I thought this would be interesting to see which single model has been the most influential d/SLR model released by Canon so far.
So which of the models in the poll do you think has been the most influential camera Canon has released so far?
By that I mean, which model do you think has been the camera to really revolutionise both the price and feature and performance barriers, and have made the biggest impact on the way the market, and models have developed throughout the years.
If you could tell us which model you chose, and the reason for your choice that would be great too! It will be interesting to see the end results!
I don't know/care what influences the masses, but the 1Ds was the first Canon DSLR that produced sufficient image detail to replace 135 film for many quality purposes.
I agree, the EOS 1Ds broke the barrier setting high standards that took its competitors years to catch up with. This camera represents the turning point in the SLR industry, bringing film to it's ultimate demise.
I would have to agree with Emile, and say the 300D has been one of the most significant models, as it was the first "Affordable" d/SLR to hit the market, which opened up the entry level market, Created a price war and ultimently has driven prices down not only in the entry level market, but also the prosumer market. Sure it wasn't fancy, but it was cheap!
5D. The first "mainstream" FF dSLR. Still the only one, but now far more affordable. To this day, the IQ of every new camera is compared to the that of the 5D and often the 5D is still the superior camera in that respect.
First the other manufacturers simply went into denial about FF. Many of them are still in that stage, including their users. Only recently has Nikon made an attempt to compete, but still there is no direct competition. So even now it is a game of "catch up" in this market segment, with the "5D MkII" being the only thing in sight that might compete with the 5D directly.
300D moreso than any other body IMO - D30 and D60 were out well in advance, but at many times the cost. The 300D brought a dSLR to many people's budget, without compromise to the quality of the camera (well...you know what I mean).
I would also say that close second and third would go to the 1Ds and 5D. The 1Ds for being the FF Canon flagship, and the 5D for being the affordable FF model.
As EB-1 said above, the 1Ds was a technologically groundbreaking camera that took a step so far ahead of everything else, it was really impressive that Canon did what they did, at that point in time. It was the first camera to clearly move beyond what 35mm film could routinely do, but at a price that was beyond the means of most.
BTW, the significance of the 1Ds on the market was that it was the first digital SLR that got (non-sports) commercial film photographers to jump ship and embrace digital, and it happened quickly. Before the 1Ds, very few commercial film photographers had made the switch, because there wasn't a camera that could even equal film, let alone exceed it in many aspects.
The 1Ds was the camera that made it 'OK' for the film boys to jump ship and swim with us digi-rats...
Edited by Jeff on Jan 12, 2008 at 08:13 PM GMT (Reason: Added BTW)
I think actually the most influential -- not note the most advanced or most professional -- was actually the original D30.
When this was first marketed the whole idea of digital photography - especially for anything remotely approaching Professional Quality was laughed at as an entire joke.
The future of film was still rosy at that time. It's almost impossible to convey the consensus at the time the D30 was introduced -- but this camera showed people that Professional Digital photography was a definite "Starter" even if the D30 itself wasn't quite the camera to deliver the end result.
It received a sensational press on introduction and even Michael Reichman on his Luminous Landscape site gave it an amazing thumbs up.
Here's a link to the review back from those heady days in 2000/2001
This review also might make a few of the youngsters hold their hands up in horror at the prices . For example a 1GB CF card (or microdrive) cost at that time around 500 USD -- nearly 800 USD in todays money and the D30 itself was nearly 3,000 USD -- you can buy a 5D today cheaper !!!!.
Had it not been for this camera the whole future of Digital Photography might have taken a different route or only been introduced many years later.
Modern cameras such as the 1DS3 can't be compared with the original D30 of course - nor can our processing methods --much faster computers, better photoshop algorithms etc etc.
You won't hear the argument anymore that "Film is better than digital". That argument was lost way back when. Film now only occupies a tiny niche market and once digital sensors can be made cheaply enough for MF gear the last bastion of film will vanish.
So for me the initial introduction of the D30 gets my vote.
I love my new 5D too, but here's some interesting data from flickr that may support the argument of the xxxD's importance.
Camera Millions of of Flickr Photos
EOS 350D 36.4
EOS 400D 18.3
EOS 300D 16.8
EOS 20D 16.7
EOS 30D 9.4
EOS 5D 6.47
EOS 10D 5.4
EOS 1D2 1.5
EOS 40D 1.3
EOS D60 0.8
EOS 1Ds2 0.8
EOS 1D2N 0.8
EOS D30 0.55
EOS 1Ds 0.49
EOS 1D 0.44
EOS 1D3 0.25
EOS 1Ds3 0.003
The most glaring conclusion is that price is the most important determinant of camera popularity (at least among the flickr community).
I was surprised at how well the 20D did as compared to the 10D.
Finally, I doubt the relative unpopularity of the ! series camera is at all indicative of Hrow's assertion that 1D3 will represent a turning point in Canon's popularity among professionals. Rather, it seems the owners of professional cameras are less inclined to give their pictures away!.
Another interesting observation is that the 4 most popular Canon cameras on flickr are SLRs. Not by a small margin either. The most popular point-and-shoot is the Powershot SD400, and it garners only 15.5 million pictures posted (this is somewhat contrary to my earlier conclusion that the owners of pro-bodies are less inclined to give their photos away. Instead the owners of consumer and entry level "pro-sumer bodies are more likely to give their photos away.
Finally (because I am in an OCD mood), here are the same numbers for Nikon.
Camera Millions of of Flickr Photos
D50 18
D70 17
D80 11.5
D70s 10
D200 9.7
D40 5.6
D100 4
D40X 2.2
D2X 1.9
D1X 0.9
D2H 0.5
D2Xs 0.24
D1 0.2
D1H 0.15
D2Hs 0.09
D3 0.028
D300 0.007
I'd go with the D30, everything but the 1D series was built mostly in it's image. The T90 doesn't count does it?
The Rebel series wasn't influential IMHO, just affordable. I think the 20D set a standard and found a sweet spot for performance. 8mpix and 5fps is enough for most applications.
So far you are all looking at "positive influence". I might put forth that a year or two from now the 1DMIII might be seen as the most influencial and not for its positive influence. I think the jury is still out on this.
I don't think, as proposed by Hrow, that it will kill Canon's position all by itself. Small numbers will defect because of this, but if the next 1D sports camera is a lemon....look out. Nikon sales will jump and Canon will have some real problems.
Edited by nathanlake on Jan 12, 2008 at 12:38 PM GMT
I like this thread. Interesting reading and thoughts and statistics too.
I agree with Kyle Yates....the D30 was the seed that started the growth. It became a landmark or 'benchmark' that started a revolution that provided a digitalSLR at a price point that finally got it out of the limited world of high end professional studios.
Without the D30 I would have stayed shooting medium format film....until....
Without the D30 I would have gotten a $25,000 digital camera (body only) and I only got the D30 in order to test in order to compare it to the $25,000 body I was going to buy a few weeks later...the D30 sold me. I think of the D30 fondly as it not only made great photos (at the time) but it also saved me $22,000 if you look at in comparison to what I was going to buy at the time....wow.
Without the D30 I would have lost even more great images to sloppy film handling at "pro" labs. That is priceless. wow.
From my perspective, the D30 I purchased (one of the first on the market) (at about $3000 for body only!) was the start of the real revolution for digital SLRs.
