Canon is now a well-deserved image hegemon, ranking first in the interchangeable-lens digital camera market for 17 consecutive years, accounting for more than half of the global SLR market sales. Photographers with white barrels outside the stadium, reporters holding red-circled lenses at conferences, and tourists with EOS straps in the scenic area, Canon's product line covers users from beginners to professionals. Canon was founded in 1933, but in the film era, Canon had few masterpieces, and it began to take off in the 90s, when digital cameras were emerging, starting with the creation of the EF mount.
The birth of the EF mount
The mount is the intermediary between the camera and the lens, and in 1987 Canon abandoned the old FD mount and developed the world's first fully electronic mount: the EF mount. This means that the lenses of the past are no longer compatible with interchangeable-lens cameras, and everything starts from scratch. EF is the abbreviation of electronic focus, and the all-electronic EF mount abandons the mechanical cumbersomeness, helping Canon take off in an all-round way, and stand alone in the world for 20 years. In contrast, today's Nikon cameras still use semi-mechanical and semi-electronic mounts, which have been used since the film era.
The birth of the EF mount is a microcosm of Canon's strong man's broken wrist and technological innovation. Entering the digital age, Canon was the first to adopt CMOS to replace CCD in 2000, and in 2002 released the world's first mass-produced full-frame digital SLR 1Ds, Canon has been a leader in technological progress for a long time.
Sensor technology
The sensor is the core hardware of a digital camera, and Canon is one of the few manufacturers that can produce camera sensors in-house. However, there is a certain gap with Sony, the leader in the field of sensors, "squeezing toothpaste upgrades", "ancestral sensors", "high sensitivity difference, low tolerance", and the crusade against Canon's image quality is endless, and it is difficult to find Canon cameras in the DXO image quality rankings, but Canon also has its own unique technical advantages: all-pixel dual-core focusing.
Canon integrates all-pixel dual-core focusing technology into the image sensor, and in live view mode, Canon's focus is faster and more accurate than Nikon's, and the technology is a killer when shooting videos, and the focus sensitivity crushes other brands. However, this technology is more suitable for mirrorless cameras, and the sensor is obscured by the reflector in optical framing mode, which makes this technology useless. Starting in 2018, Canon's focus began to shift to the mirrorless field.
Series overview
At present, mirrorless cameras are flourishing, and various brands of SLR cameras are gradually ushering in the last generation. Although Canon's DSLR sales have declined, it is still the hegemon of the camera market. Canon's SLR has more than 10 models, and it has gone through many years of iteration and has a rich range of products. The naming strategy of Canon's DSLR cameras has always been that the lower the number, the higher the product grade, with the 100-digit and 1,000-digit models being the entry-level models, the ten-digit models being positioned in the upper class, and the single-digit models being positioned as the professional level.
Canon's DSLR's product line is well-layered, and there are few entry-level models in its generation that surpass the higher-end models in a certain performance. Even if you compare it with the flagship products of ten years ago, they are still stronger than the current entry-level products in terms of focusing speed and continuous shooting speed, which is one of the main reasons why Canon has been criticized as a "toothpaste factory".
Entry-level model
The hundreds and thousands of models are entry-level products, and the prices of the models on sale are 1500D, 200DII, 800D, 850D, etc., from low to high, and the price of the set lens is about 3000-6000 yuan. Although the price points are different, all are equipped with the same 24.2 million pixel APS-C format sensor, which is supported by all-pixel dual-core focusing technology, which can ensure the focusing speed in live view. In addition to the 1500D, the 100-digit models are equipped with a touchscreen that can be freely flipped, which is convenient for focusing and selfie, and the improvement of ease of use is clear at a glance, which is lacking in Nikon's entry-level SLR.
The biggest advantage of the 1500D is that it is cheap, and you can buy a lens set for less than 3000 yuan. The 200DII features a mini body, and Canon has also configured it with a variety of colors, mainly to appeal to female users. 800D greatly improves the focusing performance in optical framing mode, close to the advanced level, and the price of the fuselage has also reached 4000 yuan. The 850D is an upgraded version of the 800D, with a high-pixel RGB infrared metering sensor that is only available in professional models, and it can also track the face in focus under optical framing, compared with the advanced 80D, the 850D only has the highest shutter speed and the body is slightly inferior. Canon's biggest competitor to the entry-level SLR is not Nikon, but the increasingly mature mirrorless cameras, which only have a continuous shooting speed of 3-7 frames per second, and the 200DII and 850D iterations in 2019 only support cropping 4K shooting, and the rest of the models only support 1080P video shooting, which is far from mirrorless cameras in the same price range.
