think a cell phone is best for photography, then please sell your gear and use one.
I actually didn't see anyone say a cell phone is "best." I suggest some care so as to not put words into people's mouths.
Of course to be fair to Mr. Shimbori, he did not say anything about cell phones at all. What he did say however is they need "high ISO in dark places to take a photo discreetly." Now high ISO is nice, but I think "discreetly" is the key point. And it also is a reason why I've seen a number of war photographers make a deliberate choice to forgo DSLRs in favor of compact cameras or yes, even cell phones. Because such cameras are much more discreet this trumps the better high ISO of DSLRs for some photographers.
p.1 #15 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
artd wrote:
I actually didn't see anyone say a cell phone is "best." I suggest some care so as to not put words into people's mouths.
Likewise Ken-ichi Shimbori does not think EOS cameras are perfect for every application at all times. I suggest some care so as to not suggest people are "very out of touch" when they clearly are not.
The people "shooting" the Syrian war with cell phones are not photojournalists.
p.1 #16 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
I will make the argument that walking or sneaking around with a large white lens and MKIV body might get you arrested and or killed in Syria at the moment. Not nessasarily in that order. Hence the iphone photos.
p.1 #17 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
Monito wrote:
The people "shooting" the Syrian war with cell phones are not photojournalists.
They may or may not be. But you're ignoring the point that there are photojournalists covering wars other than Syria who are shooting photos with cell phones.
p.1 #18 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
Also without trying to be too harsh on Shimbori... I would say that believing discreet shooting requirements are the province of DSLRs does indeed seem "out of touch" in some sense. Quite a few photographers with discreet shooting needs have been migrating to other options for some time now.
p.1 #19 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
Nice article, I'm very interested in that 200-400....I feel I shouldn't even comment on the typical web comments regarding the subject being "out of touch"........but......Really?
p.1 #20 · Interview with Ken-ichi Shimbori on the EOS System
chipiii wrote:
I will make the argument that walking or sneaking around with a large white lens and MKIV body might get you arrested and or killed in Syria at the moment. Not nessasarily in that order. Hence the iphone photos.
It's not like some Canon EU marketing guy will grill a Canon exec for juicy details, let alone even publish such details. That said, still interesting to read.