Advanced models
The ten-digit model is an advanced product, and the models on sale are 80D and 90D, and the body price is about 5000-7000 yuan. The fuselage is made of dustproof and waterproof magnesium aluminum alloy frame, and the shoulder screen symbolized by the mid-to-high-end SLR is added, and the basic shooting data is clear at a glance. There is a three-and-a-half-year difference between the two generations of products, and the 90D has been replaced with the highest resolution sensor among APS-C cameras on the market, and compared with the 80D, the image quality, image processing, shutter speed, and continuous shooting speed have improved significantly. If optical framing and grip are important, the 90D is worth buying, otherwise, the M6 Mark II with the same sensor is more cost-effective.
Professional-grade models
Single-digit models such as 5D, 6D, and 5DS are professional-grade products that Canon is proud of, using full-frame sensors, which can be described as synonymous with professionalism. In addition, all models in the series have a magnesium-aluminum alloy body for a high level of protection and can be used in rainy days. With the exception of the 6D, all models have dual card slots, and an extra backup prevents data loss caused by a single memory card failure, which is of great significance for professional photographers.
The 5D series is Canon's signature all-round flagship, and the price of the new product is about 20,000 yuan. Released in 2008, the 5D Mark II was known as the "invincible rabbit" with excellent camera and video capabilities, and became the standard for journalists, portrait photographers, and professional enthusiasts at that time, ruling the professional market like a benchmark. The "Invincible Rabbit" is still active in the second-hand market, and its top-down demonstration role has established Canon's professional image. Since then, each generation of the 5D series has become one of the most eye-catching camera products.
Today, the 5D Mark IV released in 2016 is the main beam, with a 30.4-million-pixel full-frame sensor, ISO up to 102,400, 7 frames per second continuous shooting, 61-point cross-focus, 4K video shooting, touch screen, and all-pixel dual-core RAW optimization...... The 5D Mark IV is still one of the most versatile professional cameras, but with the rise of mirrorless cameras and the release of the Nikon D850, the 5D series' dominance is by no means as solid as it was back then.
The 6D series is a reduced version of 5D and is defined as "entry-level full-frame". Although it is expensive to be full-frame, there is nothing wrong with saying that the 6D series is an entry-level machine. The 6D series does not have dual card slots and headphone jacks, and the maximum shutter speed is only 1/4000 of a second, and the pixels, focus, and continuous shooting are fully reduced compared to the 5D series. However, the official price of the 6D Mark II is 8500 yuan, less than half of the 5D Mark IV, combined with Canon's golden sign in the field of imaging, 6D has become the hottest full-frame camera on the market. However, compared to the competing Sony A7 series and Nikon D600 series, the Canon 6D series is not outstanding in terms of price/performance ratio.
The 5DS series is Canon's "image quality machine" released in 2015, with 50.6 million pixels, it is still the highest-pixel full-frame camera at the moment after its release, high pixels mean amazing resolution, and with a high-quality prime lens in a well-lit place, the imaging level of the 5DS is not inferior to that of a medium-format camera. However, the excessively high pixel count also makes its high-sensitivity performance worrying, and it is reduced to a special camera for sunny days. The native ISO of the two cameras in the 5DS series is only 100-6400, and the maximum can only be extended to 12800, which is almost the bottom. The corresponding competitors Nikon D800 series or Pentax K-1 have ultra-high pixels and high sensitivity performance is not discarded, so it is not recommended to buy the Canon 5DS series, and the image quality is not Canon's strong point.
Flagship speed machine
The 1D Series is the flagship DSLR built for speed, the largest and the largest in size, where all the cutting-edge technology comes together. The 1D series comes with a vertical shooting handle, amazing battery life, full-frame sensor, all-metal body, waterproof and dustproof, 4K-60 frames video, dual card slots, not to mention, the top focus continuous shooting technology is the killer feature of 1D.
The 1D series has now been updated to the 1D X Mark III, which uses a mechanical shutter and can focus up to 16 fps in optical framing and 20 fps in live view, which is comparable to machine gun strafing, and the Nikon D6 and Sony A9M2, both flagship speed machines, are no match. In order to ensure high sensitivity and continuous shooting speed, the 1D X Mark III is the first to be equipped with Canon's most advanced DIGIC X processor, which has a maximum ISO of 800,000 higher than the dual-processor 1D X Mark II. Sports shooting, field capture, and news photography are the battlefields that the 1D series is best at, and the body costs about 50,000 yuan.
The high price of the 1D series determines its professional use, while the 7D series is a more realistic choice for photography enthusiasts. The 7D only uses the APS-C sensor, and the 7D Mark II on sale today is a product released in 2014, but the high-speed continuous shooting of up to 10 frames per second, the 65-point cross-focus system, the dual DIGIC 6 image processor, and the blessing of dual card slots can be called a mini 1D, which makes people dare not slack off. The price of 7D is the same as that of 6D, the price of 8000 yuan, whether you want full frame or professional high speed, Canon gave two opposing products. But beyond Canon, Nikon D500, Sony A6000 series, and Fujifilm XT series are all alternative options.
Lens group
Canon's SLR body has long had no unique advantages in front of mirrorless cameras, and Canon's biggest signature lies in the complete range of high-quality lenses, including large and small ternary lenses, ultra-large aperture lenses, multi-focal length travel pullovers, ultra-telephoto ultra-wide-angle lenses, tilt-shift lenses, etc., there are ideal choices for all price segments, and there are many third-party lenses, which are rich and frugal. Almost all brands of mirrorless cameras can use Canon lenses through adapter rings, which have high liquidity and maintain their value. Canon's multi-hundred-dollar starter sleeve design is already excellent, with a focus motor that drives quickly and without sound. If you have high requirements for image quality, it is recommended to buy a red-circle lens, the thin red circle on the lens is the eye-catching symbol of Canon's high-end lenses, and the large ternary and large-aperture lenses are all red-circle lenses.
It is worth noting that the Canon SLR body does not have an anti-shake function, and the anti-shake is completely dependent on the lens, and Canon uses "IS" to represent optical image stabilization, and if there is no "IS" on the lens model, the whole machine does not have an anti-shake function. The Canon APS-C format has a conversion factor of 1.6 when converted to a full-frame viewing angle, compared to 1.5 for other brands, with a slight loss of wide-end viewing angle.
summary
Photography enthusiasts have different preferences, some pursue image quality, some pursue retro feelings, but more people's choices will still tend to be easy to use and professional. The exterior design of the Canon SLR is entirely based on functional appeals, with few elements for aesthetic considerations, which is very different from brands such as Fujifilm and Olympus. Canon's pragmatic design is more professional and reliable, and is the "guy who does the job" for most professional photographers. The key layout and grip of the Canon DSLR have tended to be extreme in more than 20 years of development, so that there is almost no change in the appearance of the iterated product, which also ensures that old users can also find a familiar feeling when changing the body.
Canon's entry-level model features a flip-out touchscreen and dual-pixel focus, and a vivid graphical interface that makes it quick for beginners. It is worth mentioning that Canon's portrait portraits are fair and natural in color, which is deeply loved by portrait photographers and models, and Canon's 5D and 6D series cameras are nicknamed "The Little Prince of Weddings".
At the beginning of the transition from the film era to the digital age, Canon was undoubtedly the world's most innovative camera company, boldly abandoning the burden of history, subverting and innovating in bayonets, sensors, and focusing modules, and embarking on a road of hegemony that lasted for 20 years. And now it is time to transition from DSLR to mirrorless cameras, Canon's action is undoubtedly much slower than Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Olympus, Canon has been named "toothpaste factory" for many years, and once became synonymous with conservatism. However, at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, Canon successively released two full-frame mirrorless cameras with competitive prices, and released a number of heavyweight mirrorless lenses, winning the 2018 mirrorless camera sales championship in Japan in one fell swoop.
